East Valley Tribune: Southeast Edition - Nov. 6, 2016
BY GARY NELSON Tribune Contributing Writer
If you spend any time at all on the streets of Chandler, you probably have seen them.
e tricked-out Lexus models bearing Google’s corporate logo have been on the road for months. ere are humans on board, but in many cases the cars are driving themselves. And they are helping to drive society to a future with dramatically safer roadways that, ironically enough, might someday see stoplights go the way of the horse and buggy.
e East Valley is hardly alone in hosting tests of the new technology. e movement is global and on many fronts, both civilian and military. And in the view of local experts, it is unstoppable.
State Sen. Bob Worsley, R-Mesa, is closely monitoring the fast-moving field from his perch as chairman of the Senate transportation and technology committee.
“I’m speaking almost weekly to some group about because I’m such a proponent,” Worsley said.
BY JUSTIN FERRIS Get Out Editor
Every Nov. 11, we set aside the day to honor our military veterans for the sacrifices they made and the danger they faced on our behalf. Beyond a fervent “thank you” to the veterans in our lives, the Valley offers other ways we can honor former military members, from parades to ceremonies and other events.
Read on for our list of events, but first, check out these interesting Veterans Day facts courtesy of History.com.
• Veterans Day began as Armistice Day in 1919 to commemorate the first
Google
its
In a few years, he said, the impacts on the East Valley will extend far beyond the thrill of spotting a Google test car, and those impacts will produce unknown effects on human behavior.
Driverless future growing in East Valley
“I think you’re going to see early adopters go to what they call a Level 4 autonomous vehicle, which is completely driverless,” he said. “It will obviate the need for texting-
anniversary of the end of World War I. It became a national holiday in 1938.
• President Eisenhower changed the name of the holiday from Armistice Day to Veterans Day in 1954.
• In 1971, a Congressional law moved Veterans Day to the fourth Monday in October. However, President Ford changed it back in 1975.
MORE VETERANS DAY INFO INSIDE Group helps vets with free tickets ........................ 3
Discounts plentiful for veterans on holiday ..... 8 Veterans parade steps off Friday in Mesa ....... 10 Suits and dress clothes sought for veterans ... 14
Tempe Veterans Day Parade Stand along Mill Avenue in Tempe between Honor our heroes with Veterans Day parades and celebrations
• e U.S. currently boasts 23.2 million military veterans, with 9.2 million veterans over the age of 65, 1.9 million veterans under the age of 35 and 1.8 million female veterans.
• ere are still 2.6 million living veterans who served in World War II (1941-1945).
So, where can you go to honor these brave men and women?
(Special to the Tribune)
self-driving cars, such as this one, are becoming a common site in Chandler as the company tests
system. Google has about a dozen cars deployed in Chandler but will increase that number soon.
Thank you is what we say. But we mean so much more. We mean how can we help? What can we do? To serve them. For all they’ve done to serve us.
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EAST VALLEY
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Group helps veterans enjoy events with free tickets
BY ADRIANA BECERRA Tribune Staff Writer
ATempe organization gives away free tickets to the 20 million veterans worldwide, enabling them to enjoy events all over.
In 2008, Mike Focareto, a retired Naval Nuclear Engineer, was at the Super Bowl in Glendale. He noticed open seats around him and came up with a solution to sell out events while thanking our servicemen and women.
Veteran Tickets Foundation (Vet Tix) is a nonprofit that provides veterans, of any branch or era, tickets to sporting events, operas, family events, concerts and more.
All vets have to do is register with Vet Tix and provide the correct identification. A survey is then distributed regarding interests and willingness to travel.
Chief Marketing Officer Al Maag said that once Vet Tix has tickets, they put those interested in a lottery. They try to be fair with who gets put into the lottery so that all vets have an equal opportunity.
Vet Tix is on Mill Avenue in Tempe and has a staff of 12 people. Still, they have served veterans across the United States.
“We have served close to 2.4 million,” said Maag, since starting in 2008.
Maag said that he had always thought that Vet Tix provided tickets for those who wanted to enjoy an event and create memories.
A recent survey of 28,000 veterans who use Vet Tix revealed that it is much more.
“Seventy-five percent of our population feel as though they can’t afford to go to events, 15 percent of them feel uncomfortable going out to an event,” said Maag, “Fifty percent feel Vet Tix helps them get out of the house.”
others in a relaxed and fun environment,” said DeLand. “This is of great benefit to veterans who tend to isolate themselves and tend to not leave their homes.”
Vet Tix encourages vets to attend events with others by giving each vet at least two tickets.
Jordan Sherwood, who served four years in the Marine Corps as a combat photographer and now lives in Chandler, appreciates the ability to take his family and friends with him to events.
The content of any advertisements are the sole responsibility of the advertiser. The Tribune assumes no responsibility for the claims of any advertisement.
Joel DeLand, a former Army infantryman from Chicago, believes that Vet Tix provides veterans the opportunity to be social.
“The benefit goes beyond the financial aspect of free tickets, and provides the opportunity to get out, and interact with
More than that, he said Vet Tix helps solidify the veteran community.
“When I started going to events with my family and friends, what I realized very quickly is that there are other veterans,” said Sherwood.
This realization is not what Sherwood expected when first signing up.
“I realize they do a lot more than
To get tickets from the Veteran Tickets Foundation, go to vettix. org. There are steps needed to qualify before tickets become available to individual users.
allocate tickets,” said Sherwood, “There’s an entire community around Vet Tix.” Vet Tix raises money to buy tickets as well as getting donations from producers, athletes, organizations and individual contributions.
Sherwood said that instead of society trying to adapt to veterans, Vet Tix is helping veterans adapt to society.
“There’s almost this kind of a sentiment of we don’t want to share that pain that we have because it is such a burden, we don’t want to put that on someone else,” said Sherwood. “Vet Tix gets us out there. It gets us out into the population.”
Maag said Vet Tix’s main goal is to honor those who serve.
“We think Veterans Day is every day,” Maag said, “We try to help people 365, and I think that’s the difference.”
(Special to the Tribune)
U.S. Army veteran Todd and his family attended a Texas Rangers vs. Tampa Bay Rays game because of tickets he got from Vet Tix.
(Special to the Tribune)
U.S. Navy Veteran Mike and his family attended Idina Menzel Live in Concert with Vet Tix ticket.
DRIVERLESS
and-driving laws, DUI laws. … The whole idea of how to tell if someone is intoxicated or impaired, all of that will be immaterial if computers are driving your car. People can text and drive all they want.”
With car companies such as Ford talking about deploying HAVs—highly automated vehicles—within five years, Worsley said it’s likely that older drivers will stick with current technologies for a while.
“So I think it will be a mixed bag,” he said. “There may be some lanes and some roads that are dedicated for autonomous vehicles because it’s dangerous for the autonomous vehicles to have people driving with them.”
That has been borne out on the streets of Chandler, which has seen several minor accidents between Google cars and human drivers. In August, for example, a Google car being driven manually at 42 mph was rear-ended by a suspected drunk driver sailing along at 67 mph.
“Until more vehicles become autonomous,” Worsley said, “we’ll continue to have some accidents. However, the number of accidents will decline.”
Jennifer Haroon, Google’s chief of business operations, said the company has been testing self-driving technology for more than seven years.
Google chose Chandler as its fourth test site, she said, because it wanted to work in “a community that is excited about innovation and technology.” Plus, she said, Chandler’s
different than in other areas where Google has operated, providing new challenges for the equipment.
“We’ve experienced a haboob,” she said—something Google won’t find elsewhere.
Google has about a dozen cars deployed in Chandler but will increase that as it moves into a 39,000-square-foot staging facility that it announced in October.
Google does not plan to actually build self-driving cars, said spokeswoman Lauren Barriere. But the project falls within the company’s mission of improving lives, and traffic safety is a big part of Google’s motivation.
In addition, she said, people who can’t drive because of, say, visual impairment might someday be able to summon a selfdriving car for less than the cost of a cab ride.
hardly a new idea. Engineers, in fact, had laid cables under test tracks at the old GM facility, the idea being that the cables would transmit signals to vehicles and guide them along intelligent highways.
“We never even experimented with it,” Sellers said, because technology sped ahead of that concept.
$1 million prize offered for success. A year later, he said, five teams succeeded. By 2007, the government was sponsoring tests in urban areas. One upshot, he said, will be automated battlefields in the future.
Future battlefields hopefully will remain far removed from the East Valley. But automated vehicles will change the very look of our cities, Worsley said.
Chandler Vice Mayor Jack Sellers also is closely monitoring the East Valley’s high-tech car-testing operations.
General Motors opened its desert proving ground in Mesa in April 1953 to test vehicles in weather and road conditions not available at the original Milford Proving Ground in Michigan.
Sellers began working at the General Motors Desert Proving Ground in 1966. By the time he left in 1994, he had been its operations manager for almost 20 years. The GM facility, in what is now southeast Mesa, closed in 2009 after a half-century run that kept the company on the cutting edge of automotive technology.
“I’m very pleased about it personally,” Sellers said of the fact that Google is using his city’s streets to advance
Sellers said the technology that will reduce human error on the roads actually is twofold—one part on the vehicles, the other in intelligent traffic-control systems operated by the state and cities.
He said the most likely initial rollout of self-driving vehicles will be small buses on regular, easily defined routes.
But less than 24 hours after Sellers made that prediction, it was overtaken by a real-life development.
A company called Otto, which is a division of the ride-sharing giant Uber, announced on Oct. 25 that it had teamed with Anheuser-Busch to deliver a load of beer on a self-driving semi that rolled down Interstate 25 from Fort Collins, Colorado, through Denver to Colorado Springs.
The driver monitored most of the 120mile trip from the sleeper berth in the cab.
The federal government, however, did not exactly have beer deliveries in mind when it began pushing self-driving technology a decade ago. Worsley said the impetus came from the horrific casualties suffered by American forces as roadside bombs shattered their manned vehicles in Iraq.
In 2004, Worsley said, the government sponsored a contest to see whether unmanned vehicles could navigate a 150-mile desert course. Nobody won the
Smart cars, he said, will be talking with one another and with the smart infrastructure embedded in streets and highways. Eventually, that would eliminate the need for traffic signals.
“There will be no (signal) lights any more,” he said. “Cars will just talk to one another as they approach intersections and one will go and one will stop.”
Chandler resident Kevin Biesty is helping to shape Arizona’s approach to the new technology. He serves as deputy director for policy at the Arizona Department of Transportation and spoke with The Tribune from Detroit, where he was attending a conference on the topic.
Arizona is a hotbed of testing at the moment, he said. In addition to Google, Uber has tested cars in the Phoenix area and General Motors in Scottsdale.
“We are welcoming it,” Biesty said. “This is exciting times for transportation on many fronts.”
Nothing the state has seen so far, he said, has suggested the technologies won’t work.
But with so many companies working on so many fronts, he said, the exact shape of the future has yet to be worked out. Biesty compared the current situation with early battles over whether VHS or Beta would govern the VCR industry. Eventually, one technology had to win.
“As these technologies develop, the state is trying to position itself so we are making the right investments based on the technologies that are going to be used,” he said.
The federal government and the states will eventually have to standardize vehicle equipment and the ways cars communicate on the road, he said.
However things shake out, the future of driving will be vastly different than the chaotic and dangerous present on area roadways, the East Valley experts said.
“You can’t stuff these things back in the bottle,” Worsley said. “Autonomous vehicles are here with us to stay.”
(GM Heritage Center/Special to the Tribune)
Can robot cars stop the slaughter?
BY GARY NELSON Tribune Contributing Writer
Do you remember that plane crash last year out at Gateway, the one that killed 63 people? You don’t?
Don’t blame your memory. There was no such plane crash. Everyone would have remembered what, by far, would have been the worst disaster in the history of the East Valley.
But those 63 people did die, one after another, in a nonstop calamity that most of us ignore until it hits home: motorvehicle crashes.
Each year, the Arizona Department of Transportation publishes an exhaustive report on the carnage. It has become a science, the dissection of hundreds of accumulated tragedies. And last year— as always—the East Valley was hit hard. By city, here is the human toll from 2015 vehicle accidents—including pedestrians and bicyclists:
• Chandler: 12 killed, 1,703 injured.
• Gilbert: 11 killed, 1,056 injured.
• Mesa: 26 killed, 2,946 injured.
• Tempe: 14 killed, 3,437 injured.
That’s more than one person killed every week, more than one person hurt every hour of the year.
The numbers for Arizona, as you would expect, are even more staggering, and they are getting worse.
Alberto Gutier, who has spent 15 years as director of the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, said 895 people died on Arizona roads last year, compared with 774 in 2014. And, he said, “2016 doesn’t look any better.”
The primary causes are human. Most fatal crashes occur on dry, flat, level roads. But drunks and speeders accounted for almost two-thirds of Arizona’s fatalities in 2015, according to the ADOT report.
A robot, of course, can’t get drunk, and it can be programmed not to speed. It won’t run a red light because it’s texting.
That’s why transportation officials are behind efforts like those of Google to develop self-driving motor vehicles.
“We support autonomous cars with new technology,” Gutier said.
State Sen. Bob Worsley, R-Mesa, said experts believe a fully automated
national fleet of cars and trucks will reduce accidents by 90 percent.
“Thirty-five thousand people die on our roads every year in the United States,” Worsley said. “So if we can save 30,000 people, that seems like it’s really worthwhile.”
“It’s not all pretty,” Worsley said. “There’s lots of professional drivers left out of work and there’s insurance companies that get a lot of money for insurance right now that won’t in the future. Auto repair and personal injury lawyers that’ll all be out of work.”
AARP PRESENTS
BARENAKED LADIES IN CONCERT
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 19
Barenaked Ladies have been entertaining millions, and now’s your chance to see them live! All tickets are general admission and are just $20, with ticket sales benefiting AARP Foundation. During this season of giving, please bring nonperishable food items to the show to be collected by the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.
(Special to the Tribune) A wrong-way crash killed two people on Higley Road in Chandler in 2014.
Bonded Leather Lift Chair with Nailheads (1A-9699)
The best meals for the trails at Chuck Wagon Cook-Off
The seventh annual Chandler Chuck Wagon Cook-Off will take place on Friday and Saturday at Tumbleweed Ranch in Tumbleweed Park.
The free culinary event includes authentic 1880s chuck wagons competing to cook up the best meals using slow-cook, wood-fi re methods from the time period. There will also be wagon rides, live music, vendors and storytelling.
The cook-off starts on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Tumbleweed Ranch at Tumbleweed Park is at 2250 S. McQueen, in the southeast corner of the park.
– RACHEL EROH, TRIBUNE
City seeking comments on Chandler Heights Road widening
Chandler is planning to widen Chandler Heights Road from two to four lanes between Arizona Avenue and McQueen Road and is seeking public input on the design.
A meeting Wednesday from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. will go over the plan. It is at the Hamilton Branch Library Program Room, 3700 S. Arizona Ave.
Golf event will help the disabled
The Chandler Golf Challenge on Friday benefi ts the Chandler Special Olympics and the Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities.
The event Friday is at 12:30 p.m. with a shotgun start at Bear Creek Golf Complex, 500 East Riggs Road.
For information or to register, contact Collette Prather, recreation coordinator, at 480-782-2709 or collette.prather@chandleraz.gov.
– TRIBUNE STAFF REPORT
The roadway improvements are tentatively scheduled for late next year. For more information, call 480-898-4060.
National Novel Writing Month at Tempe Public Library
The NaNoWriMo—National Novel Writing Month—is being observed at the Tempe Public Library on Sundays and Mondays this month.
The library will stage write-ins, which will offer writers the chance to work on their novels along with other writers.
The write-ins will take place Sundays 1-4 p.m. until Nov. 27. On Mondays, the sessions will be 6-8 p.m. until Nov. 28. Writers will meet at the library meeting room B, Tempe Public Library, 3500 S. Rural Road, Tempe. For more information, call 480-350-5500.
– TRIBUNE STAFF REPORT
Reptiles on display at expo in Mesa
The 2016 Phoenix Reptile Expo, Arizona’s largest reptile and exotic pet vendors and exhibits event, will take place Saturday and Sunday in the Mesa Convention Center.
The event will be Saturday will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday will be from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets are $12 for adults and $5 for kids. There will also be an auction to benefi t reptile conservation. For more information, visit phxreptileexpo.com or call 480-985-3121.
– RACHEL EROH, TRIBUNE WRITER
Metropolitan Youth Symphony to perform Fall Concert
The 35th season Fall Concert at the Mesa Arts Center takes place on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.
The Metropolitan Youth Symphony will open the concert with a performance to honor veterans. Ensembles include the String Orchestra Divisions, Symphonic Wind Ensemble and the Full Symphony Orchestra.
Tickets are $8.50 or $10 and reserved tickets are on-sale from the Mesa Arts Center Box Offi ce.
The Mesa Arts Center is at 1 E. Main St. For more information, call 480644-6500.
– RACHEL EROH, TRIBUNE WRITER
Discounts plentiful for veterans on holiday
BY JUSTIN FERRIS Get Out Editor
Many companies like to show their appreciation for our veterans with discounts and special offers. Here are some you’ll find this Friday, Nov. 11.
Schwab Cup Championship
Wednesday to Sunday, take in the final rounds of the PGA Charles Schwab Cup Championship at Desert Mountain Club. Active and retired military members and dependents get free admission (with a $1 verification fee) to all days of the event. Plus, receive access to the “Birdies for the Brave” Patriots’ Outpost hospitality chalet. More info: pgatour.com/champions/tournaments/ charles-schwab-cup-championship/ tickets.html.
Chompie’s
Year-round, veterans and active military personnel receive 20 percent off
one entree at any Chompie’s location. More info: chompies.com.
Famous Dave’s BBQ
Veterans and active military personnel with ID and proof of service can enjoy a free “Two Meat Salute” at Famous Dave’s in Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa and Peoria on Friday, 11 a.m.10 p.m. More info: facebook.com/ events/1408823835825937.
Hopdoddy Burger Bar
From 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Veterans Day, all Hopdoddy locations will give 50 percent off the entire—both food and alcohol—to any parties with a veteran or active-duty service member. More info: hopdoddy.com.
Keep It Cut
Current and former Marines can get a free haircut on Thursday at Keep It Cut’s Tempe, Ahwatukee and Phoenix locations. Just show a military ID. More info: keepitcut.com.
Legoland Discovery Center
Veterans can get into Legoland Discovery Center in Tempe for free on Friday with military ID. Veteran’s families can score $10 tickets for up to six guests. More info: legolanddiscoverycenter.com/arizona/ news-events/event/13901/veteransday-2016.aspx.
Main Event Entertainment
From open to 3 p.m. on Friday, veterans and activity duty personnel with ID bowl free at Main Event Entertainment. Veterans receive one free hour for them and up to four guests, plus free shoe rentals for all. More info: mainevent.com/specials/vets-bowl-free.
County Parks Military Service Appreciation Day
On Friday, Maricopa County’s Parks and Rec Department will waive the $6 day-use entry fee for military personnel. More info: maricopacountyparks.net.
Organ Stop Pizza
The pizza place famous for its massive Wurlitzer theater organ opens its doors Friday from 1:30-3 p.m. for the Veteran’s Day Musical Ice Cream Social. Everyone gets free admission to a concert of patriotic music. Ice cream and drinks are available for purchase—no other food will be served. RSVP to 480813-5700 ext. 945. More information: organstoppizza.com/news.
Pollack Tempe Cinemas
Fancy seeing a free movie? On Friday, all retired and active-duty military members with ID can see one of these four movies for free: “Gran Torino,” “Stripes,” “The Patriot” or “Inglourious Basterds.” More information: pollacktempecinemas. com/event/happy-veterans-day.
For more Veterans Day—and yearround—discounts, visit military.com and click on Discounts at the top of the page.
‘Down ticket’ races offer multiple choices for EV voters
BY PAUL MARYNIAK Tribune Managing Editor
Millions of dollars in bond issues, a sales tax hike and plenty of hotly contested offices highlight the “down ticket” on East Valley ballots as the 2016 election season heads to the finish line on Tuesday. As if the races at the top of the ticket and the two statewide propositions on legalized marijuana and raising the minimum wage aren’t enough, voters in Mesa, Gilbert, Tempe and Chandler all need to look through the entire ballot for races and issues that directly affect their communities.
They include $247 million in bond issues for which Tempe seeks voter approval to cover infrastructure improvements and public safety equipment and Mesa’s request for a 0.4 of a percent increase in its sales tax rate to generate $23 million for fire and police and $15 million for Arizona State University’s downtown campus.
They also include a hotly contested three-way contest for the East Valley district on the board governing the
community college system. Candidates are outgoing Mesa Councilman Dennis Kavanaugh, former Tempe Union board member Moses Sanchez and former state legislator Laurin Hendrix of Gilbert.
Some legislative races also involve competitive campaigns—none more so than the election in the 18th Legislative District, which covers Ahwatukee as well as parts of Chandler, Tempe and Mesa.
There, neophytes Sean Bowie, an Ahwatukee Democrat and senior analyst in Arizona State University’s provost’s office, and Frank Schmuck, a Tempe Republican and commercial airline pilot, have been waging a furious campaign for the vacant State Senate seat.
The two House seats in that district are also highly competitive as Republican incumbents Jill Norgaard of Ahwatukee and Bob Robson contend with Tempe Democrat Mitzi Epstein and Green Party candidate Linda Macias.
In District 16, which covers parts of Mesa and Gilbert, Republican David Farnsworth is fighting with Democrat Scott Prior for the Senate seat, while the House races put Republicans Kelly Townsend and Doug Coleman against
Democrats Cara Prior and Sharon Stinard.
In District 17, which covers parts of Chandler and Gilbert, incumbent Sen. Steve Yarbrough faces a challenge from Democrat Dr. Steve Weichert, a physician. Jennifer Pawlik is the only Democrat running for the two House seats, while Republican candidates are incumbent J.D. Mesnard and former Chandler Councilman Jeff Wenninger.
Only one Democrat also is running for the two House seats in District 25, which covers a large part of Mesa. Kathleen Rahn is running against incumbent Republican Russell “Rusty” Bowers and newcomer Michelle Udall.
No Senate contests exist in either District 25 or 26. In LD 26, which covers much of Tempe and west Mesa, Democrat Juan Mendez is assured victory while the race for the two House seats involve Democrats Athena Salmon and Isela Blanc, Republican Steven Adkins and Green Party candidate Cara Nicole Trujillo.
Mesa contests
In Mesa, where incumbents are being
termed out, two of three open council seats were already decided in August, leaving the city’s 2nd Council District open for a race former city economic development official Shelly Allen and small-business owner Jeremy Whitaker. The Mesa school board election also offers voters choices with three seats open and five candidates seeking election. They include incumbents Michael Nichols and Steven Peterson and newcomers Elaine Miner, Kiana Sears and Dan Hink.
Gilbert has several contests
The council race in Gilbert is highly competitive as one incumbent and three challengers battled for two at-large seats. Candidates for council include incumbent Jared Taylor, a managing director of Heritage Academy; Scott Anderson, a natural resource manager for Coconino County; Jim Torgenson, a small businessman and chairman of the Heritage District Redevelopment Commission; and Joel Anderson, a Phoenix firefighter.
Google Fiber program on hold in Tempe, other cities across the country
Google has halted work on its high-speed internet project Fiber in several cities around the nation, including Tempe.
Phoenix, Scottsdale and Tempe had been on Google’s list of potential Fiber cities since 2014. Since then, the company has been working with Phoenix city officials to secure franchise agreements and other regulatory clearances, but the rollout may have been stalled due to a lawsuit from Cox Communications filed against Google in September 2015.
Many experts suggested that the Valley may not have even needed Google Fiber. The service is currently available in nine cities including Kansas City; Austin, Texas; Atlanta; and Charlotte.
Gilbert
– RACHEL EROH, TRIBUNE WRITER
Gilbert student gets perfect ACT score
Ruth Kaylyn Oliver, a senior at Great Hearts Arete Preparatory Academy in Gilbert, earned a perfect score of 36 on the ACT test.
The result puts the 16-year-old among less than one-tenth of 1 percent of perfect scores. Only 2,235 out of nearly 2.1 million students who took the ACT test earned a composite score of 36, which averages the scores of the English, math, reading and science tests.
This was Oliver’s second try at the test. She earned a 32 the fi rst time.
– TRIBUNE STAFF REPORT
named one of Arizona’s safest cities from burglary
Gilbert was named #9 in Protect America’s Burglary Safe Zones list for Arizona.
Each year, the FBI releases a Uniform Crime Report detailing the number of crimes in each municipality in the nation. Protect America then turns the data into lists of burglary save zones and hot spots for each state. For the full list of Arizona Safe Zones and Hot Spots, go to protectamerica. com/home-security-blog/safe-and-sound.
More traffic cams turned on in Chandler
Photo enforcement cameras have been reactivated at four intersections in Chandler.
Three cameras are along Arizona Avenue, at Warner, Ray and Ocotillo Roads. A fourth is at Dobson Road and Ray Road.
Violators caught at those intersections will be issued a warning through Nov. 30. The fi rst citations for speed and red-light violations will be issued Dec. 1.
Eleven intersections in Chandler are monitored by photo enforcement cameras.
– TRIBUNE STAFF REPORT
Construction started for Chandler retail center
Construction has started on one of the retail components at the 25-acre Chandler Viridian development in the East Valley. Winlee Development has started building a 24,000-squarefoot retail center.
The retail development is at the juncture of Loops 101 and 202 next to Chandler Fashion Square in one of the busiest commercial hubs in the state.
The development will include apartments, retail, a hotel and offi ce space.
– RACHEL EROH, TRIBUNE WRITER
Man sentenced to 3 years’ probation for claiming to be a veteran
Eric Wolfe was sentenced to three years’ probation last week in Maricopa County Superior Court after falsely claiming to be a wounded warrior and veteran.
In September, Wolfe, 45, of Tempe, had pleaded guilty to two counts of forgery, admitting he had submitted altered U.S. military documents in order to have “veteran” designated on his driver’s license and obtain specialty license plates, according to court documents.
Wolfe never served in the military. He had claimed to have post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain inquiries after service in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria wars, court documents said.
Wolf was trying to raise money for his non-profi t, Project 22. The non-profi t’s goal was to pair veterans in needs of service dogs with dogs that needed new homes.
Banner, Aetna create new company
BY SHELLEY RIDENOUR Tribune Staff Writer
About 325,000 Arizonans will see a change in their health insurance in a few months following the creation of a new jointly owned company that combines some Banner Health and Aetna services.
Banner|Aetna was established on Oct. 31, but the deal won’t be completed until the Department of Insurance finalizes it and approves all of the necessary documents and licenses, Tom Grote said. Grote is president of Aetna’s Arizona market.
Aetna customers in Maricopa and Pinal counties will become part of the new company when their employers renew insurance policy agreements in 2017. e effective dates for those changes can vary, depending on existing plans.
Customers will receive information about the new company and things like new insurance cards later.
Plans call for the new company to eventually handle all of Aetna’s 380,000 Arizona customers, Grote said. And,
they’d like to grow that number to 1 million Arizona customers.
Banner and Aetna officials say the new company combines Banner’s caremanagement capabilities, providers and facilities with Aetna’s health plan expertise and health information technology.
It also expands an accountable care organization relationship they’ve had since 2011, which was created in part to strengthen their shared commitment to reward value over volume of care.
One big advantage to patients is the reduced amount of paperwork that will be required of the two entities, Grote said. Today, medical providers and insurance companies must complete lots of forms, but with one company overseeing a patient’s insurance and healthcare, less paperwork will be needed.
Likewise, customers will be able to go to one online portal to check both their medical and insurance information because Aetna and Banner will link customer portals.
– Contact reporter Shelley Ridenour at 480898-6533 or sridenour@timespublications. com.
Veterans parade Friday in Mesa Make Extra Cash
BY SHELLEY RIDENOUR Tribune Staff Writer
The East Valley Veterans Parade kicks off at 11 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 11 in downtown Mesa, continuing the 11-11-11 tradition of Veterans Day.
e parade starts on Center Street, north of University Drive, travels south on Center Street, turns west onto First Street, then goes to Robson, where it ends.
e parade honors veterans and features veterans groups. About six marching bands from area high schools are expected to participate. Historic military vehicles will travel the streets, along with entries from local service clubs and businesses. About 100 entries are expected, organizers said.
is year’s grand marshal is Steve Borden. Borden is director of the Pat Tillman Veterans Center at Arizona State University. e retired Navy captain helps veterans who are returning to higher education and the work force.
Parade organizers honor all the branches of the military in the parade, by selecting one veteran per branch as a dignitary. is year’s dignitaries include Sgt. Wayne Pomeroy, Army; Cpl. Nicholas Evans, Marine Corps; Lt. j.g. omas Townsend, Navy; Tech. Sgt. Mallory Dinkel, Air Force; Boatswain’s Mate Senior Chief Petty Officer Joseph MacDonald, Coast Guard; and Lt. Col. Elizabeth Paulus, Arizona Army National Guard.
e parade is followed by a free concert at the Mesa Arts Center. It runs from noon to 3 p.m.
Donations will be accepted at the concert and the money is earmarked to help support the city’s House Our Heroes program, which provides housing for homeless veterans.
Besides the music, other performers are scheduled to entertain and food trucks will set up at the concert.
e East Valley Tribune is a sponsor of the parade.
More information about the parade is available at evvp.org.
VETERANS DAY
from page 1
ASU Gammage and Tempe Beach Park and watch as the Tempe parade—a sixdecade tradition—rolls past with classic cars, muscle cars, marching bands, a color guard, members of the Tempe police, and plenty of other patriotic groups. A short ceremony will follow at the park and then a picnic for participants and sponsors. Mill Avenue, Tempe, 10 a.m., Friday. Free. Information: facebook.com/ TempeVeteransDayParade.
Gilbert veterans ceremony
Join Gilbert as it pays homage to veterans with a presentation of colors, patriotic music from local schools, a guest veteran speaker, and free food and refreshments courtesy of local restaurants.
Veterans’ Benefit Concert
Following the East Valley Veterans Parade, the Veterans’ Benefit Concert will start. It features live entertainment from bands like Walt Richardson, Robby Roberson Band and Smootmahooty, plus food trucks and more. Any donations will go to the Housing Our Heroes program for homeless veterans.
Mesa Arts Center, 1 E. Main St., Mesa. 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m., Friday. Free. Information: mesaaz.gov.
‘Bob and Bing’s Road to Victory’ Entertainer Bob Hope was a fixture of USO tours, and his routines and radio broadcasts for the troops—especially those with his on-air foil, Bing Crosby— are legendary. Enjoy a Veterans Day recreation of Bob Hope’s popular variety show with talented impersonators, not only for Bob and Bing, but W.C. Fields, Jack Benny and other period entertainers.
Higley Center, 4132 E. Pecos Road, Gilbert. 7:30 p.m., Friday. $31-$49. Information: higleycenter.ticketforce. com.
Civic Center Campus, 50 E. Civic Center Drive, Gilbert. 11 a.m., Friday. Free. Information: gilbertaz.gov/ departments/parks-and-recreation/ special-events/veteran-s-day.
Matt Eberle and small-business consultant Mark Stewart are duking it out.
Tempe elections
On the Gilbert Public Schools board, incumbents Julie Smith and Sean Colvin are not seeking reelection, leaving Lily Tram as the only board member going after another four-year term.
Also running are Sheila Rogers, retired superintendent of the Douglas School District who has also been a principal and a teacher; Lori Wood and Reed Carr.
Higley’s candidates include incumbents Russell Little and Kristina Reese, and newcomers Allison Ford and Scott Glover.
Chandler races
Locally, while two candidates are vying for the last at-large City Council spot, only the three incumbents on school board whose terms are expiring in December have filed. They are Barbara Mozdzen, David Evans and Karen Bredeson-McGee.
However, Chandler voters who live within the Kyrene School District boundary will have to pick from four candidates for three seats. John King is the only incumbent in that race. The other candidates are Michael Myran Myrick, Michelle Fahy and Eshe Pickett.
In the council race, finance executive
There were no arguments filed for the election pamphlet that opposed the four bonds up for approval by Tempe voters. They include $148 million for water and sewer improvements; $25 million for street improvements and storm drains; $20 million for police technology upgrades; and $34 million for parks and recreation infrastructure improvements; and $27 million for repairs to city buildings.
All Tempe voters also get to vote for three of six candidates for Tempe Union High School District’s governing board and, depending on where they live, either for Kyrene or Tempe Elementary school boards.
Five candidates are seeking election to Tempe Elementary board, including incumbents Teresa Devine and Rochelle Wells and newcomers Monica Trejo and Veekas Shrivastava.
For Tempe Union’s three seats, incumbents Sandy Lowe and Michelle Helm, both of Tempe, are seeking another term. The other candidates are Tempe businessman Andres Barraza, Ahwatukee lawyer Don Fletcher, Chandler parent Berdetta Hodge and Ahwatukee businessman Scott Ryan.
Young football players ready for trip to nationals in Orlando
BY RALPH ZUBIATE Tribune Executive Editor
The Mighty Mite Thundercats have a big job ahead of them.
Not winning football games or championships. They are looking to make a big splash at a national tournament—if they can get there.
The kids, and their parents, are trying to raise $15,000 to get to a tournament in Orlando in early December.
The team is one of eight invited nationally to play in the American Youth Football championships. They were chosen based on how well they represent AYS, and their overall performance, which is perfect so far.
The Thundercats are 10-0 and getting ready to play in the state championships on Saturday. They’ll take on the Westside Bandits, also 10-0, at ASU Sun Devil Stadium.
After winning the Southeast Valley championship and playing for the state, they’ll have to think about nationals.
There’s a lot to do to get them there, and parents from the East Valley and Ahwatukee are taking the lead.
“We have a GoFundMe page, we’re raffling off Cardinals tickets, doing
dinners,” said Olivia Harris, business manager for the team and herself the mom of a player, Davion.
“There are a lot of creative things we’re doing in order to get there. Our parents are really good.”
Harris says 22 of the team’s 26 players are going, which will cost $19,500 in airfare alone. Each player will go with a parent.
“Total, we’re buying 48 tickets,” she said.
“This is an amazing opportunity for an 8-year-old kid,” said Andy Mitchell, whose son, Cobey Bucco, is on the team. Cobey’s sister, Emma, is a water girl, making it a family effort.
Coach Larry Davis is happy the parents are taking the point, leaving him and the kids to the business of football.
“Our parents are committed, really involved,” he said. “I tell coaches all the time, if you want to formulate a good team, you have to have good parents, getting kids to practice on time, being supportive.
“They really make it easy on us, freeing up to coach. They take care of all the business-related aspects and fundraising.”
Suits and dress clothes sought for veterans
Five Farmers Insurance agents in the East Valley are collecting professional dress wear for military veterans who are transitioning to civilian life.
Spokeswoman Jessica Lecky said Farmers Insurance wants to give gently used and dry-cleaned suits, ties and other items since more than a million military personnel will become civilians over the next couple years and many do not own appropriate business attire to go to networking events, interviews
or even to work.
Agents Jill Fiddler, Jayson Hoffer, Richard Winters, Michael Herrmann and Farmers District Manager Timothy Ahearn are actively involved with the campaign.
Called Suits for Soldiers, the campaign involves Farmers agents nationwide and has a goal of collecting 50,000 suits by the end of November.
Named a top-150 military employer and one of the top 50 employers of military spouses, Farmers is partners with Team Rubicon, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to
uniting teams of veterans and first responders in catastrophe responses.
In 2014, Farmers signed a statement of support with the Department of Defense Office of Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve to seek ways to increase opportunities for guardsmen, reservists and veterans.
Farmers also has an active veterans employee resource group, which provides important networking and career development opportunities for its employees.
Farms also encourages veterans to check its website for help transitioning
into civilian life: farmers.com/careers/ veterans-resources.
Here are the East Valley offices where clothing can be dropped off through Nov. 30:
Jill Fiddler, 1525 N. Gilbert Road, Gilbert; Jayson Hoffer, 1930 S. Alma School Road, Mesa; Richard Winter, 7254 E. Southern Ave., Mesa; Timothy Ahearn, 1423 S. Higley Road, Mesa; Michael Herrmann, 6101 S. Rural Road, Tempe.
Tribune Staff Report
(Cheryl Haselhorst/Tribune Staff Photographer)
Coach Larry Davis oversees practice of his Mighty Mites Thundercats at Pecos Park in Ahwatukee. The football team is practicing for a national tournament in Orlando.
Kyrene study debunks claims of mass teacher exodus
BY PAUL MARYNIAK
Tribune Managing Editor
Afirst-of-its-kind study by the Kyrene School District has thrown cold water on one of the major issues in the governing board campaign—namely, that too many teachers are leaving.
The study, unveiled at the Oct. 25 board meeting, shows that 142 employees left before the current school year began.
That number not only is far lower than the 180 cited often by some candidates, but it also includes both teachers and other personnel. The same candidates have repeatedly have said they were all teachers.
The study did not break down teachers and other employees.
The candidates’ claims seem to have originated from their misinterpretation of how many showed up at a session that the district had for new teachers before the school year began.
“We invite more than just the individuals who show up the first day of school,” explained Susie Ostmeyer,
a district operations analyst who performed the study with colleague Mary Jane Rincon.
Although district officials say retention is a problem that needs to be addressed, at least one board member, outgoing Ross
year, 85 percent of that number returned for 2015-16, the study found. The study probed the reasons why some opted out of district employment.
Retirements in 2014-15 constituted 1.5 percent of the district workforce
“ This doesn’t jump off the page that this is a real crisis in Kyrene. ”
Ross Robb, Board Member
most-cited reason was job stress, with 12.5 percent. Inadequate salary and a decision to raise children were tied at 8.5 percent.
In examining the sources of dissatisfaction cited by departing employees, salary was the most-cited reason, with workload and class size virtually tying for the second most-cited reason.
Robb, said the study shows it is hardly the crisis portrayed by some candidates.
“This doesn’t jump off the page that this is a real crisis in Kyrene,” he said.
“We know there’s 90 percent of the people who stay.”
Ostmeyer told the board that the study went deeper than previous employee departure analyses because it sought to address three questions: What is the retention rate in Kyrene? What does it mean? And “How does it inform our practices?”
While 90 percent of all employees returned to work in the 2014-15 school
and rose to 2.7 percent (15 vs. 26). The number of resignations rose from 61 two years ago to 89 in the 2015-16 school year, representing a percentage change to 9.2 percent from 6.1 percent of the workforce.
The study also found:
Kyrene employee departure rates were highest among those with two or three years on the job.
The biggest reason employees left Kyrene was because they or their spouse relocated. That constituted 13.7 percent of all resignations in 2015-16. The second
Rincon and Ostmeyer said the study shows that schools face declining employee-retention rates at the local, state and national levels and that the reasons for departures vary widely, including “a mix of personal and employer factors.” They said the district needs to sharpen the focus in exit interviews to pinpoint reasons for departures more quickly and effectively, then analyze those reasons and develop strategies for dealing with them. They also recommended a 90-day action plan to improve employee retention rates. Ostmeyer noted that the board may want to consider salary “mini-bumps” every three years to encourage more employees to stay at Kyrene. She said the district already has programs to offer new teachers more support.
He can concentrate on the kids, who are giving their best, too.
“They’re playing hard, boy are they responding,” he said.
Davis, from Houston, brings reallife football experience to the kids. He was an all-conference nose guard at the University of Texas at El Paso. He had a couple briefs stints in the pro game in Canada and Europe.
“I’ve been coaching about 18 years now” with youth organizations in New Mexico, Texas and here in Arizona, Davis said. “It’s going on 10 years here. I’m actually coaching some kids who were in diapers while I was coaching their brothers, so it’s pretty neat.”
Davis has a lot to teach the Thundercats, who were 7 to 9 years old when the season began, according to league rules.
“A lot of them are first-year players, some are second-year players,” he said. “We do have a lot of beginners.
“We’ve had some success. A good, scrappy group of young, athletic kids.”
He also coaches junior varsity at Ahwatukee’s Desert Vista High.
“I enjoy it, I really do,” Davis said. “But it makes for long days.”
EAST VALLEY
Tribune Holiday Lights contest is taking entries
The East Valley Tribune Holiday Lights Contest is in full swing.
Nominate the decorations of a neighbor, a friend or yourself. Send in an address and a photo, and write a note about why you nominated it. Please include your name, address and phone number as “official nominator” for any contenders you send along.
The nominated home, business or edifice must be in the East Valley.
extra-innings Game 7 win over the Cleveland Indians, Mayor John Giles will proclaim Monday as 2016 World Series Champion Chicago Cubs Day. The Cubs’ run to the 2016 World Series championship began at Sloan Park in Mesa, where they led the Cactus League in attendance. The team has called Mesa their spring training home for more than 50 years, dating back to Rendezvous Park in the 1950s.
People are asked to wear Cubs blue on Monday to show appreciation for the Cubs. Fans who post photos at a favorite location in Mesa with a hashtag #CubsDayMesa will have a chance to win two tickets to a Cubs Spring Training game.
Harris can’t wait to get the team on the plane.
“Some of them, it’s the first time going on a plane,” she said. “This is an experience that the boys won’t ever forget.”
To contribute to the Thundercats, go to gofundme.com/mmthundercats.
– Contact Ralph Zubiate at 480-898-6825 or rzubiate@timespublications.com.
To enter, go to tiny.cc/tribunelights and attach an image of the home. Or, write us at Holiday Lights, 1620 W. Fountainhead Parkway, Suite 219, Tempe, AZ 85282, and mail us an image. Entries will be accepted until Nov. 30. Winners will be announced in early December.
MESA
Mesa celebrates Cubs with special day, prize
In celebration of the Chicago Cubs winning their first World Series championship since 1908 with their
Soccer Academy Grass Roots
AGES 3 TO 13 YEARS OLD!
Gathering of Legends for WWII vets, aircraft
WWII veterans and their aircraft will be available at the annual Gathering of Legends on Saturday at the Commemorative Air Force Airbase Museum in Mesa. Aircraft and artifacts of the momentous time in history will be featured from 1 to 4 p.m. The Airbase Museum is at 2017 N. Greenfield Road, Mesa. For more information, call 480-924-1940 or go to azcaf.org.
BRIEFS on page 19
Comment on this story and like the East Valley Tribune on Facebook and follow EVTNow on Twitter.
(Cheryl Haselhorst/Staff Photographer)
Larry Davis, coach of the Mighty Mites Thundercats football team, played professional football in Canada and Europe.
BRIEFS
15 volunteers sought for Mesa Public Schools
Your Experience Counts, a program of Hands On Phoenix, is seeking 15 volunteers to serve Mesa Public Schools elementary students.
A training for new volunteers and returning seasonal residents, will be Thursday and Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. both days.
For training information or to apply as a volunteer, contact mike@handsonphoenix. org, call 602-973-2212 ext. 239 or visit handsonphoenix.org/YEC.
CHANDLER
Chandler Chamber hosting workshop on workforce
Chandler Chamber of Commerce is bringing educators and businesses together for a “workforce of the future” forum 8-10 a.m. Thursday at the Chandler Center for the Arts. Atudents from Chandler, Kyrene and Tempe Union districts will attend. Register: chandlerchamber.com
El Dorado High showcasing restaurants for fundraiser
El Dorado High School, 2200 N. Arizona Ave., Chandler, is showcasing area restaurants in a fundraiser to help Save My Starving Children.
Tickets are $7 for adults and $3 for students for the event, 5:30-8 p.m. Thursday. Information: 480-726-9536 or edhswolverines.com
Dental office offers free services on Saturday
Aquila Family and Cosmetic Dentistry will free dental services all day Saturday for Chandler and surrounding communities. The service will be available at 3175 S. Price Road, Chandler, from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Patients must be over 18 years old must choose an extraction, filling or cleaning. For more information, call 480-8122800 or visit aquiladental.com.
Chandler student wins veterans essay contest
Dillon Shipley from Seton Catholic Prep High in Chandler won first place in the Phoenix Veterans Day Parade essay contest. The prompt for the contest was “Welcome Home Vietnam Heroes,” the
parade theme this year. Shipley wrote a personal account of veterans returning home from Vietnam service.
There were 113 essays submitted by high school students from throughout Maricopa County. The essays can be viewed at phoenixveteransdayparade.org.
Shipley won $500 for first place, donated by Durant’s restaurant in Phoenix.
Junior high school hosts cheerleading clinic
Bogle Junior High School in Chandler is hosting a cheerleading clinic for students from kindergarten through sixth grade on Nov. 19.
Participants will learn chants and a dance routine and will perform during halftime at an eighth-grade boys basketball game later this month.
The camp is at the school’s gymnasium, 1600 W. Queen Creek Road, Chandler. The cost is $35. To register, visit cusd80. com/communityeducation, locate the “community ed” tab at the top. Select “CUSD camps and clinics.” Select “junior high school campus and clinics” from the menu on the left.
For more information, call coach Jodee Wells at wells.jodee@cusd80.com.
GILBERT Hospice of the Valley seeks volunteers
Hospice of the Valley has put a call out for volunteers to visit patients and support family caregivers.
Orientation will be at the East Valley Clinical Office, 2020 E. Woodside Court, Gilbert, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. this Tuesday and Thursday, and again Nov. 15 and 17.
For more information, call 602636-6336 or go to hov.org/volunteer. Applications can be submitted online.
Inner Vision Yoga is offering free classes Saturday to celebrate the opening of its new Tempe studio.
The free classes at Tempe at McClintock and Guadalupe and Chandler at Dobson and Ray Roads are open to current clients and anybody else.
Information about the free classes is available at innervisionyoga.com. Space is limited and advance online registration is recommended.
2 big honors given to Chandler founder of high-performance driving school
DAVID M. BROWN Tribune Contributing Writer
Bob Bondurant, founder of a highperformance driving school in Chandler that bears his name, has added two new accolades.
He was inducted into the Corvette Hall of Fame and the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame.
The twin honors come as he prepares to mark the 49th anniversary of his Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving in February at wild Horse Motorsports Park in Chandler.
“It’s a wonderful affirmation that my fans and peers heartily recognize that I worked very hard for all the wins in my life and that they also recognize that at 83 years old, I go to work every day and live my passion driving and teaching,” he said in an interview. “I have never seen my career as working to live; I have always lived to work.”
Gurney won the GT Class at Le Mans in France.
Bondurant was accompanied by his wife Pat, their son Jason and other relatives and Bondurant employees at ceremonies at the National Corvette Museum.
Bondurant was honored for his distinguished record driving early second- and third-generation Corvettes in California during the late 1950s and 1960s as well as his later track achievements.
“During Corvette’s early years, Bob Bondurant helped to validate the Chevrolet Corvette as a world-class sports car, winning on racetracks both in the U.S. and abroad,” a hall spokesman said in a release.
Bondurant recalled, “Like most racers, I started on ground zero.”
After his father took him to midget-car races in the 1940s, he began competing with his Indian Scout 101 motorcycle, then drove a Morgan automobile competitively in southern California.
“I am an original California hotrodder-turned-white-hot when I started winning everything in my Corvettes,” he said.
From 1959 to 1963, Bondurant drew the world’s attention.
He won the West Coast “B” Production Championship, notching 18 of 20 races in 1958-59. In 1959, Valvoline named him Corvette Driver of the Year and he was National SCCA Driver of the Year.
In June 1964, he and friend Dan
In 1965, again for Shelby, Bondurant won seven of his 10 races in Shelby Cobras and Daytonas to deliver to Ford and Shelby American the FIA World Manufacturer’s Championship. He is still the only American team to achieve this title.
Bondurant competed in nine Formula 1 World Championship Grand Prix events.
He joined the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame as part of its 46th class. Since 1957, this honor has been accorded to athletes, coaches, administrators and others who have significantly contributed to Arizona sports.
“Bob Bondurant and the rest of the 46th Class of the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame epitomize the make-up and caliber of our now 102 members,” said Arizona Sports and Entertainment Commission CEO Alan Young.
The driving school began in California in 1968 after Bondurant survived a neardeath accident at Watkins Glen, New York, when a steering arm on his McLaren MARK II CanAm snapped at 150 mph. Bondurant’s first students included the late actors and racing enthusiasts Jim Garner and Paul Newman.
The only facility of its kind in the world, the school employs 61 instructors, administrative staff and technicians.
Nearly 500,000 people have taken various courses, including professional racers, executives, law enforcement officers, military specialists, performance enthusiasts and day-to-day drivers.
“When you boil it all down into a teaspoon of what we teach at Bondurant, it’s car control,” Pat Bondurant said.
(Special to the Tribune)
Pat and Bob Bondurant celebrate his induction into the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame.
free shipping and free handling. That’s a real steal because all other state residents must pay over six hundred dollars for each State Vault Brick.
Just a few weeks ago, nobody knew that the only U.S. State Silver Bars locked away in the private vaults of the Lincoln Treasury would be allocated to the Federated Mint for a limited release to residents in 6 states. Every single one of the 50 U.S. State Silver Bars are date numbered in the order they ratified the Constitution and were admitted into the Union beginning in the late 1700s.
“As Executive Advisor to the Lincoln Treasury I get paid to deliver breaking news. So, for anyone who hasn’t heard yet, highly collectable U.S. State Silver Bars are now being handed over at just the state minimum set by the Lincoln Treasury to residents in 6 states who beat the offer deadline, which is why I pushed for this announcement to be widely advertised,” said Mary Ellen Withrow, the emeritus 40th Treasurer of the United States of America.
“These bars are solid .999 pure fine silver and will always be a valuable precious metal which is why everyone is snapping up as many as they can before they’re all gone,” Withrow said.
There’s one thing Withrow wants to make very clear. State residents only have two days to call the Toll Free Order Hotlines to get the U.S. State
Silver Bars.
“These valuable U.S. State Silver Bars are impossible to get at banks, credit unions or the U.S. Mint. In fact, they’re only being handed over at state minimum set by the Lincoln Treasury to AZ, CA, NV, UT, CO and NM residents who call the Toll Free Hotline before the deadline ends two days from today’s publication date”, said Timothy J. Shissler, Executive Director of Vault Operations at the private Lincoln Treasury.
To make it fair, special Toll Free Overflow Hotlines have been set up to ensure all residents have an equal chance to get them.
Rapid shipments to state residents are scheduled to begin with the first calls being accepted at precisely 8:30am today.
“We’re bracing for all the calls and doing everything we can to make sure no one gets left out, but the U.S. State Silver Bars are only being handed over at just the state resident minimum set by the Lincoln Treasury for the next two days or until they’re all gone, whichever comes first. For now, residents can get the U.S. State Silver Bars at just the state minimum set by the Lincoln Treasury as long as they call before the order deadline ends,” confirmed Shissler.
“With so many state residents trying to get these U.S. State Silver Bars, lines are busy so keep trying. All calls will be answered,” Shissler said. n
AZ, CA, NV, UT, CO ANd NM : COVER jUST $59 STATE MINIMUM
call 1-866-626-3962 Ext.FMS1572 beginning at 8:30am
If all lines are busy call this special toll free 1. overflow hotline: 1-866-633-6577 Ext.FMS1572
residents who find their state on the Distribution 2. List to the left in bold and beat the deadline are authorized to get individual State Silver Bars at just state minimum of $59 set by the Lincoln Treasury. That’s why everyone should be taking full Vault Bricks loaded with five State Silver Bars before they’re all gone. And here’s the best part. Every AZ, CA, NV, UT, CO and NM resident who gets at least two Vault Bricks is also getting free shipping and free handling. that's a real steal because all other state residents must pay over six hundred dollars for each State Vault Brick.
No State Silver Bars will be issued to any resident 1. living outside of AZ, CA, NV, UT, CO or NM at state resident minimum set by the Lincoln Treasury. Call the Non-Resident Toll Free 2. Hotline beginning at 11:00am at: 1-866-637-3554 Ext.FMS1572
If you are a u.s. resident living outside of the 3. states of AZ, CA, NV, UT, CO or NM you are required to pay $134 for each State Silver Bar for a total of six hundred seventy dollars plus shipping and handling for each sealed State Vault Brick loaded with five u.s. State Silver Bars. This same offer may be made at a later date or in a different geographic location.
n A sne Ak pe Ak inside silver vAult bricks: Pictured left reveals for the very first time the valuable .999 pure fine silver bars inside each State Silver Vault Brick. Pictured right are the State Silver Vault Bricks containing the only U.S. State Silver Bars known to exist with the double forged state proclamation. AZ, CA, NV, UT, CO and NM residents are authorized to get individual State Silver Bars at just $59 state resident minimum set by the Lincoln Treasury. That’s why everyone should be taking full Vault Bricks loaded with five State Silver Bars before they’re all gone. And here’s the best part. Every resident who gets at least two Vault Bricks is also getting free shipping
free handling. That’s a real steal because all other state residents must pay over six hundred dollars for each State Vault Brick.
The joy of Game 7, and the disgust of the election
BY DAVID LEIBOWITZ Tribune Columnist
As the Cubs and Indians slugged their way through a November night’s classic, maybe—with apologies to our 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks—the Greatest Baseball Game Ever Played, my mind kept drifting to that other winnertake-all November contest: the 2016 election. This was a natural progression of thought brought on by timing and the unwelcome intrusion, every few minutes, of scores of political TV commercials. There was Donald Trump again gone full moron, flapping his arms in disgusting mimicry of a handicapped reporter. There was Hillary Clinton, made “filthy rich” by “pay-to-play politics,” taking cash from “criminals” and “dictators” and “countries that hate America.” Heck, even singer John Legend made a quizzical cameo, lending his support to Paul Penzone over Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Then, mercifully, between stints of hyperbole and hate, there was more baseball: the Indians’ epic comeback from 5-1 down; the Cubs’ flamethrower,
Mesa mayor: Yes on Q1
As your mayor, the safety of Mesa families is my highest priority. Keeping our community safe requires putting our resources behind the men and women working the frontlines of Mesa’s police and fire departments.
That’s why I hope you will join me in voting YES on Question 1 this Tuesday, Nov. 8.
For years, Mesa’s public safety departments have “done more with less,” stretching our people almost to the breaking point. While the city’s population has soared, public safety staffing has fallen 30 percent. As a result, 911 response times have jumped by 75 seconds.
Question 1 directs $23 million annually toward police, fire and paramedic services. That means Mesa will be able to hire 58 police officers, 14 firefighters, 6 engineers and 6 fire captains by 2024.
I believe these very necessary new hires
Aroldis Chapman, overworked and suddenly mortal; Rajai Davis’ line-drive homer to tie the game; extra innings; a rain delay; two runs for Chicago and one for Cleveland; that meek grounder to third base; and the Chicago Cubs amazingly, finally, after 108 years, champions of the baseball world.
Too bad Game 7 had to end. Too bad one of these two gutsy, grace-touched teams had to suffer the loss. Just like it’s too bad that one candidate, Trump or Clinton, actually has to win Tuesday— or in late November, when Maricopa County finally gets done tabulating our ballots.
“
commitment. Sports shelve “real life” for a precious few hours, as Game 7 did late into Wednesday. And politics? Spare me. Should Hillary Clinton win this election, be ready to read a million sentences that begin, “If the Chicago Cubs can win a World Series and America can elect its first woman president, then ….” Fill in the blank. The truth is, these two historic moments have zero in common save proximity on the calendar.
Chicago versus Cleveland was two
The truth is, these two historic moments have zero in common ”
The pundits nowadays call politics “the ultimate team sport.” They are sadly mistaken, as this World Series and Game 7 proved beyond any last doubt. Teams function only as well as egos can be put aside. Teams excel out of common purpose, shared passion and zealous
will improve 911 response times and better prepare our city to handle everything from to car crashes to house fires to massive emergencies.
Additionally, $15 million will be directed yearly toward economic development and higher education projects, including a new ASU campus downtown.
Improving education in the city will help create the skilled workforce we need to attract new jobs. And providing better technology education and STEM education for our youngest residents will better position them to compete in a 21st century economy.
Please, this Tuesday join Mesa’s public safety community, myself and leaders like Rep. Matt Salmon and Maricopa County Supervisor Denny Barney in voting yes on Question 1. Let’s work together to build a thriving “next Mesa.”
– John Giles – Mesa Mayor
organizations branded, rightfully, as long-suffering losers, with decades of championship-deprived toil to show for all their fans’ collective heartbreak. Save for the Indians’ sad joke of a logo, both teams and their fan bases summoned your compassion, your sympathy and your admiration. Trump? Clinton? After spending more than a billion dollars, all they’ve created is the abiding sense that, whoever loses, he or she will richly
A vote against Arpaio
I implore you to NOT vote for Joe Arpaio. He’s been sheriff since 1993. In that time, has cost the taxpayers almost $50 million in lawsuit settlements and legal fees and NEVER accepted responsibility or changed his ways (trust me, the Board of Supervisors wouldn’t settle for millions if Arpaio didn’t do anything wrong). He’s squandered resources on things like investigating Obama’s birth certificate, armored cars and trips for his chief deputies but let hundreds of sex crimes go uninvestigated, failed to serve dozens of warrants and sent poorly trained officers out to some of the most vulnerable areas in the county. As a felony sex-crimes prosecutor, I saw many shoddy investigations done by the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, and I had to assume it was because Arpaio doesn’t want to do the work it takes to actually stop crime, he just wants the limelight. He’s basically made “Toughest Sheriff in
deserve their plaque in the political Hall of Shame.
Baseball, with the longest season in all sports, with three rounds of playoffs and one nail-biter after another, is a slow build toward one epic moment—the Cubs sharing a group hug near the pitcher’s mound. It’s an honest process, designed to winnow away the pretenders and those who come up achingly short. American presidential politics? It’s a multi-year slog through a fetid swamp, and not one that Donald Trump is likely to drain, ever.
In the final analysis, baseball stood taller Wednesday night than any pastime deserves, its champion crowned by a Game 7 finale that somehow exceeded its hype in ways we never could have imagined. Whatever happens in politics Tuesday, whoever wins, for half of our country it surely won’t feel so pure, so joyful and so much like the very best America has to offer.
The Big Thinkers philosophize that politics is a lot like sports. Me, I think of that epic Game 7 and say, “Oh, if only.”
– David Leibowitz has called the Valley home since 1995. Reach him at david@leibowitzsolo.com.
America” a brand and believes there’s no such thing as bad publicity. His hubris knows no bounds.
He arrested the editors of a newspaper in the middle of the night on trumped up charges because they don’t like him, and launched abusive and unfounded investigations against many well-respected judges and members of the Board of Supervisors. Several of them wisely sued him and won, resulting in the taxpayers having to pay out upwards of $5 million. He’s been investigated multiple times by Department of Justice and right now is facing charges for criminal contempt of court. This stems from his blatant refusal to follow a federal judge’s order to stop detaining people simply because of immigration status if they haven’t committed a state crime. His misplaced focus on immigration
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Voting fraud: It’s
BY TOM PATTERSON Tribune Guest Writer
If you’re like me, you put a lot of thought into your vote. It’s the ultimate expression of responsible citizenship, your chance to help guide the future of our state and nation. Unfortunately, your vote is canceled whenever another vote is cast by anyone other than an eligible voter casting a single vote.
Voter fraud wasn’t invented as a conspiracy to thwart Donald Trump. Yes, highly placed Democrats are planning fraudulent voting schemes (again). The mainstream media studiously ignore such outrages and attack those who point them out. The press, the White House, the Clinton Foundation and crony capitalists everywhere work seamlessly with Hillary’s campaign to elect their candidate.
But that’s not a conspiracy and it’s irresponsible to claim that it is. That’s life, political style, in today’s America. It may not be fair, but other Republicans, notably Mitt Romney, received the same treatment.
Indeed, voter fraud is endemic,
ingrained in the fabric of our political culture. Democrats and the Left preposterously claim that it doesn’t exist or is exceedingly rare. They argue that safeguards, like requiring voter ID, are therefore unnecessary, a “solution in search of a problem.”
One reason this outrageous lie seems believable is that voter fraud is invisible. With other crimes, victims are well aware they have been assaulted, robbed or otherwise damaged. When someone steals your vote, you’re not aware of anything amiss and the crime leaves little evidence.
As a result, statistics about voter fraud—what percentage of votes are cast illegally?—are impossible to produce. But evidence is plentiful. Voter fraud is never found ... until it’s looked for. Then it pops up all over the place.
James O’Keefe of Project Veritas has bravely uncovered many instances of voter fraud at high levels. To take one example among many, he videotaped Scott Foval, the deputy political director of People for the American Way (Soros’ organization) bragging that “you know what, we’ve been busing people in [to
close to undetectable now
vote] for 50 years and we’re not going to stop now.”
Think Alan Shulkin, the Democratic Commissioner of the New York Board of Elections, might know something about what’s going on? O’Keefe secretly videotaped him complaining that rampant voter fraud commonly takes place in his jurisdiction and that it is supported by New York Mayor Bill Blasio.
After the 2008 election, ACORN, the notorious community organizing group, was forced to disband after multiple allegations of voter fraud were confirmed.
John Fund and Hans van Spakovsky in their 2012 book “Who’s Counting: How Fraudsters and Bureaucrats Put Your Vote at Risk” documented hundreds of voting-fraud cases around the nation, and many more have poured in since. Close elections are about the only time voter fraud is investigated with any rigor. The results are frequently shocking. In the 2004 gubernatorial race in Washington state, Democrat Christine Gregoire won over Dino Rossi by 129 votes. The State Superior Court later found that 1,400 felons voted illegally, 53 dead
people voted and 27 double votes were discovered.
Unfortunately, the principal reform being debated, voter ID, it is too little, too late. More Americans every election are voting anonymously by mail. For fraudsters, it’s perfect. Anyone listed on our poorly maintained voter registration rolls can avoid any ID requirement and vote. Fraud becomes simple and detection virtually impossible.
Even election officials trying to do a good job are in a tough spot when “signature matching” is our sole protection against fraud. If a clerk should wrongly declare a signature invalid, angry allegations of voter suppression and bigotry would follow. Invalid signatures that are approved carry no consequences.
Clearly, the ideal election law balances assured access with protection against fraudulent voting. But to say canceling out my vote doesn’t matter means my vote didn’t matter in the first place. Voting is a precious privilege that deserves to be protected.
– East Valley resident Tom Patterson is a retired physician and former state senator. He can be reached at pattersontomc@cox.net.
LETTERS
(which is a FEDERAL matter, but gets him great press) and inattention to the true crimes facing Maricopa County make him an embarrassment and a danger to Arizona. His actions make him a criminal. This is NOT who we want for our top lawman in Maricopa County.
I met his opponent, Paul Penzone, when he ran for sheriff in 2012 and was impressed by his calm demeanor, true law enforcement experience and his commitment to community policing. It’s more than time for Joe to go. Vote Penzone.
– Monica Gellman – Phoenix
Trump is doing the rigging
I hate to admit it, but I agree with Donald Trump—the upcoming election is rigged against him! And I know who did the rigging: Donald J. Trump.
From the first mention of his desire to lead our country, he has deliberately and repeatedly gone out of his way to insult and denigrate nearly every demographic and cultural group in our society. From his racist comments about President Obama not being a native-born American citizen to his sexist attacks on women to his mocking of the disabled to his bigoted comments about
Hispanics, Muslims, etc., he has truly been rigging the election against himself.
About the only group he has not insulted is uneducated white males, otherwise known as his base.
When he wakes up on Nov. 9 after suffering what I believe will be the most lopsided presidential election in history, he need only look in a mirror to see who rigged the election against him.
– Edward F. Murphy – Mesa
The failed pot experiment
I wanted to express my concern about the recent developments around proposition 205.
I moved to Arizona from Washington State. In my home town, marijuana is legal. Honesty, the legalization is not beneficial.
In Washington, there are pot shops just down the street from schools, and it has been difficult for law enforcement to prohibit minors from getting access to marijuana. Having legal marijuana also increases the number of people who drive under the influence.
Personally, I have loved the different atmosphere in Arizona, and I know part of that is that the majority of people here are not indulging in harmful substances.
In high school, there was an empty lot across the street where people would hang
out and do drugs. Those students were often people I recognized from my classes who were underperforming or had social issues. It was so sad to me, and knowing that because of this bill they were able to find drugs even easier, I was even more depressed.
It is truly my firm belief that we must protect ourselves. Not only can marijuana lead to increased crime rates and youth engaging in recreational drugs from a young age, but it also could lead to legalization of more harmful substances.
I have heard people say that we should legalize it because people will use it anyway, but we would never legalize theft just because it will happen anyway.
– Zoralei Boysen
– Vancouver, Washington
Proud to support Prop. 206
At Arizona Advocacy Network, we work hard to promote and protect the political rights of all Arizonans. Civic engagement requires the capacity to be involved, and that is why we are proud to support Proposition 206.
This November, voters have the opportunity to make Arizona a better place for hardworking people by voting “YES” on Proposition 206, which gradually raises the minimum wage over the next few years and
allows workers to earn paid sick days. It is critical to letting Arizona’s families lead more stable and enriched lives.
This citizen-led initiative reflects American values that benefit all of us and our economy. Please use your political power as an Arizona voter to invigorate our communities by voting “YES” on Prop. 206. – Samantha Pstross – Executive Director of the Arizona Advocacy Network
Trump worse than deplorable
As accurately reported by the East Valley Tribune, many citizens have been critical of Donald Trump’s views.
By engaging in his bigoted rants, and bragging about how he is entitled to grab women by their genitals because he is a wealthy celebrity, Mr. Trump makes things abundantly clear. Mr. Trump’s actions are far worse than deplorable.
Hillary Clinton is much more qualified than Mr. Trump to be our nation’s president, and I urge others to vote for her by November 8th.
To submit letters: Go to eastvalleytribune. com/opinions and click “Submit letter” or email forum@evtrib.com.
– Mario Martinez – Tempe Dreamland Villa’s
Farnsworth Hall, 6159 E.
LEGACY BUSINESS
Even Steven Sandwiches provide an easy way to be charitable Business
BY SRIANTHI PERERA Tribune Staff Writer
Each time you consume a Reuben, Capreezy or Do Gouda at Even Stevens Sandwiches, you help feed someone else in the area.
The restaurant chain from Salt Lake City is in the Heritage Marketplace Phase 2 near the parking garage in downtown Gilbert.
It gives back to the community in one of the most direct ways possible.
“For every sandwich we serve, we provide a sandwich of equal nutrition value to the community’s hungry,” said founder Steve Down.
The local nonprofits that will benefit are Open Arms Care Center, Boys & Girls Clubs of the East Valley, United Food Bank and the Mesa homeless shelter run by A New Leaf.
Down also owns The Falls Event Center in Gilbert and is the author of the financial education program, Financially Fit for Life.
The restaurant chain opened in Salt Lake City in 2014 and provided 30,000 sandwiches to the needy within the first six months. The Gilbert location, its eighth, has provided nearly 2,700 sandwiches.
A ninth location will open November in Phoenix, at Van Buren Road and First Avenue.
Brand Director Jamie Coates said that the company found Gilbert to be an “influential” community.
“There’s this growing workforce to support the downtown’s growth. You can make a lot of influence with your brand with your growth there and especially with the charity aspect because we’re pioneers in this social enterprise space,” she said. “There’s a lot of enthusiasm for good food there and there’s also a lot to give. It’s kind of perfect for our concept.”
Even Stevens is open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. for Sunday brunch. It promotes its robust breakfast and brunch offerings in a commercial area that’s now dotted with many other upmarket brands.
“When we select a site, we’re usually not too worried about the competition. We’re delighted to see other businesses doing well there, but consider the value,” Coates said. “You’re getting a really handcrafted gourmet sandwich and a chef-created side or salad for under 10 bucks. There’s not really a lot of options like that in the Heritage Marketplace.”
The menu offers 12 gourmet sandwiches, including Jackfruit Torta: Jackfruit carnitas, pepitas, guacamole, salsa morita, radish, cilantro, lettuce, pickled onions on a sweet bun ($7.95) and the Banh Belly or Banh Mahi: soy glazed pork belly or sustainably caught mahi, roasted jalapeños, pickled slaw, cucumbers, garlic aioli and cilantro in a baguette ($8.85).
Breakfast is served all day and includes the vegan offering, The New Morrissey: Mexican soyrizo, marinated tofu, tots and roasted veggies on a garlic wrap ($6.75).
Craft beer and sandwich pairings are in the works, and will be offered after the restaurant obtains its liquor license.
The restaurant has also partnered with local businesses Peixoto Coffee, Noble Bread, Santan Brewing and Cotton Country Jellies to use their products in the restaurant.
But perhaps its greatest partnership is the long-term commitment to the four nonprofits.
Each time the chain chooses a market, Coates and her team visit the city months in advance to meet with nonprofits in the area and tour their facilities.
“We talk about needs, how many meals they’re serving, what kind of impact they’re making and the vision they have for the community,” Coates said. “Alleviating hunger as a social problem has to be one of their main mission claims.”
The goal is to alleviate the food costs so that the nonprofits’ funds may go into the programs they provide.
“This is the best way to really see change,” Coates said.
Even Stevens is at 384 N. Gilbert Road in downtown Gilbert. Details: 480-2195299 or evenstevens.com.
(Will Powers/Tribune Staff Photographer)
The Gilbert location of Even Stevens has provided nearly 2,700 sandwiches to the needy, according to a running tab on one of the restaurant’s walls.
(Will Powers/Tribune Staff Photographer)
Even Stevens, from Salt Lake City, is open in the Heritage Marketplace Phase 2 near the parking garage in downtown Gilbert.
Humana adds two Mesa primary care locations
Iora Health and Humana are adding two Iora Primary Care practices in the East Valley.
The new practices, operated by Iora Health, accept some Medicare Advantage plans administered by Humana and do not accept Medicare Advantage plans administered by other carriers.
The new Iora Health Primary Care practices are at 9124 E. Main Street and 5110 E. Southern Ave., both in Mesa.
Tempe apartment complex sold for $8 million
Marcus & Millichap has sold Aria on Mill, a 76-unit apartment complex for $8.5 million.
The Tempe property was built in 1988. It is at 2430 S. Mill Ave., approximately one mile from Arizona State University’s main campus and less than two miles from the Mill Avenue District.
Old-fashioned haircuts
discounted for veterans
V’s Barbershop in Chandler and Gilbert
is offering veterans 20 percent off any service, but not just Veterans Day.
The company is also including active and reserve military and first responders in the program.
V’s Barbershop offers haircuts, straightrazor shaves, men’s facials, face massages, moustache and beard trims and shoe shines, with complimentary hot towels, neck and shoulder massages and neck shaves.
20,000-square-foot project for mixed use breaks ground
LGE Design Build and Revelation Real Estate are building a new, 20,000-squarefoot mixed-use project in Chandler that will also be Revelation’s new headquarters.
The $5 million space will house a real estate school, a brokerage firm, title company “Magnus Title,” an event center and a bar and café.
The groundbreaking was last week.
Air-conditioning company offers $1,000 scholarship
Precision Air & Heating is offering a $1,000 scholarship to a student enrolled full-time in an accredited college or university.
Applications are open until April 30, 2017. To submit an entry, applicants are
asked to write a 500-800 word essay on the following topic: “What do you believe are some of the most important advancements in how small businesses can thrive and survive in a competitive landscape against the larger corporations?”
Full details about the Precision Air & Heating Scholarship and entry rules are available at precisionairandheating.com/ scholarships.
American Airlines honors 200 long-term employees
American Airlines recently honored more than 200 employees, including four from the East Valley, celebrating at least 45 years of service, and 35 or more years for pilots.
They are:
• Roberta Psarakis of Tempe, 45 years as a flight attendant
• Retiring pilot Captain Robert Graham of Chandler, 38 years
• Peter Mordwinow of Mesa, 45 years
• William Fisher of Chandler, 50 years in airport customer service.
Entrepreneur Magazine names Beech Medical to best list
Beech Medical Group of Mesa has been named to Entrepreneur Magazine’s 360 List of “Best Entrepreneurial Companies in
America.”
This is the Mesa integrated health solutions firm’s second notable ranking this year. In August, Inc. Magazine named it among the “5,000 fastest-growing private corporations in America.”
Inc., of Mesa, an integrated health solutions company that contracts with large employers, state agencies and insurance companies to improve patient outcomes while reducing healthcare costs, has been named to Entrepreneur Magazine’s 360 List of the “Best Entrepreneurial Companies in America” The Mesa based business ranked 108 out of 360 companies nationwide.
Humana Pharmacy hiring 100 positions for Tempe location
Humana is hiring for more than 100 new, full-time jobs this month.
The company’s mail-order service, Humana Pharmacy, is seeking to fill positions at its Tempe call center, at 7333 S. Hardy Drive, Suite 102, Tempe. Customer care specialists are full-time, permanent roles and include benefits and other perks.
To apply, go to careers.humana.com and search requisitions 165882 for the Customer Care Specialist positions and 166726 for the Pharmacy Customer Care Advocates positions.
Sports
Prominent teams head into playoffs with sophomores at QB
BY JASON P. SKODA Prep Sports Director
The football huddle is reserved for only a few voices.
It can get a bit chatty for the team that has the scoreboard leaning heavy in its direction, and even snippy when it’s tilting in the wrong direction.
When the chit-chat stops and the message has to be sent, the quarterback is the one everyone is looking at and listening to before going out and executing.
Four prominent teams with state championship aspirations when the playoffs started on Friday have sophomores leading from behind the center.
“There’s quite a few of them,” Williams Field coach Steve Campbell said about the young quarterbacks. “It’s a pretty special class.”
Chandler’s Jacobs Conover, Williams Field’s Zack Shepherd, Queen Creek’s Devin Larsen and Mountain Pointe’s Nick Wallerstedt have been able to lead their respective teams to success in their sophomore seasons.
Conover, Shepherd and Larsen have started all year long after competing for the job against older players, while Wallerstedt took over out of necessity when senior quarterback Noah Grover was injured in the sixth game of the year.
No matter how they ended up running the huddle, it can make for an interesting dynamic with a sophomore trying to lead before his time. After all, the seniors on the team have sweated for the program
while the new guy was in middle school.
“Quarterback leadership doesn’t happen just because you play that position,” Campbell said. “Just because you are the quarterback does not mean you are a leader of the team. We have (senior wide receivers) Max (Fine) and Justis (Stokes), but they have to respect you and you develop that over time.”
Work ethic and winning goes along way in fostering that relationship, and by all accounts all four have no problem in either department.
Shepherd led the BlackHawks to an undefeated regular season, while Larsen and Conover went 8-2 and Wallerstedt went 3-0 to close out the regular season.
Conover entered the playoffs with 19 touchdowns and three interceptions while completing 70.4 percent of
his passes for 252.2 yards a game.
Shepherd had 21 touchdowns and two interceptions with a 61.0 percent completion percentage and averaged 204.4 yards a game.
Larsen had a touchdown-tointerception split of 16 to 4 while throwing for 189.3 yards and a 61.3 completion percentage.
Wallerstedt had a smaller sample size for the nationally-ranked Pride and was kept under wraps a little bit with a conservative game plan. Coaches tried to get him comfortable and keep him healthy since there were no experienced quarterbacks behind him.
Through three and half games, he completed 61.1 percent of his passes with two touchdowns and three interceptions and 101.3 yards a game.
He was given more opportunities in the season finale and responded with a 9-for-14 performance for 194 yards. He threw his first two touchdown passes and two interceptions.
“He’s getting more comfortable, and we opened it up for him,” Pride coach Norris Vaughan said. “There are going to be some drives and games where we are going to need him to make plays, and he has shown he can do it.”
They all have at this point, 11 games into the season, so being the youngest guy in the huddle isn’t that big of a deal now. The get-to-know-you phase of developing a sophomore at quarterback is over and being a vocal leader isn’t always necessary.
“Your personality has to be patient when it comes to being a leader because there are older guys who have been out there on Friday nights,” said Campbell, who started at quarterback as a sophomore at Norco High in California. “You have to build that trust and build that relationship to the point where now you are the guy.
“It is not something you do other than doing your job. You can’t force leadership. It comes out while you work in practice, develop in practice and then it becomes your team.”
At this point in the season, it has developed about as much as it can in 2016. They all just want to keep winning and playing together as long as possible.
– Contact Jason Skoda at 480-898-7915 or jskoda@ evtrib.com. Follow him on Twitter @JasonPSkoda.
Hamilton’s Li ties for title, Huskies finish second in rainy golf final
Tribune Staff Report
The rain and lightning that rolled over South Mountain drowned out second day of the Division I girls state golf tournament.
The second delay, on Thursday around 3 p.m., made it hard to complete the second round after the two-hour delay that started the final round at Aguilla Golf Course.
It was the second time that weather
forced the girls event to be called early and revert back to the first day results— the other time was 1987.
“It was fair,” Hamilton coach Steve Spykstra said. “You can only do so much with the weather as it was.”
The Huskies finished as state runnerup to Xavier by two strokes. The Gators pushed the lead to more than 15 shots when the horns blared with the final group on the 13th hole.
“The team race wasn’t going to change
so (the cancellation) wouldn’t have made a difference,” Spykstra said. “We can play better than we did the first day, and I thought we would today but it didn’t happen.”
The Gators finished the first day at 5-over 293 and the Huskies 7-over 295.
Millennium (24 over), Red Mountain (35 over) and Corona del Sol (62 over) rounded out the top five.
Desert Ridge and Desert Vista tied for sixth at 67 over par and Highland (74
over) was ninth 15-team field.
The loss of the round didn’t change the three-way tie at the top of the individual leaderboard.
Hamilton’s Hannah Li tied for the title at 2-under 70, with Xavier’s Ashley Menne and Elizabeth Caldarelli.
“My irons and driver were absolutely great,” Li said. “I was playing OK. It makes me very happy I can say I finished
(Billy Hardiman/Special to the Tribune)
Queen Creek quarterback Devin Larsen is one of several sophomores running the offense of state contenders creating an interesting dynamic in the huddle.
GOLF FINAL
from page 31
in first place.”
Rounding out the top 10 to earn medalist honors were Xavier’s Emily Mahar (1-under), Hamilton’s Alyzzah Vakasiuloa (even-par 70), Red Mountain’s Belle Balkan (1-over), Hamilton’s Toni St. John (3-over), Millennium’s Ava Smith (5-over), Desert Ridge’s Brooke Beyer (5-over) and Corona del Sol’s Emma Lower (5-over).
Balkan was better than last year, when she shot 36 over par in two rounds as a freshman.
“My short game has really improved,” Balkan said.
The big leap in performance has Balkan, who the player of the year for the JGAA, ready to return to the course as often as possible.
“When you see improvement like that, it makes you want to keep coming back,” she said. “I just want to play golf as much as I can and keep getting better.”
In Division II girls, Mesquite’s Tara Greig finished sixth with an 11-over par 151 finish in the two-day event at Del Urich Golf Course in Tucson on Wednesday.
Campo Verde’s Bailey Anderson was the second highest finisher from the East Valley at 18 over 158 to finish in a tie for 13, while Mesquite’s Maisey Alsen (20over 160) was 16 and Seton Catholic’s Evan Toon (30-over 170) was tied for 27th.
Mesquite was the highest finishing team as the Wildcats were eighth at 157-over 361-356—717 compared to champion Cactus Shadows, which had a two-day total of 69-over 629.
Campo Verde was 12th at 191-over 751.
In the boys DII event at Randolph Golf Course in Tucson, Williams Field finished sixth 32-over 301-307 608 and Seton Catholic was seventh at 34-over 305-305-610 on Wednesday.
Mesquite was 12th at plus 84 at 333327-660 to finishes 63 shots off the pace of team champion Catalina Foothills (21-over 300-297-597).
Seton Catholic’s Matt Schwab finished as the state runner-up at even par 144 after shooting 72 both days while champion Gavin Cohen shot 71 each day to win by two.
Other are top 10 finishers were Seton’s Alejandro de Zavala, who finished tied for seventh at 72-73-145, and Williams Field’s Logan Eatherton, who tied for ninth at 73-73—146.
The Wildcats’ Wade Klein carded a 3-over 75-72-147 for a 12th place finish.
The Division I boys tournament begins Monday at the newly renovated Grand Canyon Golf Course, formerly Maryvale Golf Course.
Hamilton finished the year as the top ranked team, while Desert Vista, Perry, Campo Verde, Desert Ridge and Red Mountain finished among the top 10.
As far as the chase for the individual title goes, it is going to take two very good rounds to pull it off.
The year ended with Desert Vista’s Brian Seo as the top-ranked player, with Hamilton’s Mason Andersen and Campo Verde’s Branden Meyer second and third.
Highland’s Brock Goyen, Perry’s Caden Christopherson, Desert Vista’s Tyler Svendson, Desert Ridge’s Damon Vilkauskas and Desert Vista’s Davis Evan all finished among the top 15.
(Corey Cross/Special to the Tribune)
Hamilton’s Hannah Li tied for medalist honors at the Division I state girls golf tournament after weather stopped the second round at Aguilla Golf Course in Laveen.
Assyrian church hoping to build a home of its own in Gilbert
BY RALPH ZUBIATE Tribune Executive Editor
The Mar Yosip Parish is a church without a building.
The Chandler branch of the Assyrian Church of the East is one of only two in Arizona—the other is in Glendale. That church has the advantage of its own building. For now, Mar Yosip Parish is renting space in another church.
“We’ve been renting for over decade now,” said Marcell Murad, the youth vice president of the church.
Mar Yosip Parish has been meeting in the Chandler Seventh-Day Adventist Church for about 5 years. Before that, the church used an elementary school cafeteria on Sundays.
“The church consists of maybe 200 of us,” Murad said. “We’re not a very big congregation. But we’re all like a big family. We have our names on this church.
“But we are finally in the process of building our own church. We are building it together.”
“We have the land, but we’re trying to raise as much money as possible,” said Ashor Aziz, deacon and president of the church.
The new location is about 15 miles away from their present, temporary home. The acre lot near Recker and Guadalupe Roads is in Gilbert.
The process is moving along swiftly. The Town of Gilbert has given its OK, and the blueprints are coming. But the expenses mount.
“At GoFundMe, we’re trying to raise up to $25,000, but we need a lot more than that to build a church,” Aziz said. “The blueprints are coming close to $27,000. We thought we would be able to pay off the blueprints.
“We also have a couple of fundraisers coming up in February and maybe April.”
The church will go up in two phases, in two buildings.
First, a small banquet hall will be built, then an actual sanctuary.
“We were thinking we would build the hall, then use if for services,” Aziz said. “Then, we can raise more money
for the church.”
They hope to begin building in January.
For now, the Mar Yosip (St. Joseph) Parish meets in Chandler, with Mass taught and sung in Assyrian, a dialect of Aramaic, the language Jesus reputedly spoke. Rev. Khoshaba Sholimun leads the proud congregation.
“We are the oldest Christian church ever,” Murad said.
Most of the parishioners, who hail originally from the region from Turkey to Iraq, speak modern Assyrian.
“English was my second language,” said Murad. “I have family members in Syria, and my parents are from Iraq. They left because of war.
“I have some family members, they won’t leave. They don’t want to leave their country.
“Some family members are fellow Assyrians. Either they leave or they die.”
Linda Mamook teaches Sunday school to the children of Mar Yosip. With this generation, the Assyrian language is a new experience.
“We teach alphabet, months of the year, vocabulary words,” she said. “The class helps them learn the language. They
can be more aware, more educated.”
In a Bible study for youth in another rented space, Tumbleweed Recreation Center in Chandler, Andrew Aziz teaches in a flowing mix of English and Assyrian. Aziz, a deacon and president of youth and entertainment, is Ashor Aziz’s son.
After the study, the group moves over to a gymnasium space to learn traditional dances, or just to play volleyball. Choir practice is also held at Tumbleweed.
Meeting in the tiny space in their native Assyrian language helps bond the young people of the church.
“It’s built our relationships,” Aziz said. “The kids have been working harder than ever.”
The church is hoping to open its first building by July 2017. The rest could be ready by the end of next year, if the money comes.
Contributions to the church may be made at gofundme.com/ projectmaryosip, or to Assyrian Church of the East, P.O. Box 735, Gilbert, AZ 85299.
(Will Powers/Tribune Staff Photographer) Choir members sing during the Assyrian Mass of Mar Yosip Parish in Chandler.
(Will Powers/Tribune Staff Photographer) Deacon Youkhana Banyamin sings during the Mass. He is one of several deacons with Mar Yosip Parish.
(Will Powers/Tribune Staff Photographer)
Deacon Andrew Aziz, president of youth and entertainment, and Marcell Murad, vice president of youth, are two of the young leaders of Chandler’s Assyrian church.
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 9
HOLIDAY BOUTIQUE PLANNED
The Hope’s Treasures Holiday Boutique returns this year with quality handcrafted holiday and home décor, decorations, gifts for kids and adults, stocking stuffers, jewelry, handcrafted apparel, comfort items and more. Shoppers are invited to bring a non-perishable food item for Matthew’s Crossing food bank.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic School will host parents who have small children entering kindergarten or preschool at a special open house. Children will to experience a “mini” day of school, while parents attend a presentation to learn more about the school. All children must be 5 years old by Sept. 1, 2017, to attend the kindergarten open house and 3 years old by Sept. 1, 2017, to attend preschool open house.
DETAILS>> 8:30-11 a.m., 2117 S. Rural Road, Tempe. To reserve a space, go to olmcschool.info, email openhouse@ olmcschool.info or call 480-967-5567.
TUESDAY, NOV. 15
BETHANY CHRISTMAS BAZAAR
Christmas shopping, ornament decorating, more than 30 vendors and a movie for kids are featured at the Bethany Christian School Christmas Bazaar.
DETAILS>> > 6-8 p.m., 6304 S. Price Road, Tempe. To be a vendor, email events@bethanychristianschool.org.
SATURDAY NOV. 19
CRAFT AND VENDOR FAIR
Over 50 vendors will be selling Christmas ornaments & lighted blocks, handmade greeting cards, jewelry, soy candles, pottery, wood items, handmade purses, Mary Kay, leather goods, tea gift baskets and much more at the Love of Christ Lutheran Church’s Center of Compassion. Two food trucks will be available, and the church’s youth group will have a car wash.
DETAILS>> 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., 1525 North Power Road, Mesa. Cost: Free. Information: loveofchristchurch.net.
HOLISTIC HEALING & HAPPINESS
This event is a gathering of Lightworkers and vendors who come together to offer a wide array of services and products. Our mission is to provide a safe space for the holistic and metaphysically minded to experience alternative therapies, spiritual healing and insights. Lightworkers offer 20 minute sessions for $20 to $30 and vendors share great gift ideas. This is a CASH ONLY event. DETAILS>> 2-6 p.m., Interfaith CommUNITY Spiritual Center, 952 E. Baseline, #102, Mesa (just west of Stapley & Baseline in Paragon Business Center, northwest corner of Solomon & Baseline). Information: heatherposey70@gmail. com.
SUNDAY, DEC. 4
SPECIAL CONCERT PLANNED
Guest artists from the first annual Summer Artist in Residence Program, Chandler Gilbert Community College piano professor Piano Amanda Sherrill, and Arizona Opera soprano Melissa Solomon, will present a holiday concert of Bach, Handel, Rachmaninov and beloved classics.
DETAILS>> 2 p.m., Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 739 W. Erie St., Chandler. Admission, $15/students, $10. Children under 10 are free. Information: 480-936-4127, or Earl@ htlutheran.com.
SUNDAY, DEC. 11
‘JAZZOPERETRY’ RETURNS
After a four-year absence, Holy Trinity Lutheran Church and Jazzoperetry (“Jazz-OP-ruh-tree”), Inc., will join forces to present the long-awaited return to Arizona of the contemporary Christian singer/songwriter Robert Moffat. The Holy Trinity Chancel choir will join the Rob Moffat Chorus and instrumental ensemble to perform a musical nativity.
DETAILS>> 2 p.m., 739 W. Erie St., Chandler. Admission $15/ students $10. Information: 480-936-4127, or Earl@htlutheran.com.
SUNDAYS
VALOR CHRISTIAN OUTLINES MISSION
Valor Christian Center in Gilbert offers “great praise and worship and great messages for today’s living,” according to Pastor Thor Strandholt, associate pastor. “Our mission is evangelize, healing and discipleship through the word of God.”
DETAILS>> 10 a.m. Sundays and 7 p.m. Thursdays. 3015 E. Warner Road. Information: valorcc.com.
ALL ARE WELCOME
All on a peaceful spiritual path are welcome and honored in this inclusive, loving, thriving UNITY Community. Join us for Interfaith CommUNITY Spiritual Center’s Sunday Celebration Service. Toddlers and children meet during our service.
DETAILS>> 10:30 a.m., 952 E. Baseline, #102, Mesa (just west of Stapley & Baseline in Paragon Business Center, northwest corner of Solomon & Baseline). Information: info@interfaith-community.org.
HORIZON SEEKS YOUNG PEOPLE
High school and middle school students meet to worship and do life together.
DETAILS>> 5 p.m. at Horizon Presbyterian Church, 1401 E. Liberty Lane. 480-460-1480 or email joel@horizonchurch. com.
KIDS CAN LEARN JEWISH LIFE
Children can learn and experience Jewish life. Chabad Hebrew School focuses on Jewish heritage, culture and holidays.
DETAILS>> 9:30 a.m. to noon, for children ages 5-13 at Pollack Chabad Center for Jewish Life, 875 N. McClintock Drive, Chandler. 480-855-4333, info@chabadcenter.com, or chabadcenter.com.
RABBINIC LIT COURSE OFFERED
Ongoing morning study of two classics of rabbinic literature by medieval philosopher Moses Maimonides (the “Rambam”). At 10 a.m., Prof. Norbert Samuelson, Grossman chair of Jewish Philosophy at ASU and TBS member, teaches “Maimonides’ Guide of the Perplexed: What Jews Ought to Believe.” At 11:15 a.m., TBS member Isaac Levy teaches “Maimonides’ Mishneh Torah: How Jews Ought to Behave.” Readings in both Hebrew and English.
DETAILS>> Community Room of the administration building at Temple Beth Sholom of the East Valley, 3400 N. Dobson Road, Chandler. 480-897-3636.
UNITY OFFERS A PATH
Unity of Mesa says its Sunday service offers “a positive path for spiritual living” through “transformational lessons, empowering music and various spiritual practices with an open-minded and welcoming community.”
DETAILS>> 9 a.m. Spiritual discussion group and meditation practices group. 10:15 a.m. service. 2700 E. Southern Ave., Mesa. Child care available at 9 a.m. Nursery for infants through kindergarten at 10:15 a.m. 480-8922700, unityofmesa.org, joanne@unityofmesa.org.
MONDAYS
JOIN CHRIST-CENTERED YOGA
This Flow 1-2 class (intermediate) is free and open to the
community.
DETAILS>> 6-7 p.m., Mountain Park Community Church, 2408 E. Pecos Road. Greg Battle at 480-759-6200 or gbattle@moutainpark.org.
Support group for those struggling with how to deal with a loss in life.
DETAILS>> 7 p.m., 1825 S. Alma School Road, Room C201, Chandler. Pastor Larry Daily, 480-963-3997, ext. 141, larrydaily@chandlercc.org or chandlercc.org.
TUESDAYS
JEWISH VIEWS ON HOT-BUTTON ISSUES
A new six session course presents a non-partisan, Jewish view of the hot button 2016 election issues, such as gun control and immigration. The classes will begin Nov. 14 and run for six weeks, until Dec. 19.
DETAILS>> 7:30-9 p.m., Chabad of the East Valley, 875 N. McClintock Drive, Chandler. 480-855-4333, chabadcenter. com or info@chabadcenter.com.
DIVORCED CAN FIND COMFORT
People suffering through a divorce or separation can find understanding and caring support to face these challenges.
DETAILS>> 6:30-8:30 p.m., Mountain Park Community Church, 2408 E Pecos Road, Room 117, Ahwatukee, 480-7596200 or mountainpark.org.
FINDING HEALING FOR PAIN
HOPE, an acronym for “Help Overcome Painful Experiences,” offers support for men and women who seek God’s grace and healing.
DETAILS>> 6:30 to 8 p.m. Mountain Park Community Church, 2408 E. Pecos Road. mountainpark.org.
SENIORS ENJOY ‘TERRIFIC TUESDAYS’
The program is free and includes bagels and coffee and a different speaker or theme each week. Registration not needed.
DETAILS>> 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., Barness Family East Valley Jewish Community Center, 908 N. Alma School Road, Chandler. evjcc.org or 480-897-0588.
WEDNESDAYS
CELEBRATE RECOVERY MEETS
Celebrate Recovery says it “brings your relationship with the Lord closer to your heart as it heals your hurts, habits and hang-ups.” Participants can discuss issues ranging from feeling left out to addictions. “Nothing is too small or too large.”
DETAILS>> 6:20 p.m. at Mountain View Lutheran Church, 11002 S. 48th St., Ahwatukee. mvlutheran.org/
celebraterecovery or email cr@alphamvlc.com.
WOMEN’S BIBLE STUDY OFFERED
Living Word Ahwatukee women’s Bible study and fellowship that offers “a short, low-key time of praise and worship in music and message.” It’s also an opportunity to meet other Christian women in Ahwatukee.
DETAILS>> 10-11:30 a.m., Living Word Ahwatukee, 14647 W. 50th St., Suite 165, Ahwatukee. Free child care.
GET A ‘SPIRITUAL SHOWER’
A release calls this “a 15-minute energetic tune up each week” and says the Twin Hearts Meditation “is like taking a spiritual shower: when your aura is clean, you experience a higher level of awareness. You see through things more clearly and good luck increases.”
DETAILS>> 7-9 p.m. at Unity of Tempe, 1222 E. Baseline Road, Suite 103, Tempe. 480-792-1800 or unityoftempe. com.
‘A COURSE IN MIRACLES’
Longtime “A Course in Miracles” student and teacher Rev. Julianne Lewis leads this interactive time of discussion and sharing. This group is appropriate for ACIM beginners as wells as experienced ACIM students—and everyone in between!
DETAILS>> Interfaith CommUNITY Spiritual Center, 952 E. Baseline, #102, Mesa (just west of Stapley & Baseline in Paragon Business Center, northwest corner of Solomon & Baseline). $10 love donation. Information: revj4u@gmail. com.
THURSDAYS
KIDS CAN FIND SUPPORT
Support group for children ages 6 to 12 coping with a separation or divorce in the family. One-time $10 fee includes snacks and workbook.
DETAILS>> 6:30-8:30 p.m., 1825 S. Alma School Road, Room C202, Chandler. Pastor Larry Daily, 480-963-3997, ext. 141, larrydaily@chandlercc.org or chandlercc.org.
ULPAN INSTRUCTION AVAILABLE
Class is based on Israel’s successful Ulpan instruction. Taught by Ilan Berko, born in Israel, schooled in the U.S. DETAILS>> 7 p.m. Chabad of the East Valley, 3875 W. Ray Road, Suite 6, Chandler. chabadcenter.com or 480-855-4333.
‘CONSERVATIONS WITH GOD’
“Conservations with God-Book 1” by Neale Donald Walsch seeks to bring people a new understanding of life and God. Join Wayne Hoffman for this lively book study group
DETAILS>> 7-8:30 p.m. at Interfaith CommUNITY Spiritual Center, 952 E. Baseline, #102, Mesa (just west of Stapley & Baseline in Paragon Business Center, northwest corner of Solomon & Baseline). $10 love donation. Information: info@ interfaith-community.org.
Music fest brings plenty of tunes to Mesa
BY SHELLEY RIDENOUR Tribune Staff Writer
Music should reverberate throughout downtown Mesa Thursday-Sunday as the Mesa Music Festival returns for its second year.
The free event is largely designed as an opportunity for upand-coming bands to showcase their skills. But, several big-name performers are due in the city for the weekend.
Rock band Fuel headlines the Saturday night closing concert. Fuel’s big hit was “Shimmer,” from its first album, “Sunburn,” released in 1998. In 2000, the band released a second album, “Something Like Human.” It went multi-platinum and included the singles “Hemorrhage (In My Hands)” and “Innocent.”
Friday is highlighted with a keynote speech by Chester Bennington of Linkin Park. He’s the band’s lead singer and he grew up in Mesa.
Linkin Park’s debut album “Hybrid Theory” was certified diamond in 2005 and became the best-selling debut album of the decade. The band released five more studio albums.
Fuel plays at 8 p.m. on the lawn at Mesa City Plaza, 55 N. Center St.
Bennington also fronts Dead by Sunrise and was the lead vocalist for the Stone Temple Pilots with Chester Bennington from 2013 to 2015.
“We think people will come down,” for Bennington’s talk, Mesa city spokeswoman Melissa Randazzo said, “even though he’s not going to play.”
Between 150 and 200 bands are expected to perform throughout the weekend, Randazzo said. Organizers expect several thousand people to catch at least some of the shows.
The music festival is an ideal fit for
Creativity counts
If creativity is high on the list for making good music, here are some of the more unusual names of bands scheduled to play at the Mesa Music Festival:
• Bag of Humans
• Blue Rose Revival
• Cheap Hotels
• Decibel
• Devil Lies Down
• Drown a Deity
• Friends with Benefits
• Leather Tramp
• Moonshine Voodoo Band
• Says the Preacher
• Shotgun Pearl
• Sunday at Noon
• Surfing Godzillas
• The Beast of Bailey Downs
• The Endless Pursuit
• The Grass Fed Giants
• The Harmless Doves
• The Sink or Swim
• The World in my Eyes
• Thoughts Like Rockets
downtown Mesa, city spokesman Steve Wright said.
“We want downtown to be unique and hip and fun for families,” he said.
Wright compares the One of downtown Mesa’s Mesa Music Festival to the SXSW Festival in Austin, which started relatively small and is now a huge musical event.newest businesses, Oro Brewing Co., hosts two bands Thursday night from 9:30 to 10:45, getting an early start on the fun.
At 6 p.m. Friday, music gets into high gear at the outdoor pavilion stage at the Mesa Arts Center, 1 E. Main St. Five bands play until 10 p.m. there.
Eight other venues along Main Street also feature bands from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday. Those sites are Milano’s Music at 38 W. Main St.; the Milano’s Alley, 20 W. Main St.; Backstage Attire, 138 W. Main St.; Lulubell
Toy Bodega at 128 W. Main St.; Smith-olator Cookie Shop, 124 W. Main St.; Queen’s Pizzeria, 125 W. Main St.; Desert Eagle Brewing Co., 150 W. Main St.; and Jarrod’s Coffee, Tea and Gallery, 154 W. Main St.
More sites are added for Saturday’s miniconcerts.
• Vintage Wednesday
• Woodfish
A stage is planned at the Arizona Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame at 63 W. Main St.
Milano’s has two stages again, and music returns Saturday at Backstage Attire, Lulubell, Smith-o-lator, Queen’s, Desert Eagle and Jarrod’s.
Thursday and Friday are largely consumed by a symposium at the Mesa Arts Center.
The list of speakers at those gatherings is impressive, too.
David Ellefson, the bassist for Megadeth, a record label president, producer and manager is one. Geordie Gillespie, a partner at The Hatcher and a former executive with Sony, Columbia and Virgin record companies also speaks. And, entertainment attorney Jim Kusmich and producer and manager Rene Mata are on the speaker list.
– Contact reporter Shelley Ridenour at 480-8986533 or sridenour@timespublications.com.
The main stages, at the Mesa City Plaza at the Mesa Arts Center have full-day lineups from noon to 10 p.m. The Arts Center has two stages.
– Comment on this story and like the East Valley Tribune on Facebook and follow EVTNow on Twitter.
(Special to the Tribune)
The Mesa Music Festival debuted last year and aspires to be the next SXSW Festival in Austin, which started relatively small and is now a huge musical event.
(Special to the Tribune) Chester Bennington of Linkin Park, a Mesa native, will give a speech at the Mesa Music Festival.
Low Back Pain Research Study
This study is to see if the Erchonia® FX-635™, a non-invasive, investigational device that uses low-level laser light, can help to relieve minor low back pain that has been ongoing for at least 3 months.
The study involves eleven visits to a test site and recording some information at home.
Compensation of $200 for qualified participants
Please contact Trevor Berry, DC at Arizona Chiropractic Neurology Center, Chandler, AZ at 480-756-2600 for details. www.azchironeuro.com
Gilbert Days links town to long Western tradition
BY SRIANTHI PERERA Tribune Staff Writer
Horse ranches, dairy farms, agriculture and the rodeo lifestyle were much a part of Gilbert during its “Hay Capital” days.
Nowadays, the town gets a flamboyant reminder of its roots with Gilbert Days, when thousands of spectators line the
Gilbert Days schedule
Heritage District to watch the parade or settle on the bleachers at Welcome Home Ranch to cheer the rodeo.
This is Gilbert Days’ 38th year. The events run to Nov. 19 and began with a reenactment of the Pony Express. Gilbert is organizing the fun runs and the parade while the rest of the activities, such as the bull riding, bareback riding and saddle bronc riding, is put on by Gilbert
Lil Dudes Rodeo: 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 11, 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 12 and noon Sunday, Nov. 13. (Gates open two hours earlier each day.) Welcome Home Ranch, 26601 S. Val Vista Drive, Gilbert.
Gilbert Days Rodeo: 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 11, 5 p.m. Saturday Nov. 12 and 2 p.m. Sunday Nov. 13. Bull riding, steer wrestling, tie-down roping, barrel racing, team roping, saddle bronc riding, bareback riding and breakaway roping. Welcome Home Ranch.
Tickets are $15 adults, $10 seniors and $10 children ages 7 to 15. Free with military ID.
Gilbert Days Rodeo Dance: Family rodeo dance immediately following rodeo, on site.
Gilbert Days 5K and 1 Mile Run: 4:30 p.m. onward at Freestone Park, 1045 E. Juniper Ave., Gilbert. gilbertaz.gov/events
Gilbert Days Parade: 8:30 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 19 along Gilbert Road in the Heritage District.
Details: gilbertdays.org
Promotional Corporation. Earnhardt dealership is the title sponsor of the rodeo.
Although GPC comprises a small band of dedicated cowboys and cowgirls, its message has endured.
“These events are a part of history … and there’s still a good following,” said GPC President James Tree. Last year’s threeday rodeo was attended by 1,000 to 1,500 people each day.
Through the year, rodeo ambassadors— Gilbert Days Rodeo Queen Jaime Stack, 23, and Teen Queen Kennadee Riggs, 16— have been visiting schools and rodeos in Arizona with their presentations and campaign platform “Kicking Up Kindness.”
“There’s so much good that’s going around that people don’t really know about,” said Stack. “That’s something we do as royalty—we basically look for good deed detectives and we report all the good stories that we hear.”
Organizer Julee Brady said that the rodeo is one of the traditional mainstays. Cowboys from the region compete in the Grand Canyon Professional Rodeo Association sanctioned rodeo.
Youth Symphony of the Southwest
Enjoy a free kid-friendly concert that features exciting and engaging music including Elgar’s “Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1”— yes, the one with the graduation theme.
DETAILS>> 7-8 p.m., Nov. 7. Mesa Arts Center, One E. Main St., Mesa. Cost: Free. 480644-6500. mesaartscenter.com.
Chiles and Chocolate Festival
Sweet and spicy meet as with vendors of gourmet chocolate, fire-roasted chilies, sauces and more for your sampling and shopping pleasure.
Get your speed fix with three NASCAR races in three days, including the Can-Am 500 Sprint Cup Semi-Final.
DETAILS>> Times vary, Nov. 11-13. Phoenix International Raceway, 7602 S. Avondale Blvd., Avondale. Tickets: $5-$130. 623-463-5400. phoenixraceway.com.
Lindsey Stirling
Even if you don’t know her name, you almost certainly know the girl on YouTube who dances while playing the violin. Now, the Gilbert native brings that simple concept (simple to explain, not to execute) to Phoenix with the Brave Enough Tour.
DETAILS>> 8 p.m., Nov. 12. Comerica Theatre, 400 W. Washington St., Phoenix. Tickets: $29.50-$58.50 (almost sold out). 602379-2800. comericatheatre.com.
Antique Tractor and Small Engine Show
Return to the heyday of—well—hay, with an up-close look at antique tractors and tractor motors. Plus, watch a tractor parade, tractor pull, visit the Dirt Road Antique Market, pick organic vegetables and enjoy amusement rides.
Dubbed “The Concert That Never Was,” Barbra Streisand and Frank Sinatra share a stage in spirit as performers Sharon Owens and Sebastian Anzaldo channel the two superstar performers and their most beloved songs.
DETAILS>> 3 p.m., Nov. 13. Chandler Center for the Arts, 250 N. Arizona Ave., Chandler. Tickets: $29-$41. 480-782-2680. chandlercenter.org.
Bee Gees Gold Tribute
Go back in time and see the Bee Gees in their prime with this acclaimed tribute experience. Hear your favorite songs like “Stayin’ Alive” and “You Should Be Dancing.”
DETAILS>> 7 p.m., Nov. 13. Higley Center, 4132 E. Pecos Road, Gilbert. Tickets: $31-$36. 480-279-7194. higleycenter.ticketforce.com.
Historic Roosevelt Neighborhood Home Tour
Tour homes built from 1893 to 1930 and marvel at the turn-of-the-century architecture. Also in the area will be food trucks and a craft fair.
DETAILS>> 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Nov. 12. The Roosevelt Neighborhood, McDowell Road to Van Buren Street and Central to 7th Avenue. Tickets: $15 adult, $10 kids 8 and up. rooseveltneighborhood.org.
– Justin Ferris, Phoenix.org
When you lose a loved one, it is one of those times in life when you can feel lost, or adrift–not sure of which way to turn and how to make it through. You need to know that there’s someone there that you can trust, someone who feels like family. A funeral director who cares can make a huge difference in your comfort level, and allow you to the safety of knowing that your best interests are being considered. This is the benefit of choosing Mountain View Funeral Home and Cemetery for your final arrangements and those of your loved ones.
Family Owned and Operated
Mountain View Funeral Home understands the concept of family: since 1951, the Coury family have been operating the family funeral home under the guiding philosophy of being of service to members of the community in their time of need. Now managed by the Second and third generation of Coury’s, Mountain View Funeral Home is a Mesa, AZ tradition with professionally trained and licensed staff members all with the stated goal of ensuring your loved one receives the dignified memorial service that they deserve.
Community Education
A family funeral home takes services a step further by offering education before a loss as well as caring and compassion during a period of mourning. Funeral directors and their team will help you understand the meaning of different parts of the memorial
Family Funeral - Comfort From Trust
service, the differences between cremation and interment, and provide you with a wealth of additional options including beautiful touches such as a release of white doves after the service.
Your Personal Concierge When a loved one passes from the mortal coil, you can feel overwhelmed with details, so another benefit that family funeral homes can offer is access to a concierge to help with everything from florists, hotels, restaurants and even car services. Our professional staff is available to assist with any special needs six days per week.
Finding the right fit for a funeral home is important; you want to know that not only is your loved one being treated with dignity, but that you and your family will feel comfortable and supported in your decisions during this time. Selecting Mountain View Funeral Home and Cemetery is one way to ensure that you are using a family funeral home who will go above and beyond your expectations.
Mention this ad to get $200 Discount
We believe our work is a “mission of service” and it’s a privilege to help a family during the most difficult time in their life.
Obituaries
FOY, Mary McClellan
11/25/1938-10/25/2016 Donations are being accepted in memoriam o f Mary Brown McClellan Foy by the Alzheimer's Association via internet at www alz org/dsw
LONG, Betty Jean
Betty passed away on October 18, 2016 in Moreno Valley, California Betty was born April 25, 1933 in DeSota County Florida She worked over 15 years as a Supervisor for the Alaska Court System Betty was preceded in death by her loving husband Jack Long She is survived by
grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren A private service will be held at a later date Memorial donations may be made to the American Cancer So ciety in Betty’s honor
Sign the Guestbook at: www eastvalleytribune com
ZIEMANN-SCHIEDLER, Lucille Joy
74, passed away on October 30, 2016 in Phoenix, Arizona Arrangements are being handled by A Wise Choice Desert View Chapel in Mesa, Arizona, phone number 480-626-6363
Please Sign the Guestbook at eastvalleytribune com
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for Thanksgiving Week
Deadline for the Thanksgiving Day publication is the Wednesday prior, Nov. 16 at 8am.
To place an ad please call: 480-898-6465 class@times publications com
Employment General
Construction workers, 24 temporary full-time positions.
Duties: The workers will perform task involving physical labor at building swimming pools May operate hand and power tools of all types: air hammers, earth tampers, cement mixers, small mechanical hoists, surveying equipment, measuring equipment, and a variety of other equipment or instruments May clean and prepare sites, dig trenches and may assist other craft workers 3 months construction EXP REQ No EDU REQ
Days & Hours: 40 hours/week (6:00am-2 30pm); day shift; Mon-Fri Dates of employment: 01/15/1707/31/17 Wage: $15 07/h, OT $22 61/h if necessary Raises, bonuses, or incentives dependent on job performance OJT provided
Assurances Transportation (including meals and, to the extent necessary, lodging) to the place of employment will be provided, or its cost to workers reimbursed, if the worker completes half the employment period. Return transportation will be provided if the worker completes the employment period or is dismissed early by the employer Employer will provide workers at no charge all tools, equipment and supplies required to perform the job Job location: Chandler, AZ - Maricopa and Pinal counties, AZ
Applicants may send or contact the AZDES Office, 4635 S Central Ave, Phoenix AZ, 85040 Desirae Diaz ph:520-866- 3608 Please reference AZDES Job Order #: 2458657
Employer CDC Pools, Inc 2364 S Airport Blvd, Chandler, AZ 85286 Contact: Peter Nielsen fax (480)539-7701
Employment General
Microladd Technology needing Market Research Analyst to fill permanent position in Maricopa County Must have master's degree in Business Administration or equivalent, and at least 24 months’ work experience in Electronics Engineering. Submit written resume to: 1727 N, Arizona Ave , #2 Chandler, AZ 85225
Job Description: Collect data on consumers, competitors and market place and consolidate information into actionable items, reports and presentations Understand business objectives and design surveys to discover prospective customers’ preferences Compile and analyze statistical data using modern and traditional methods to collect them Perform valid and reliable SWOT analysis Provide competitive analysis on various companies’ market offerings identify market trends pricing/business models sales and methods of operation Evaluate program methodology and key data to ensure that data on the releases are accurate and the angle of the release is correct Remain fully informed on market trends other parties researches and implement best practices Coordinate the results of market study conducted with the management of the company, and the heads of the operating departments Establish objectives, policies and procedures for the efficient and effective operation of the Market Research Department
Landscape laborers, 50 temporary full-time position
m o d u l e s s u c h a s R t R , R t P , O t C & M t O I n t e grate SAP &non-SAP dat a f r o m i n t e r f a c e s s u c h a s
V I M w i t h F I - A P / A R data. Lead BI/BW team,
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p o r t i n g t o o l s s u c h a s
B E x Q u e r y D e s i g n e r & B u s i n e s s O b j e c t s WebI Migrate BW fro m
O r a c l e t o S A P H A N A
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t r i c a l E n g i n e e r i n g 1 2 m o s e x p a s C o n s u l t a n
Duties: Laborers will be needed for pruning, fertilization, irrigations systems maintenance and repair, general clean up procedures and installation of mortarless segmental concrete masonry wall units Work outdoors, physical work 3 months landscape EXP REQ No EDU REQ
Days & Hours: 40 hours/week (6:00am-2:30pm); day shift; Mon-Fri Dates of employment: 01/23/1710/23/17 Wage: $11 74/h, OT $17 61/h if necessary Raises, bonuses, or incentives dependent on job performance OJT provided
Assurances: Transportation (including meals and, to the extent necessary, lodging) to the place of employment will be provided, or its cost to workers reimbursed, if the worker completes half the employment period Return transportation will be provided if the worker completes the employment period or is dismissed early by the employer Employer will provide workers at no charge all tools equipment and supplies required to perform the job Job location: Tempe, AZ - Maricopa and Pinal counties
Applicants may send or contact the AZDES Office, 4635 S Central Ave, Phoenix AZ, 85040 Desirae Diaz ph:520-866- 3608 Please reference AZDES Job Order #: 2458658
Employer: R H Dupper Landscaping, Inc 1020 W Ranch Road, Suite 105, Tempe AZ 85284 Contact: Nikki Fails-Fodge, fax (480) 893-6846
Develop
NET, Heroku, &
echn ical guid
ance to a distributed team to prepare technical design documents, design & develop solutions Work in & with geographically distributed teams Must have a Bachelor's in an Engineering discipline & 5 yrs exp in software/product devel-
SCRUM, Salesforce com, AWS, Heroku, iOS in Health care & life sciences domain Must have 2 yrs direct people management experience (de-
veloper & SQL Server certifications Exp ma y be gained concurrently Mail resume & cover letter to T Collier, QuintilesIMS, 100 IMS Drive, Parsippany, NJ 07054 No calls
Great Caregiver Candidates:
● Are Caring & Compassionate
● Looking for Rewarding Work
● Have LIFE Experience Caring for a Loved-One and/or Currently a PROFESSIONAL Caregiver
● Would like to Give Back to the Community while Earning Income
● Seeking Part-Time & Flexible Hours
Training is Provided for FREE!
Open Caregiver Positions:
● Companions- Personal Care Attendants
● Caregivers with Habilitation Experience a plus For more details please call: Robin or Carol 480-491-1140 www ResCare com
Merch andise
Cemetery Lots
Burial Niche - For Two Mountain View Memorial Gardens in Mesa Originally $1,695 For Sale for $800 including transfer fees 480-577-5517
Miscellaneous For Sale
Johann Heitzmann & Sonn Grand Piano 1870 s Viennese, restored ($15k): strings, tuning pins, hammers, soundboard, ivory keys $7500 480-438-2900
Pets/Services
Meetings/Events
Women’s Life group
10-11:30 a m second and fourth Friday of each month All women are invited to a Bible study and discussion of how the lessons can relate to our current lives Every lady brings something different to the group and learns from each other to get to know new friends Sun Lakes United Church Of Christ Sun Lakes Country Club Chapel Center, 9230 Sun Lakes Blvd , Sun Lakes Info: Jan Olson, 480-802-7457 or Joy King, 480-588-1882
Wanted to Buy
Boutique
Real Estate For Sale
Manufactured Homes
55+ Windsor Park in Mesa Has open lots waiting for your
home as well as homes for sale already set
and ready to go Come by and choose which option will
for you Contact Debbie at 480-969-7192
JumpStart
11:45 A-4:30P Saturdays
JumpStart is a sidewalk
Sunday school community outreach program serving “some of the poorest neighborhoods” in Chandler, offering snacks, games and teachings about Jesus to area children
Participants meet at Faith Family Church 11530 E Queen Creek Rd , Chandler
Info: Joanne Sweeney 480-539-8933
H O P E Help Overcoming Painful Experiences 7 p m Tuesdays
Free weekly small-group sessions helping people overcome emotional pain caused by divorce, grief, addictions and more; free childcare for children ages 10 and younger Desert Springs Church, Room 106, 19620 S McQueen Rd , Chandler Info: hope4all@comcast net, helpovercomingpainful experiences org
Meetings/Events
Re|Engage marriage program
6:30 p.m. Wednesdays Whether you’d rate your marriage a two or a 10, this class will help you reconnect Chandler Christian Church 1825 S Alma School Rd , Chandler Info and registration: chandlercc.org/reengage
Christian Business Networking Chandler BiMonthly Chapter 7:30 a.m. second and fourth Tuesdays of the month
Offers members the opportunity to share ideas contacts and business referrals
Chandler Christian Church, Room B202 1825 S Alma School Rd , Chandler Info: Maia, 480-4250624, christianbusinessnetworking.com
SENIOR SONGBIRDS LOOKING FOR MALE AND FEMALE SINGERS
If you are age 50+ and love singing and entertaining, we would be happy to have you check us out at one of our rehearsals We are all volunteers and perform weekly at assisted living and care centers We sing secular songs primarily from the 30's, 40 s, and 50's, as well as patriotic and gospel songs, from September through May We rehearse Wednesdays from 9:30 to 11:30 a m at Pyle Adult Recreation Center, 655 East Southern Avenue, Tempe, AZ
For more information, call 480-775-0730
Notices NOTICE OF SALE OF PERSONAL AND ABANDONED PROPERTY N
1704 of the Arizona Revised Statutes, Chapter 15 - Self-Service
and may raise environmental concerns about the project under the National Environmental Policy Act rules of the Federal Communications Commission, 47 CFR §1 1307, by notifying the FCC of the specific reasons that the action may have a significant impact on the quality of the human environment Requests for Environmental Review must be filed within 30 days of the date that notice of the project is published on the FCC’s website and may only raise environmental concerns The FCC strongly encourages interested parties to file Requests for Environmental Review online at www f cc gov/asr/environmentalrequest, but they may be filed with a paper copy by mailing the Request to FCC Requests for E
Public
Kurt Smelser
Nationally Known Hearing Aid Expert
By popular request we have arranged for Kurt Smelser to visit our offices!
Special Open House Event!
Featuring Nationally Known Hearing Aid Expert, Kurt Smelser
Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday
November 8, 9 & 10
ABC Hearing Center is proud to have served our community with care and compassion for many years. To extend our appreciation, we are having a special event November 8th & 9th at our Mesa location and November 10th at our Peoria location.
During this event, Hearing Exams and Consultations will be FREE! Come learn about our new hearing technology – NuEar NOW and iNOW™ Made for iPhone™ hearing aids.
Mesa Location Tuesday, November 8th Wednesday, November 9th
Peoria Location Thursday, November 10th
ABC Hearing Center 7165 E University Dr., Bldg. 17, Suite 167 Mesa, AZ • 480-498-2210
ABC Hearing Center 14155 N. 83rd Ave., Bldg. 7, Suite 147 Peoria, AZ • 623-565-9170
