East Valley Tribune: West Mesa Edition - Dec. 11, 2016
“5,000
YEARS OF
Through the universal language of music and dance, Shen Yun weaves a wondrous tapestry of heavenly realms, ancient legends, and modern heroic tales, taking you on a journey through 5,000 years of genuine Chinese culture. Its stunning beauty, purity, and tremendous energy leave audiences greatly uplifted and deeply inspired.
A Shen Yun performance features 100 world class performers, over 400 sets of exquisite handmade costumes, a unique orchestra blending East and West, and dazzling animated backdrops
– creating a spectacular performance beyond imagination.
Experience divine culture! Experience Shen Yun!
CHINESE MUSIC & DANCE IN ONE NIGHT.”
“An extraordinary experience.
Exquisitely beautiful.”
— Cate Blanchett, Academy Award–winning actress
“A mesmerizing performance!
Reclaiming the divinely inspired cultural heritage of China.”
— Donna Karan, creator of DKNY
“The orchestra is phenomenal. They are very, very on top.”
— Roger Tallman, Seven-time Emmy Award–winning composer/producer
reviewed about 4,000 shows. None can compare to what I saw tonight.”
—Richard Connema, renowned Broadway critic
“Absolutely the No.1 show in the world.”
— Kenn Wells, former lead dancer of the English National Ballet
“The 8th wonder of the world. People have no idea what they're missing until they come here and see the show.”
—Joe Heard, former White House photographer, watched Shen Yun 6 times
are coming under question, but Kyrene Superintendent Jan Vesely says there is no doubt about its effectiveness.
All-day kindergarten faces uphill battle
BY PAUL MARYNIAK Tribune Managing Editor
As the state Legislature prepares for a new session next month, funding for all-day kindergarten appears to be unlikely as conservative Republicans raise questions about its value and the absence of standards.
But East Valley school districts are prepared to continue free all-day K even without full state funding, convinced that its positive contribution to early education is welldocumented.
Apparently, so are parents.
“The bottom line is we cannot deliver our present-day kindergarten curriculum in a half-day model,” said Kyrene Superintendent Jan Vesely.
Noting that only six parents opted for halfday kindergarten while 1,570 enrolled in the all-day program this year, Vesely added,
“Clearly our community understands the importance of early childhood education. Parents want this kind of education for their young children.”
Added Michael Cowan, superintendent of Mesa Public Schools, the state’s largest district:
“Without additional classroom time for kindergarten under the direction of a master educator, many children will not be afforded adequate time to build foundational learning competencies in reading, writing and mathematics.”
Terry Locke, spokesman for Chandler Unified School District, concurred.
“We find all-day kindergarten to be vital,” Locke said. “Today’s kindergarten standards have more rigor than in the past. Only 30 percent of our students starting kindergarten come to us with preschool experience. The extra time helps ensure students get off to a strong start to their school experience and
What could be the last court fight to stop construction of the South Mountain Freeway is scheduled to begin this week in San Francisco. There, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit will begin receiving briefs aimed at stopping the 22-mile freeway in its tracks. A hearing is not expected before the panel until spring.
So far, the Gila River Indian Community and Protect Arizona’s Resources and Children haven’t had much luck with judges in the effort to stop the Arizona Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration from building a highway that has been on the books for more than three decades.
And if the Ninth Circuit rejects opponents’ arguments, their only recourse is to hope they can get a re-hearing or get the case on the U.S. Supreme Court docket. Neither is a guarantee. The freeway would connect West Phoenix and the Loop 202 Santan Freeway-Interstate 10 interchange in Chandler to provide a bypass around the heavily congested segment of I-10 that runs through Downtown Phoenix.
The $1.77-billion highway project is the most expensive in Arizona history and has been billed by ADOT as a time-saver for motorists traveling between the east and west valleys. ADOT also calls the freeway a potentially huge stimulus to economic development along its path.
But in the eyes of opponents, the freeway desecrates South Mountain, which Native Americans consider a sacred site, and poses significant health risks, especially to children attending 17 schools within a half-mile of the right-of-way.
Opponents in November lost their bid to
(Cheryl Haselhorst/Tribune Staff Photographer)
Estrella Elementary School kindergartener Victoria Stockton, left, presents a poster about frogs to her class, with the help of her teacher, Candy Rice, during an all-day-K class. All-day kindergarten's benefits
BY PAUL MARYNIAK Tribune Managing Editor
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South Tempe and Ahwatukee residents were sad to hear last week that the long-running Ray’s Market on the northeast corner of Warner Road and McClintock Drive will shut down for the last time at noon on Dec. 17.
Chris Ray, who has operated the Saturday morning farmers market in the McClintock Fountains Shopping Center since 2010, said he was told by the property manager that the parking spaces occupied by the market were needed for a new Zipps Sports Grill.
In addition to Zipps, the plaza is home to RigaTony’s, a Tuesday Morning and a Harbor Freight Tools.
“I really depend on this market,” said Pepper Brydon of Tempe, an avid juicer. “It’s organic and all picked fresh. How can you get that from the grocery store?”
Anchor vendor Tony Walker of Taste of Paradise, an organic grower in Queen Creek and South Mesa, said he was also sorry to see the Tempe market go. But he attends the Ray’s Market on Wednesdays at Power Ranch in Gilbert, as well as other farmers’ markets. He also offers a year-round Community Supported Agriculture program (www.facebook.com/ tasteofparadisecsa).
“I might just take Saturdays off for a while,” he said.
Joanne Williams, a seamstress showing off her colorful Christmas stockings, bags and other fabric wares, had the same idea.
“I’m going to enjoy the holidays, then we’ll see,” she said.
me the Bag Lady.”
Leather crafter Ed Quillman (mybeltmaker.com) said he’s a regular at the Thursday farmers market in downtown Chandler, but that’ll mean a longer drive for one his most loyal customers, Tom Boyd of Ahwatukee, who bought a couple of custom belts last Saturday.
Ray said crafters and food vendors liked the market because he only charged $15 for rent and didn’t require contracts or rigid attendance.
“It was base-level free enterprise,” he said. “My only rule was you had to get along.”
The 8 a.m. to noon Tempe market attracted 300-400 customers on its best days, said Ray, who owns the Market Kitchen near Dobson and Elliot roads in Chandler, a professional kitchen that can be rented by food truck operators and caterers.
He said he’ll look for a new location in Tempe, but said it would be difficult to get up and running this late in the season. He said it would be easier to partner with an HOA, as he does with Power Ranch, than to get another longterm permit and deal with the dynamics of shopping center parking lots.
Williams (jojolavender9.wixsite.com/ colorfulcreations) said she liked the small size and intimacy of the market. It allowed her to spend some quality time with her daughter in-law and fellow vendor, Jamie Kim Williams, a jeweler.
“Everybody knows everybody,” she said. “When I first came here, people called me the Bow Lady. Now they call
He noted that Pie Guys Eddie and Mike, who run the popular AZ Food Crafters bakery cafe at Ray and Alma School roads in Chandler, got their start at Ray’s Market Tempe. The local legends’ hand pies continue to draw lines at the Saturday Gilbert Farmers Market and the Sunday Ahwatukee Farmers Market.
“It never really produced a lot of income,” Ray said, “but we enjoyed doing it.”
– Reach Mike Butler at 480898-5630 or at mbutler@timespublications.com.
– Comment on this article and like the East Valley Tribune on Facebook and follow EVTNow on Twitter.
(Mike Butler/Tribune Staff)
Joanne Williams, a seamstress, and her daughter in-law Jamie Kim Williams, a jeweler, enjoyed the neighborhood market's small size and camaraderie.
(Mike Butler/Tribune Staff) Pepper Brydon of Tempe selects potatoes and other vegetables at Tony Walker's Taste of Paradise booth at Ray's Market. The long-running farmers market at McClintock Drive and Warner Road is closing Dec. 17.
(Mike Butler/Tribune Staff) Crafter Ed Quillman, who is retired from Tandy Leather, chats with Ahwatukee friend and customer Tom Boyd.
have success in future years.”
All-day K has been a political football in Arizona for nearly a decade even as evidence grows of its importance in early education.
Former Gov. Janet Napolitano pushed through state funding in 2007, but the Republican Legislature in 2010 terminated it.
Numerous school districts in the state have held budget override elections since then to get voter approval for local funding of all-day K.
Mesa and Chandler make up the remaining cost of all-day K through their maintenance and operations budgets.
“Full-day kindergarten is an important and needed investment,” said Cowan, whose district has 4,500 full-day kindergartners. “Less time is needed to catch up academically deficient students, allowing teachers to focus on grade-level curriculum.”
Kyrene voters approved an override that covers 15 percent of the district’s cost. Higley voters did the same thing.
“We receive $11.76 a day to provide kindergarten instruction, a figure that would be even lower if Kyrene didn’t have the support of local taxpayers in the Kyrene community,” Vesely said.
She said that while the state pays $3,681.09 for every student in first through eighth grade, kindergarten funding amounts $1,840.55 per child. With the override, the district’s outside revenue for kindergarten totals $2,116.63 per student.
Higley is spending $2.5 million for 916 students in all-day K, with the override covering $nearly $1.6 million of that total.
"The research is strong that students who attend full-day as opposed to halfday kindergarten outperform their peers with their student achievement and growth," said Higley Assistant Superintendent Warren Shillingburg.
Although there were hopes that voters’ overwhelming approval of Proposition 123 last year would lead to a restoration of state funding for all-day kindergarten, Republican legislative leaders are already complaining that the state cannot afford its $218-million-a-year price tag.
restored, along with an additional $440 million in restored funding for building maintenance, utility payments and teacher development.
Arizona and 33 other states require only half-day kindergarten, while 11 make all-day K mandatory. The rest have no kindergarten mandates.
Republican leaders in the Legislature didn’t wait long after the Nov. 8 election to begin signaling their feelings about all-day kindergarten.
Incoming House Speaker J.D. Mesnard, R-Chandler, told the Arizona Tax Research Association that the state not only couldn’t afford it, but that its effectiveness seemed in doubt.
“There was research indicating there was a bump in student achievement early on because of full-day kindergarten,” Mesnard said. “But then it sort of diminished or went away entirely later on. So, I think we’re going to have to revisit some of that research to see is this an effective use of our dollars.’’
Incoming Senate President Steve Yarbrough, another Chandler Republican, told the same organization that while all-day K and other education programs are “all potentially worthy,” the state has no money to pay for them.
Some education and business leaders spoke about the benefits of setting academic standards for all-day K at an Arizona Board of Education meeting earlier this fall.
Because there are no learning standards past the required 2½ hours, not all schools set high academic expectations, said state Sen. Steve Smith, a Republican from Pima County. He said some constituents who paid for full-day kindergarten were unhappy.
“They played games. It was effectively babysitting time,” Smith said. “For me as a parent, to want to put my child in all-day K, there had to be some sort of actual achievement and learning going on the second half of the day.”
Children “need that play time. They need naps,” Fink said. “All-day kindergarten is a recurring fad; it is not the solution.”
Vesely and Kyrene board member John King, a Republican, said Kyrene abounds in proof of all-day kindergarten’s positive impact on young children’s educational development.
“ Full-day kindergarten is an important and needed investment. ”
—Mesa Superintendent Mike Cowan
Political observers say that unless the governor throws his support behind it, all-day kindergarten will likely be a nonstarter in budget talks next year.
The broad coalition of education and business leaders wants all-day K
Lisa Fink, a parent and board president of Choice Academies charter schools, told the Arizona education board fullday kindergarten is a waste.
She cited a 2014 study by the Washington State Institute for Public Policy that concluded kindergarteners in Washington did not benefit from a daylong program, given its cost.
“The days of naps and cookies in kindergarten are long gone,” Vesely said. “Kindergartners are expected to add and subtract numbers up to 10, count to 100 by ones and 10s; spell simple words phonetically; and describe measurable attributes of objects such as length and weight. They also are expected to distinguish the shades of meaning among verbs.”
“They also are expected to be able to write at least three complete sentences by the end of the school year—which means they must also know how to read,” she continued. “The research is clear about the benefits of full-day kindergarten.”
She said one study showed “children
enrolled in full-day kindergarten performed better in math and reading than their half-day counterparts.”
A conservative himself, King also differs with his fellow Republicans in the Legislature.
“The most fundamental learning a child at an early age can have is how to read and function socially,” he said. “The value of all-day kindergarten is that it stresses the value of reading and makes for greater success as students.”
King believes all-day kindergarten explains why no Kyrene third grader failed to meet the new state requirement this year that forced districts to hold back third graders who could not meet reading standards.
Only five third graders were in danger of not advancing to fourth grade because of those reading requirements, he said. But the district worked with them over the summer to ensure they could pass.
“We attribute that to the fact we can get to them early in their life cycle,” he said.
– Cronkite News and Capitol Media Services contributed to this report.
(Cheryl Haselhorst/Tribune Staff Photographer)
As evidence of the fact that kindergarten has moved well beyond naps and cookies, this poster by Estrella Elementary kindergartener Victoria Stockton shows what she learned about frogs.
OPPONENTS
stop its construction temporarily while a Ninth Circuit panel considers their appeal of U.S. District Judge Diane Humetewa’s August decision that turned away all arguments they had made to stop the freeway.
PARC sought the temporary injunction, contending that current work on the freeway, if allowed to continue, would eliminate some aspects of the surrounding environment that they are trying to protect.
The Gila Community did not join the injunction request, which PARC attorney Howard Shanker thinks might have hurt his client’s bid for a temporary work stoppage.
Shanker said that as disappointing as the panel’s ruling is, “we have not lost the war.”
He noted that the appeals court will consider the case without paying any attention to Humetewa’s ruling.
“This did not mean that we have lost our case,” he added. “I understand that this is a frustrating and disheartening process. “We are, however, still very much in the game.”
PARC President Pat Lawlis wrote on the group’s Facebook page, “I admit I am depressed about this.”
She added that she was somewhat heartened by the fact that when the appellate court hears oral arguments, probably in the spring, “it will be heard and ruled on before ADOT can do any damage to South Mountain.”
In a release, ADOT said the Ninth Circuit ruling “keeps the Arizona Department of Transportation project on track to begin construction of the mainline freeway early next year.”
“It’s the fourth time courts have rejected attempts to halt construction of this long-planned link between
the East Valley and West Valley,” it continued, quoting ADOT director John Halikowski as saying:
“With the support of the Federal Highway Administration, the Maricopa Association of Governments and the city of Phoenix, we are moving forward with a critically needed freeway that will make this region a better place to live and do business. This long-planned alternative to an increasingly strained Interstate 10 through downtown Phoenix will better position this region for continued growth in its population and its economy.”
ADOT and the federal government objected to a temporary halt, claiming that PARC and the Gila Community
will lose the appeal and that meanwhile taxpayers would be saddled with millions of dollars in extra costs.
In his request for a temporary injunction, Shanker zeroed in on ADOT’s handling of environmental studies and its refusal to consider either alternative routes or a “no-build alternative.”
“There are approximately 17 schools within one-half mile of the selected right-of-way, resulting in significantly increased health risks to children attending those schools (over 15,000 children on a daily basis),” he said.
“This project will have a disparate impact on children without even accounting for the parks, day-care
providers, and children who live near the right-of-way and who attend these schools,” Shanker wrote.
“Many studies have now shown that people who live, work, or attend school near major roads have an increased incidence and severity of health problems that may be related to air pollution from roadway traffic,” he added, stating that “near-roadway traffic emissions may not only trigger and exacerbate asthma symptoms, but also contribute to the development of asthma in children.
“As such, the construction of a new eight-lane freeway with diesel truck volumes of up to 17,000 per day in an area with a large population of children constitutes a need to analyze, disclose and mitigate impacts to children.”
ADOT estimates that 125,000 to 140,000 vehicles would use the freeway daily. Of these, nearly half would be trucks, including 14,000 to 17,000 heavy-duty trucks.
Shanker noted that the U.S. Environmental Agency had expressed misgivings about ADOT’s analysis. It was concerned not only about the potential harm posed by a 460 percent increase in traffic in the Pecos Road corridor but also with ADOT’s conclusions of the minimal risk of accidents involving vehicles carrying hazardous chemicals.
Shanker also said that in coming up with a justification for the specific rightof-way selected for the freeway, ADOT initially used 2005 census data to project the region’s population growth, even though 2010 census data showed a 20 percent decrease in those projections. He also said ADOT refused to consider other routes because they would not complete the freeway loop system around Maricopa County.
Assistant U.S. Attorney John Cruden countered in a lengthy brief that “PARC is not likely to succeed in overturning” Humetewa’s ruling.
Banner hospitals earn spots on national lists
BY SHELLEY RIDENOUR Tribune Staff Writer
Banner Health hospitals in the East Valley have been recognized by two organizations.
Banner Heart Hospital in Mesa is one of the 50 top cardiovascular hospitals in the United States, ranked by Truven Health Analytics, an IBM company.
Also, national patient safety watchdog organization Leapfrog Group gave two of Banner’s Mesa hospitals an A ranking.
Banner Baywood Medical Center and Banner Desert Medical Center were deemed among the top hospitals for patient safety.
The Banner Heart ranking by Truven is based on multiple criteria, including its significantly higher inpatient survival
rates, fewer patients with complications, a higher 30-day survival rate and lower readmission rate, shorter lengths of stay for some bypass patients and the fact patients pay on average between $1,200 and $6,000 less than they’d pay at another hospital.
Banner Heart has made the top 50 Truven list for seven years.
“Being honored for our innovation
and achievements for cardiovascular care shows we’re strongly committed to our patients,” Banner Health President and CEO Peter Fine said in a press release.
– Contact reporter Shelley Ridenour at 480898-6533 or sridenour@timespublications. com.
– Comment on this story and like the East Valley Tribune on Facebook and follow EVTNow on Twitter.
(ADOT/Special to Tribune)
The South Mountain Freeway will provide a detour around downtown traffic for I-10 motorists.
THE WEEK IN REVIEW
Kai makes OpenTable top 100 list
Kai restaurant, inside the Sheraton Grand at Wild Horse Pass resort in Chandler, has landed on another top dining list.
Kai is one of the 100 best restaurants in America for 2016 as ranked by OpenTable. The 100 winners were chosen from about 10 million reviews of 24,000 restaurants submitted by OpenTable diners.
OpenTable is the world’s leading provider of online restaurant reservations.
“We are delighted to receive this important acknowledgement from OpenTable diners,” Vipin Menon said. Menon is the resort’s director of food and beverage. “Our dining guests are our most valued critics and we are humbled to receive their high praise and acclamation.”
– SHELLEY RIDENOUR, TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
THE WEEK AHEAD
Bondurant driving event for public will benefit charity
The Bondurant Driving to Excel event is giving people a chance to drive a racecar up to 110 mph with professional drivers for charity.
On Friday, 3-6:30 p.m., the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving at Firebird International Raceway in Chandler will offer the experience for licensed drivers.
Drivers under 18 can participate for $75, and adults are $150. Dinner-only tickets will be sold for $35. Would-be drivers should call 602-406-6280 or visit supportbarrow.org/supportbarrowconnection to register.
The event will benefit Barrow Connection, which is a special program for the disabled.
– RALPH ZUBIATE, TRIBUNE EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Gilbert student wins funding for homeless project
Erin Alibrandi, a Williams Field High School junior, has won funding for a project to help the homeless, as part of the Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership International’s Magic Makers’ event.
Alibrandi, from Gilbert, took first place and earned a $1,000 scholarship at the event in Los Angeles late last month. Her idea is to create an organization that connects student volunteers with homeless shelters and food banks to help where needed.
– TRIBUNE STAFF REPORT
Sports park opens in Mesa in partnership with Cubs
Mesa’s Fiesta Sports Park opens at 936 S. Extension Road. The park includes four new ballfields for youth baseball and softball and a multi-use field with bleachers and Chicago Cubsbranded signage and scoreboard.
The four ballfields are named after Cubs Hall of Fame players: Fergie Jenkins, Ron Santo, Ernie Banks and Billy Williams.
The Chicago Cubs Charities and the Mesa Hohokam Foundation donated $100,000 to sponsor Fiesta Sports Park.
Fiesta Sports Park is open from sunrise to 10 p.m. For more information, visit mesaaz.gov/parksrec.
– TRIBUNE STAFF REPORT
Chandler road widenings to be discussed at meetings
Design changes to a busy intersection and a road in Chandler will be discussed at public meetings this month.
Improvements to Cooper Road that will widen the street from two to four lanes will be discussed at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Hull Elementary School, Multipurpose Room, 2424 E. Maren Drive.
A public meeting to discuss the improvements to the intersection of Alma School Road and Chandler Boulevard will be held at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Arizona College Prep cafeteria, 1150 W. Erie St.
The Alma School Road/Chandler Boulevard intersection had the highest collision rate in the city in 2015, with 48 accidents.
Gilbert cheerleaders to represent U.S. in London parade
Two cheerleaders from Gilbert High will be among 650 representing the nation in the London New Year’s Day Parade.
Alexia Williams and Annalissa Morales were nominated as All-Americans at a summer camp hosted by Varsity Spirit.
The theme of this year’s parade is “Lights, Camera, Action” and will pay homage to the wonders of film and television. Cheerleaders, dancers, marching bands, acrobats and more will make up the 10,000 performers representing 20 countries worldwide in the 2017 parade.
Christmas lights contest winners, other holiday favorites revealed
BY RALPH ZUBIATE Tribune Executive Editor
The Christmas decorating season brings out the artist in some people, and the rest of the world gets to celebrate their creativity. This year, some of the most amazing decoration displays featured more than lights, and the East Valley Tribune has selected two houses that need to be seen in person to be appreciated.
For the initial East Valley Tribune Holiday Lights Contest, we picked one large and one small house that are decorated to the hilt, and we’ll also tell you about other houses, and neighborhoods, of note.
The winner in the bigger-house category is 8535 S. Stanley Place in Tempe, in the Buena Vista Ranchos subdivision off Warner Road, owned by Shawn and Andrea Benson.
This big, beautiful house features 400,000 lights in computer synchronization with music. On the weekends, the family sits outside by a fire and greets guests. Santa Claus himself visits with children.
“Between 6 and 9 on Friday and Saturday, it won’t be uncommon to have 50, 60 people in line to see Santa,” Shawn Benson said.
The Bensons also use a lowpower radio station to play the four songs that make up their light show. The music broadcasts on 88.1 to the neighborhood.
said. “I love doing it and I’m fortunate enough to do it.”
The small-house winner is 891 W. Boxelder Place in Chandler, off of Alma School, the home of Bill and Sherlene Berry.
This small condo is big on Christmas spirit, but not just with lights. Three huge dioramas are featured—a big Christmas village in the driveway, another one next to the front door, and dozens of lighthouses in the front yard.
Berry has been decorating the house since 1992, when he and his wife moved in.
“I didn’t have as many village pieces then, or the lighthouse collection,” Berry says. “It changed every year but I built the lighthouse collection and kept adding village pieces. I have about 60 pieces of village inside, so a lot had to go outside.”
Chandler
• 1669 N. Pennington Drive, Chandler. Keep going back to this house. The owner is continually adding to the decorations until the last minute. Right now, it features laser lights and an outdoor Christmas tree.
• 2002 N. Central Drive, Chandler. This house has a front yard full of figures inside its white picket fence. Plenty to see here.
• 2212 W. El Prado Road, Chandler. Aside from 54,000 spectacular lights, this house offers movies in the driveway.
• 632 W. Aster Court, Chandler. This house features 50,000 lights and decorations with a strong Disney theme.
Gilbert
“Several of my neighbors tune in to that, and when they hear it run they know the lights are on and they bring the kids,” Benson said.
They also have narration that accompanies the music, talking about the family’s favorite charities and fun facts about the display. It says pilots of passenger planes sometimes point out the house from thousands of feet above.
The Benson family has been decorating the house for a decade. They begin in September and bring in a cherry picker to reach the top of the tall trees.
The family also accepts donations during the season for St. Mary’s Food Bank.
“It’s definitely a labor of love,” Benson
Just inside a front window are a couple dozen animated dolls. Outside again is a small Ferris wheel with stuffed animals, and a nativity scene sits at the side of the house.
This is a display best seen on foot, so park and marvel at the details.
Berry runs Resurrection Street Ministry, which provides food and transportation for veterans and lowincome seniors.
A box out front is used to collect canned food for the ministry.
The two winners of this year’s contest will each receive gift certificates.
Here are other notable houses in the East Valley and a few neighborhoods that go all-out. See a map of all these locations and more at tiny.cc/lightsmap
• 146 N. Quail Lane, Gilbert. Also known as “Peanuts Christmas,” this house boasts 150,000 lights, character cutouts and Peanuts Airport with Snoopy taking off.
• 1902 W. Nautilus Drive, Gilbert. In the Islands neighborhood. The front of the house is decorated nicely, but it’s the backyard that will catch your eye. This is one of the houses sitting on the lake. Their backyard lights are visible from South Islands Drive.
• 936 S. Paradise Drive, Gilbert. Also in the Islands area, this house has a backyard hot air balloon and multicolored lights on boat. It also is visible from South Islands Drive.
Mesa
• 1335 N. Papillon Circle, Mesa. Here are 100,000 lights with multiple displays including a misfit island and a full nativity scene.
• 1517 S. Arroya Circle, Mesa. See 90,000 lights cover the landscape, plus animated window displays some evenings.
• 656 W. Meseto Ave., Mesa. This fun decorated house features a Charlie Brown scene.
Tempe
• 511 E. La Donna Drive, Tempe. This house features a Santa’s North Pole Workshop and a choir singing carols.
Decorated neigborhoods
• East Comstock Drive, Gilbert. Last year, this neighborhood’s 13 houses won ABC’s “The Great Christmas Light Fight,” and it returns this year with another fantastic display.
• The Islands, Gilbert, between Elliot and Ray, Cooper and McQueen. Plenty of beautiful houses in the front, but the big attraction is the backyards of houses, along the man-made lakes. The neighborhood celebrates with a boat parade during the season.
• Upland Drive in Chandler between Ellis and Coronado. Here’s another neighborhood that knows how to celebrate together. Movies, cocoa for pedestrians, carriage rides are the highlights. Houses feature Grinch figures, nativity scenes and a Charlie Brown-themed house.
• West Natal Circle, Mesa, near Country Club and Guadalupe Road. Known as the “Christmas Cul-de-sac,” this collection of 14 homes strings up more than 250,000 lights and other decorations—including backyard nativity scenes.
– Contributing to this article was Justin Ferris of Phoenix.org.
(Will Powers/Tribune Staff Photographer)
The Benson family's house in Tempe features 400,000 lights in computer synchronization, with music (and a low-power radio station) and weekend visits from Santa Claus himself.
(Will Powers/Tribune Staff Photographer)
The Berry house in Chandler features three huge dioramas: houses at the front door, dozens of lighthouses in the front yard, and this big Christmas village in the driveway.
Attorney general files motion to dismiss 1,000 ADA lawsuits
BY JIM WALSH Tribune Staff Writer
The Arizona Attorney General’s Office has filed a 20-page motion to dismiss more than 1,000 civil lawsuits filed by a foundation that accuses East Valley businesses of widespread violations of the federal Americans with Disabilities Act and a similar state law.
The controversial suits were filed against many East Valley businesses, particularly in Mesa, and allege mostly technical violations of the ADA, including that handicapped parking signs are too low or that international handicapped symbols are not displayed.
The motion reprises similar pleadings by the Attorney General’s Office, which prompted a Maricopa County Superior Court judge to consolidate more than 1,000 suits into one test case to get them dismissed.
“Plaintiffs complaints must be dismissed for lack of standing. The complaints fail to meet Arizona’s rigorous standing requirement, because they do not allege a distinct and palpable injury and do not
present cases involving true adversaries with ripe claims,” the motion reads.
“Plaintiffs never allege they patronized or attempted to patronize any of the businesses, encountered any barriers, and had disabilities incompatible with barriers,” the motion says. “Instead, plaintiffs allege merely that (David) Ritzenthaler and others with disabilities were ‘deterred’ in some vague way from visiting the consolidated defendant’s businesses.”
The suits have been largely based upon inspections of parking lots by the Advocates for Individuals with Disabilities Foundation. Pictures taken in the parking lots purport to show ADA violations and are used to persuade defendants to pay $7,000 or more to settle the case.
The foundation has argued that it is enforcing the ADA through civil suits because the Attorney General’s Office and other government agencies have failed to enforce the landmark civil rights law, first passed in 1991. It says lack of enforcement has created an air of complacency about the ADA.
Peter Strojnik, the attorney representing the foundation in the suits, also is under pressure from a federal judge to prove why the suits do not violate the Professional Code of Conduct that sets ethical standards for attorneys. The two court actions stem from the same group of cases but are not otherwise related.
“Plaintiffs have cried ‘deterrence’ against over a thousand businesses without ever bothering to patronize those businesses, notify those businesses of the alleged non-compliance, or allege that they intend or desire to patronize those businesses,” the motion reads.
Jack Wilenchik, an attorney for the foundation, said his client is filing a special action with the Arizona Court of Appeals, challenging a ruling by Maricopa County Superior Court Judge David Talamante that rejected a request to amend the complaint to add a specific injury.
It would be possible for the foundation to merely file new suits against the businesses, adding specific examples of how barriers prevented a disabled person from entering a business, to circumvent
the Attorney General’s Office’s argument, Wilenchik said.
He said lawyers are fighting over complicated procedural issues, when the basic issue is a lack of adequate parking spaces to accommodate the disabled.
“A large percentage of these places haven’t done anything, and they won’t,” Wilenchik said.
A driver with disabilities should not have to file a complaint with the Attorney General’s Office or in a court of law to find a place to park, Wilenchik said.
Wilenchik has previously sought a court order, technically called “an order of mandamus,” to force the Attorney General’s Office to enforce the law.
“The Office of the Attorney General has been required by law to conduct periodic inspections of these public accommodations for over two decades, but it has never done so,” Wilenchik wrote in a previous court filing.
– Reach Jim Walsh at 480-898-5639 or at jwalsh@ timespublications.com.
– Comment on this article and like the East Valley Tribune on Facebook and follow EVTNow on Twitter.
Two juveniles identified on video after Gilbert’s Via Sorento fire
BY JIM WALSH Tribune Staff Writer
Gilbert police and fire investigators have interviewed two juvenile suspects caught on video after a spectacular fire destroyed several buildings under construction in October at the Via Sorento condominiums, near Gilbert and Guadalupe roads.
Police located the two male teenagers a couple of weeks ago and interviewed them, said Sgt. Jesse Sanger, a police spokesman.
He said the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office requested some additional work by detectives, who are seeking charges and have submitted the case for review. The suspects have not been arrested pending a decision on whether there is sufficient evidence to charge them.
“The charges have been filed for review,” Sanger said. “They wanted the
investigators to do some follow-up.”
Police did not release the names of the suspects, but Sanger said they are the same teens pictured in the video surveillance footage that was previously released to generate tips.
The large fire is estimated to have caused up to $10 million in property damage at the condominiums, which were being built by D.R Horton, a major home builder based in Fort Worth, Texas.
The blaze, which consumed eight buildings, was hot enough to char a nearby car and melt its tires.
After a painstaking investigation, which included a dog used by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms to identify accelerants, authorities ruled the case an arson. They posted a $30,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspects.
About 150 firefighters from Gilbert, Mesa, Chandler and the Superstition Fire District battled the blaze on Oct.
15. Firefighters said the blaze spread quickly because the buildings were in the wooden framing stage.
Residents of a nearby complex also were evacuated because of high carbon monoxide readings in the area.
The Via Sorento fire was second in Gilbert this year at a large apartment complex under construction. The first one, the Civic Center fire, was on
April 23. It was a much larger fire at a complex not far from Gilbert Town Hall, destroying 17 buildings.
Gary Hildebrandt, a Gilbert Fire Department spokesman, said an investigation eventually determined that the Civic Center fire was accidental. It was caused by a construction worker who was using a torch while installing some roofing.
(Special to the Tribune)
Two suspects captured on security camera footage near the Via Sorento fire in Gilbert have been identified and investigated.
New Mesa fire chief is no stranger to difficulty, faces more
BY JIM WALSH Tribune Staff Writer
One of Mesa Fire Chief Mary Cameli’s first jobs after her promotion was a sad job, to meet with a group of recruits and to call a few others to deliver some bad news that speaks volumes about the challenges she faces in her new position.
Cameli personally told the 11 recruits, who had already been through a rigorous training and selection process, that their dreams of becoming firefighters had vanished, at least temporarily.
The planned academy was a casualty of voters rejecting a sales tax initiative that would have steered 60 percent of new revenues to the Mesa police and fire departments. The rest would have funded a new Arizona State University campus downtown, and helped Benedictine University finish its downtown campus.
Although the scenario is less than uplifting, it helps demonstrate what makes Cameli special, so special that she is culminating a 33-year career at Mesa Fire as the city’s first female fire chief.
City Manager Chris Brady; retired Deputy Chief Gil Damiani, Cameli’s brother; and fire association President Bryan Jeffries all cited Cameli’s ability to build relationships as a trait that has set her apart her entire career.
“Relationships are very important. Everything we do is based upon the relationships you build,” Cameli said.
She does not consider herself a trailblazer, saying she did the best she could on each of her assignments and learned from a series of mentors, including former Fire Chiefs Dennis Compton and Harry Beck.
But the facts show Cameli is a trailblazer as one of Mesa’s first female firefighters and the first female fire chief since the department’s creation in 1898. She joins Phoenix Fire Chief Kara Kalkbrenner in leading the metro area’s two largest fire departments in the two largest cities.
“Mesa is very fortunate to have Mary,” said Jeffries, president of the Professional Firefighters of Arizona and the Mesa Firefighters Association. “She’s had a
stellar career with us. She is beloved.”
Cameli said she would have never considered taking the easy way out of a stressful situation by sending the recruits an email.
“To me, this was devastating news for these young people,” said Cameli, 57.
“
department,” Finter said. “The firehouse culture and the facilities were pretty rough.”
But Cameli excelled anyway, using her considerable talents in dealing with people and demonstrating she could do the job, he said.
Relationships are very important. Everything we do is based upon the relationships you build.”
– Mesa Fire Chief Mary Cameli
brothers and six sisters. It was not exactly a pampered environment. The family operated an Italian food store that has been in business for 73 years. Cameli’s 88-year-old mother still works there.
“I didn’t think being in a maledominated position would faze her,” Damiani said. “There’s nothing she hasn’t seen or heard before.”
Damiani was right. Cameli became a paramedic early in her career and worked her way up through the ranks, serving as the department’s spokeswoman at one point and eventually supervising the paramedic program.
Firefighting is the family business in Cameli’s family. Three siblings—Gil and Mary with Mesa Fire and Glen with Tempe Fire—went onto long fire-service careers. Gil’s son, Tony, is a Tempe firefighter. Mike Novelli, Mary’s husband, recently retired as a Tempe fire captain. Seven relatives in all either work in the fire service or are retirees from a fire department.
Damiani said he never thought his sister would become the fire chief when she started because it was still highly unusual that a woman would become a firefighter. More than 30 years later, the world has shifted far enough toward gender equality that two out of the three finalists for Mesa fire chief were women.
Cameli, Cori Hayes and Deputy Chief Mike Dunn were the three finalists. Jeffries said all three were highly capable of doing the job.
“I certainly knew she was capable of it. It’s not a job for everybody,” Damiani said. “I could not be prouder of her.”
“We wanted to tell them in person.”
“That’s not a fun job for anybody. I had to take responsibility for it. We don’t know when our next academy would be, but they are the top choice.”
Vice Mayor Alex Finter, a retired firefighter, recalled how Cameli faced a much more difficult firehouse culture when she started her career and even fought a “scary” house fire with her male counterparts while pregnant.
“We have an amazing individual who has been chosen to head our fire
“She not only survived the circumstances, she uplifted everything she touched,” he said.
Shortly after Damiani was hired as a firefighter in 1980, society was changing and the white male dominated Mesa Fire Department was looking for more women and minorities to hire as firefighters.
Damiani immediately thought of his athletic sister, Mary. They had grown up in Chicago Heights, Illinois, in a family with 13 children. Mary had six
Cameli said she realizes that her promotion is a crowning achievement in a family full of firefighters.
“We’re all living it together,” she said. Now that Cameli is in charge, it would appear that much of Cameli’s job involves preserving the innovative programs she helped launch earlier in her career and preserving a high level of service in a city seemingly stretched endlessly for money.
– Reach Jim Walsh at 480-898-5639 or at jwalsh@timespublications.com.
– Comment on this article and like the East Valley Tribune on Facebook and follow EVTNow on Twitter.
(Will Powers/Tribune Staff Photographer)
Mary Cameli speaks to well wishers as Mesa Mayor Giles watches during the press conference where Cameli was named Mesa’s new fire chief.
Group gives Gilbert veteran and family a home for free
BY ADRIANA BECERRA
Tribune Staff Writer
APurple Heart veteran has been given a new Gilbert home, free of charge.
Building Homes for Heroes hosted a welcome home party for Lance Cpl. Jared Kauffroath last month.
Kauffroath served four years in the Marines.
He said that two years after applying to Building Homes, national nonprofit organization that provides houses for veterans, he got a phone call saying they he had a home.
Along with paying for the cost of moving, Building Homes also gave the family all-new appliances and renovated multiple rooms for Kauffroath, his wife and son.
“Most of it they wanted to be a surprise. They renovated the entire backyard, kitchen and backroom,” Kauffroath said.
The home is the 13th that Building Homes has given in Arizona, the 26th nationwide this year and the 96th since beginning the program in 2006, according to Liu.
“We are not only giving them a house; we help them to situate in a new area where their forever home will be,” said Liu.
Kauffroath said that Building Homes has helped his family tremendously.
“It’s important because I think veterans need a home,” he said. “They need a spot to be able to go home that’s safe and comfortable.”
According to Building Homes, Kauffroath was attacked by an enemy mortar and suffered severe shrapnel wounds in his left leg, forehead, right leg, abdomen and left hand in August 2004. He also suffered hearing loss.
Building Homes for Heroes has two programs: one is partnered with Chase Bank, and the other is called the “ground-up home program,” said Vicky Liu, Construction Team Leader for Building Homes for Heroes.
The program purchases property and builds custom homes for veterans who were severely wounded and have needs that standard homes don’t accommodate. The other program receives homes donated by Chase and remodels them to give to veterans.
Liu says both programs gift the house mortgage-free and provide a two-year financial-advising service.
The process is simple. The veteran must apply and provide Building Homes with various documents. Once Building Homes finds a house, they look through applicants to find the best fit.
“ Me and my family are very grateful and we couldn’t ask for anything more.”
– Lance Cpl. Jared Kauffroath
“We have the veteran choose the area that they are comfortable to live. We make sure the community is aware of the new resident and introduce them to the veteran,” said Liu. “Before the veteran moves in, they already feel very welcome.”
Liu said building Homes for Heroes has gone from building one home a year to giving one home every 10 days.
“Me and my family are very grateful and we couldn’t ask for anything more,” Kauffroath said.
(Special to the Tribune)
Lance Cpl. Jared Kauffroath and his wife is Amanda survey their new bathroom with their son. The Kauffroaths were given the house by Building Homes for Heroes.
Teen MMA fighter and champion says ‘it’s
BY RACHEL EROH Tribune Staff Writer
Kylie Hunts-in-Winter, a 13-yearold Mesa resident, has made a name for herself in the mixed martial arts community.
Kylie was introduced to MMA by her father when she was only 3 years old. Since then, she has dedicated her life to MMA by training over 25 hours a week, winning over 200 trophies and gathering more than 3,000 followers on her Instagram.
“I really enjoy everything that I do,” Kylie said. “It’s just a normal thing for me.”
In only eighth grade, Kylie already knows six different styles of martial arts, along with winning both world and national titles.
Kylie doesn’t like to boast about her accomplishments though, she said.
“I’m just really humble about it,” Kylie said. “I don’t like to brag about it.”
However, Kylie’s parents like to talk about their daughter’s achievements, her father Tim said.
“She’s done so much that to her it’s not a big deal,” he said.
Kylie strives to use her platform to promote other girls in the MMA community.
On her Instagram and Facebook page, she shares photos and videos of other girls in MMA to give them recognition. She considers her biggest accomplishment to be her ability to help other girls.
“Even though I’ve won a lot of tournaments I really love to help other people by inspiring them in the martial
just
a normal thing’
arts,” Kylie said.
She mentored a girl at another school who also wanted to be an MMA fighter.
“I didn’t just talk to her about MMA but also about school because she needed some inspiring,” she said.
Kylie told her about the importance of each subject and why she would still need those skills in her MMA career, she said.
Kylie, a member of the Standing Rock Sioux, takes classes through the Arizona Connections Academy, which allows her to maintain her strict training schedule and to travel all over the world, she said.
As she gains more success and wins
more competitions, her popularity grows and she has been approached for more opportunities outside of MMA.
Kylie was asked to audition for a part in “Wolverine 3” and was contacted by GAP to model a clothing line.
Even though she has achieved a lot of success in MMA, she still acts like a normal 13-year-old, her father said.
“She’s been kicked in the face and thrown on her head and she thinks nothing of it,” he said. “At home though, she gets a paper cut and she completely freaks out.”
Kylie will be featured in a book titled “Strong is the New Pretty” by Kate
Parker.
The book is a celebration of girls being themselves and showing that there is power in being who they are, Parker said.
Parker decided to feature Kylie because of her success in the MMA community, her determination and strength.
“Through her accomplishments and her power, she’s one of those girls that’s aspirational,” Parker said.
Kylie’s next big step is earning her black belt in Kenpo along with another tournament in February, she said.
“It takes a lot of discipline but I wouldn’t say it’s hard,” she said. “It takes passion.”
Tempe Union approves teams combining general and special education athletes
The Tempe Union High School District governing board has approved an agreement with Special Olympics of Arizona to field teams with both general education and special education athletes.
The board’s action also provides for a Special Olympics director who will work solely with the district to oversee the program’s development at all six Tempe Union high schools, said Jill Hanks, the district’s executive director of community relations.
“The logistics are still being worked out but the hope is to begin this spring
with track and field,” Hanks said. “Each of our schools will have the opportunity to have a field team and they will soon work on building those teams, but at this point we can’t say that all schools will have a team this spring because we don’t know the interest level yet.”
Special Olympics runs a program called Unified Sports, which combines individuals with intellectual disabilities, who are called athletes, and individuals without intellectual disabilities, called partners, on sports teams for training and competition, Hanks explained.
“Athletes and partners compete alongside one another, each in a meaningful and integral role on the
Unified Sports team,” she added.
Five years ago, Special Olympics of Arizona partnered with the Arizona Interscholastic Association to build a Unified Sports program throughout the state. Up until now, Tempe Union had some limited activities similar to Unified Sports programs, but nothing under formal agreement with Special Olympics.
The district may be one of the few, if not the first, in the Valley to approve a formal arrangement with the organization.
“Initially, all schools have requested to implement a track and field Unified Sports program, with other sports to be added in the future, dependent upon
the initiative of the individual school.” Hanks said.
The agreement calls for Special Olympics to provide inclusive youth leadership guidance, planning to sustain the program and training of coaches and staff.
The district in turn agrees to provide facilities and guidance on its general policies and procedures.
The agreement also requires all volunteers to submit to background checks and states that Special Olympics will maintain sufficient liability insurance for “any errors, acts or omissions” of its employees involved in the program.
(Will Powers/Tribune Staff Photographer)
Kylie Hunts-in-Winter demonstrates her kicks with the help of her father, Tim.
(Will Powers/Tribune Staff Photographer)
Kylie Hunts-in-Winter, 13, is a martial arts world champion. She is a member of the Sioux tribe that is protesting the pipeline in North Dakota.
Tribune News Staff
EAST VALLEY
Dignity Health collects toys at locations around East Valley
Dignity Health, one of the nation’s largest healthcare systems, is partnering with Toys for Tots to collect unwrapped toys for children
The U.S. Marine Corps Reserve’s Toys for Tots program has been delivering toys to children in need since 1947 and is the largest outreach program in the Department of Defense.
Dignity Health Arizona General Emergency Room facilities will be marked as Toys for Tots drop sites with large holiday inflatables. The sites in the East Valley include 2977 E. Germann Road and 1064 E. Ray Road in Chandler; 4760 E. Germann Road in Gilbert; and 1833 N. Power Road in Mesa.
CHANDLER
Senior home raises money for Walk to End Alzheimer’s
In their first year of participation, the staff, residents and family members of Gardens at Ocotillo Senior Living raised over $12,000 for the Phoenix Walk to End Alzheimer’s.
The Chandler community team, called “Garden’s Angels” is now among the top three fundraisers for the annual walk, which raises awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s care, support and research
Since it was the team’s first year to participate in the race, organizers set a fundraising goal of $5,000, which the team surpassed by over 160 percent.
MESA
Some post offices to open today, next Sunday
The U.S. Postal Service will offer special retail hours today and Dec. 18.
Mesa’s Main Post Office, 135 N Center St., will open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
New Mesa playground opens at
Dobson Ranch Park
A new inclusive playground has been opened at Dobson Ranch Park, 2359 S. Dobson Road, Mesa.
The new 10,000-square-foot location includes two levels of play, a sandbox table and musical instruments, share structures and other amenities.
Dobson Ranch Park playground was designed by Gavin Barker and constructed by Valley Rain. The total cost of the project was $610,000 funded by the 2012
Parks Bond Project.
Dobson Ranch Park is open from sunrise to 10 p.m. For more information, visit mesaaz.gov/parksrec.
Mesa warns maintenance may make water cloudy
City of Mesa water customers east of the Loop 101 to Val Vista Drive and north of Baseline Road may see cloudiness in their water until January.
The Water Resources Department will temporarily switch from surface water to well water to perform routine treatment plant maintenance. The Val Vista Water Treatment will return to regular service February 2017.
The department says that any cloudiness is dissolved air in the water. It may be cloudy or milky but will be safe to drink.
For more information, visit mesaaz.gov/ water or call the Water Quality Division at 480-644-6461.
Section 8 housing open for applications until Dec. 19
The Mesa Housing Authority will be accepting Section 8 housing voucher applications until Dec. 19.
The Housing Choice Voucher Program application process takes place online at mesaaz.gov/hcvwaitlist. Additional assistance is available at the website.
The program provides rental assistance to low-income families by contracting with private owners and subsidizing a portion of the family’s monthly rent. The family’s portion of the rent is based on their income and generally amounts to no more than 30 percent of their adjusted monthly income on rent, depending on the cost of the unit they select.
Applicants are subject to all regulations and policies of the City of Mesa Housing Authority. This is the first time the waitlist has been open in Mesa since May 2013.
GILBERT
Volunteerism award given to kitten foster mom
Gail Majors has been awarded the 12k’s of Christmas Spirit of Giving award, presented by Gilbert Mayor Jenn Daniels. The Spirit of Giving award recognizes community members who help animals. Majors takes in kittens from Maricopa County Animal Care & Control and fosters them until they are big and strong enough to find a permanent family. Since she started in 2008, she has cared for 178 kittens, and she has been able to save the majority so they can be adopted.
Innovative oven mitt nets $50,000 for college students
BY SHELLEY RIDENOUR Tribune Staff Writer
Two students who attend college in the East Valley won $50,000 and the cost of a patent application for their invention—the fire mitt.
Scott Johnson, a marketing major at Mesa Community College, and Emma Spencer, who attends Arizona State University, won the 2016 Paradigm Challenge with the oven mitt that unfolds into a fire blanket and can be used to extinguish cooking fires.
“When a fire breaks out in the kitchen, people need to grab something and put it out in a hurry,” Spencer said. She acknowledges that many people have fire extinguishers in their houses, but says most don’t know where those extinguishers are or how to use them.
“Something easy and accessible is needed. We realized that everyone keeps oven mitts in their kitchen and they usually know where they are,” Johnson said of their invention.
Every year, Project Paradigm sponsors an innovative competition for youths. This year, participants were challenged
to use engineering, science, math and technology skills, along with creativity, collaboration and kindness, to develop something to prevent injuries and fatalities from home fires. Project Paradigm says fire is the No. 1 disaster threat to people in the U.S.
Spencer said she and Johnson, who are a couple, plan to use the money to help pay their college costs. The two are both from Bothell, Washington. She’s equally excited about the costs of the patent application being covered by the award “because now we can ensure that the fire mitt will make it to market and into people’s homes.”
The patent application is filed in the inventors’ names and they retain all intellectual property rights, according to Project Paradigm.
– Contact reporter Shelley Ridenour at 480-8986533 or sridenour@timespublications.com.
Congratulations to 19 district schools for being named 2015-16 Arizona Civic Engagement Schools by Arizona Department of Education. These schools prepare their students to be active and responsible citizens.
2015-16 Schools of Excellence
Red Mountain High School
Westwood High School
Schools of Distinction
Junior High: Franklin, Rhodes, Shepherd High School: Dobson
Mesa Academy for Advanced Studies
Schools of Merit
Elementary: Sirrine
Junior High: Carson, Fremont, Kino, Smith, Stapley, Taylor
High School: Mesa, Mountain View, Skyline
East Valley Academy, Summit Academy
Comment on this story and like the East Valley Tribune on Facebook and follow EVTNow on Twitter.
to the Tribune)
Scott Johnson and Emma Spencer won the 2016 Paradigm Challenge with the oven mitt that unfolds into a fire blanket and can be used to extinguish cooking fires.
Forget Donald Trump, here’s Arizona’s 2016 Person of the Year
BY DAVID LEIBOWITZ Tribune Columnist
Learning that Time magazine had named Presidentelect Donald Trump Person of the Year was as unsurprising as Trump’s election victory was shocking. When you can sum up a guy’s year by saying, “he has upended the leadership of both major political parties and effectively shifted the political direction of the international order,” yeah, he’s had an epic ride around the sun.
In Arizona, however, determining a Person of the Year—an award inaugurated in this very space right this minute—presents a knottier problem. Looking back over the calendar, no one Arizonan seems to have had a Trumpian, truly “yuuuge” 2016.
So, who out of all 6 million of us most impacted our state circa 2016? Here’s my take:
I thought for a while about selecting the man who leads state government, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, reasoning that his decisions impact every Arizonan. And Ducey had a solid year. His $9.6 billion state budget
Public school tax credits
As a lifelong Arizona educator and the CEO of a public charter school network that serves low-income neighborhoods in South Phoenix, I am thankful for Arizona’s public school tax credit program. If you’re not familiar with it, you simply write your check to the school you believe needs support, and then receive your gift back on your taxes—effectively making a critically important gift that costs you nothing. With our state’s investments in education in steady decline for many years and consistently ranking among the nation’s lowest, individual tax credit funds (nearly $54 million in 2014) provide a lifeline for extracurricular programs. Unfortunately, the Arizona schools with the greatest needs receive the fewest individual tax credits, year after year.
A 2003 ASU study outlined how schools serving the most affluent families were the ones that often received the most tax-
eased through the Legislature and he spearheaded Proposition 123 to a narrow win, pumping $3.5 billion into education over the next decade. On the downside: Ducey’s approval rating isn’t stratospheric. If this was baseball, Ducey hit .290 in 2016. An All-Star yes, but not MVP numbers.
Speaking of sports, there’s Michael Phelps. He dominated the Rio
tarnishing Fitz a tad.
I considered selecting an icon, as Time did in 1988 when it chose “the Endangered Earth” for top honors. My thoughts kept returning to early March and the story of “Baby Jane,” a healthy, hours-old infant abandoned in a baby carrier in a Mesa front yard. Recent media follow-ups indicate the child, whose parents have yet to be found,
“ Looking back over the calendar, no one Arizonan seems to have had a Trumpian, truly “yuuuge” 2016. ”
Olympics, winning five gold medals and a silver, plus he married a former Miss California and fathered a son. That’s a plutonium medal performance.
However, Phelps has lived in Arizona for just a year, so his roots here aren’t deep. That’s as opposed to Larry Fitzgerald, who’s become a Valley icon over the past 12 years. Fitz caught his 100th touchdown in 2016, becoming only the tenth NFL player to reach that milestone. He’s a sure Hall of Famer. The problem? The Cardinals have plummeted back to mediocrity this year,
credit support. I don’t begrudge parents or grandparents giving to their children’s schools, but for those without a particular connection, please give to any Arizona school serving low-income communities. Schools often cannot afford to provide the programs and experiences that empower students who would be the first in their families to go to college to both imagine themselves doing the seemingly impossible and gain the experiences necessary to succeed. You can help. It’s easy. And for those of you who can afford to give $200 or $400 and get it back a few months later, it’s also free.
– Akshai J. Patel – Phoenix Collegiate Academy
Protest
is a right, responsibility
My country—love it or leave it! Such would be the tone of recent letters to the editor. I
remains in state custody.
Given that every year is sadly treacherous for Arizona’s children, an infant discarded like rubbish seems to powerfully sum up the last 12 months. Still, in the end, achievement seems to require action more so than victimization.
That left me thinking to declare POTY a tie between federal Judge G. Murray Snow, whose crusade against Sheriff Joe Arpaio culminated in criminal contempt charges and Arpaio’s election defeat, and Maricopa County Sheriff-
do love this country but I know that it is in no way perfect. My parents taught me that running away from an issue with which I disagree is not the way to effect a change.
I believe that the only way to resolve such issues is to face them head on. Sometimes that means to protest, as protest is my right. I don’t condone any acts of violence or vandalism, but the majority of the hundreds of thousands of protesters have not resorted to such acts. And let’s remember, our presidentelect on more than one occasion called out to “Second Amendment rights activists” to deal with his vocal opponents. I’m just sayin’.
As for the insults heaped upon young voters and those not yet quite old enough to vote, meet today’s young people. They are bright, engaged, informed and capable of making a solid decision. Many of the country’s youth lean toward the right in their preferences; those who are left-leaning have
to-be Paul Penzone, the beneficiary of Snow’s unofficial one-man political action committee.
Snow and Penzone won resounding victories in 2016—and I believe Penzone will do great things as sheriff—but, in the end, Maricopa County is just one county out of 15 statewide.
So, who most deeply influenced Arizona’s 2016?
I’m going with “Arizona’s voters.” While turnout was down versus the last three presidential elections, the 2.7 million of us who did vote had a mighty impact. Arizona voters contributed 11 electoral votes to Trump’s win, raised the state’s minimum wage to $12 an hour, defeated legalized weed and re-elected Sen. John McCain to a sixth term. Voters also powered Gov. Ducey’s education win and, in Maricopa County, retired America’s toughest sheriff. If 2016 was an earthquake felt from Yuma to Show Low, the Four Corners to the southern border, Arizona voters were the force that powered these convulsions. In Trump-ese, those who cast votes at the Arizona polls in 2016 changed our state “bigly.” Very bigly. – David Leibowitz has called the Valley home since 1995. Reach him at david@leibowitzsolo.com.
chosen to make a statement regarding their dissatisfaction with the status quo. This is not just their right, it is their obligation. To call them coddled and immature sounds like the point of view of those who do not take them seriously. Shame.
– Nancy Romanowski – San Tan Valley
Today’s journalism and politics
During his acceptance of the 2016 Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism, Scott Pelley (CBS Evening News managing editor and anchor) said “There is no democracy without journalism …,” alluding to a free press being the cornerstone of the First Amendment. He continued “… and the quality of our democracy is bound tightly to the quality of our journalism.”
Chandler Police Department is
BY SHELBY PEDERSON Tribune Guest Writer
ICAN is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. Twentyfive years of serving Chandler’s most at-risk youth with programs that teach them real-life skills to set a track for their future. We have enjoyed many amazing partnerships over the course of those 25 years, but none quite as special as the one we have with the Chandler Police Department.
Chandler P.D. was there right from the beginning. When Henry Salinas, a concerned resident, took it upon himself to start working with teens and keep them off the street, he sat down with the police chief. He not only got their blessing, he got their involvement.
Edward Upshaw, who was the sergeant of the gang unit at the time, was assigned to sit on ICAN’s board. He was a little hesitant at first—Chandler had a very serious gang problem at the time and he wasn’t sure ICAN was the answer. But just a little time with Henry and the kids and that opinion changed quickly.
In fact, ICAN often quotes Edward Upshaw, now a commander, who credits ICAN in helping with Chandler’s current low crime statistics.
Over the years, Chandler P.D. has always been there supporting ICAN.
When ICAN started the Coalition on Youth Substance (CCYSA) abuse in 2005, Chandler P.D. was right there,
recommendations to determine where improvements could be made to their procedures and policies to strengthen their partnerships in the community and demonstrate the highest standards of performance. The report outlines four pillars of focus for the department, the first of which is Building Trust and Legitimacy. They strive to treat people
“ Over the years, Chandler P.D. has always been there supporting ICAN. ”
ready to be a part of the cause. Chandler P.D. chaperones CCYSA teens when they do their outreach programs in the community and always have multiple officers on the task force. The partnership with ICAN and CCYSA spearheaded the Social Host Ordinance that passed in 2014.
It should be no surprise that Chandler P.D. is so active with ICAN. Just this past May, our chief of police shared a new report on 21st century policing that stemmed from a task force appointed by President Obama. The report offers
with dignity and respect and to be transparent.
This new document is a strong statement to their commitment to keeping our community safe and doing so in a dignified manner. Those of us that have been working with ICAN for a number of years know that this has always been the case.
It’s not just about sitting on a board or
task force either; Chandler PD is involved in the everyday activities at ICAN. They just recently helped with our 25th Anniversary Coin Drive, giving lots of high-fives to youth as kudos for staying on the right path. They serve dinner every year at our family Thanksgiving Dinner. They even stopped by last month to our community Salsa Night event and spent a good portion of the evening playing bean bag toss with the youth.
They are friendly faces that take the time to get to know the youth coming to ICAN programs. They know that building a relationship with these kids now will have such a positive and lasting influence on them well into the future.
ICAN is so grateful to our men and women in blue; we look forward to another 25 years of working together and making Chandler the BEST place to live!
– Shelby Pedersen is CEO of ICAN: Positive Programs for Youth.
If he believes his own words, Mr. Pelley must, indeed, fear for our democracy. While the mass media jubilantly trumpets the low approval rating of Congress (18 percent by the recent Gallup survey), television news media among Americans 18-49 years old matches that dismal trust factor.
I am less enthralled with Walter Cronkite than Mr. Pelley. He puts great faith in the Cronkite School “training the young people who will defend our nation and … preserve the hope for freedom.” Journalism school is not where democracy will survive or perish. Political agenda and a lack of ethics is rife and, seemingly, the guiding principle of today’s journalism. The glaring lack of
knowledge of today’s voters of their own political system and those that run it is seen daily in “man-on-the-street” interviews. Democracy will live or die in our public education system—currently failing—in the middle-school to high school level. With freedom of speech, and the press, comes the responsibility to separate fact from fiction. The responsibility of education is to teach our youngest generations how to recognize the difference.
– Jim Barber – Mesa
Mechanics come to you and your vehicle with Wrench service
BY MIKE BUTLER Tribune Staff Writer
As a mechanic, Brent Fetters has worked on Humvees in Iraq and Afghanistan and fine-tuned high-performance motorcycles for Erik Buell Racing in Yuma.
But he feels like he’s on his biggest adventure yet as he opens up new East Valley territory for Wrench, the hot Seattle-based startup that sends mechanics to homes and offices to perform repairs and routine maintenance.
“I like being outside and meeting people and helping them out,” Fetters said. “A lot of them drink beer and chat with me as I work on their cars.”
Therein lies the appeal of Wrench, because no one enjoys taking time off work or killing a few hours on a weekend at a shop or a dealer, said CEO Ed Petersen.
“These are people who are working hard and playing hard and value their time,” Petersen said.
He said he and his partners—“not traditional car guys”—came at the $150 billion car repair industry from the consumer’s perspective. They wanted to remove the hassle and provide an honest, up-front price.
To get started with Wrench, customers go online (getwrench.com) or use the Wrench app to enter information about their cars, select the service they need, pick a time and service location, enter payment information and book the appointment. The quote is what you
BUSINESS BRIEFS
Desert Schools Credit Union
CEO retires after 25 years
Susan Frank, CEO of Desert Schools Federal Credit Union, has announced her retirement after a 25-year career.
are billed after the service is performed. Customers also have the opportunity to give a star rating to the experience.
A typical synthetic oil change costs
$68. Oil changes carry a 90-day/3,000mile warranty. Other work is guaranteed for 12 months/12,000 miles.
If you don’t know what’s wrong with your car, you can request a diagnostic visit. Fetters said about the only things Wrench can’t do are engine and transmission pulls and tire patches.
Frank began with Desert Schools in 1992 after serving 12 years with Bethpage Federal Credit Union in New York. She became the first woman in the country in 1999 to lead a credit union with $1 billion or more in assets when she was appointed CEO of Desert Schools.
Frank supervised the launch of numerous new branch locations, guided the financial growth of the credit union from $450 million to $4 billion in assets, and helped to grow membership to more than 300,000 members.
Goodwill to open new store in Mesa, will hire up to 40
Goodwill of Central Arizona will open a new store in Mesa at 2665 N. Power Road on Friday.
Wrench mechanics don’t work on heavy trucks or electric- or diesel-powered vehicles. For safety, mechanics can’t work on busy public streets or steep hills, either.
Petersen said Wrench can keep prices competitive and pay mechanics well because there is no shop overhead or parts inventory to worry about. Unlike other tech companies, such as Uber, Wrench mechanics are employees, not contractors.
The brand new 21,500-square-foot store will open at 9 a.m., with the first 150 people in line receiving a $5 Goodwill gift card.
Goodwill is seeking 30-40 new employees for the store. Applicants should go to jobs. goodwillaz.org.
Health food restaurant to open in Chandler this year
Eat Fit Go, a new health-focused restaurant, will open in Chandler this year.
The company, based in Omaha, Nebraska, will open 10 locations throughout the Valley
“I can work on four or five cars a day and make the same as fixing 10 cars a day at a dealer,” Fetters said.
Petersen said Wrench tried a soft launch in Seattle last February and got quick affirmation after servicing more than 1,000 cars. Fetters helped get the program up and running, and now Wrench mechanics are doing 20-25 jobs per day.
A new membership program is also proving popular. For $14.95 per month for sedans and $19.95 per month for SUVs and trucks, members get quarterly diagnostic/safety checkups with fluid top offs and vacuum and window cleaning. You also get twice-a-year synthetic oil changes and tire rotations, plus 10 percent off other Wrench services. Wrench set its sights on Phoenix and the East Valley because of the climate and residents’ willingness to adopt outside-the-box ideas, according to Petersen.
“It’s a progressive area for these types of services,” Petersen said. “We’re really bullish on the Phoenix area.”
Fetters said he is currently covering Phoenix and the East Valley from north to south by himself, so he’s motivated to bring additional mechanics on board. Mechanics must pass a background check, be ASE certified and have 3-5 years of dealer or similar experience.
– Reach Mike Butler at 480-898-5630 or at mbutler@timespublications.com.
– Comment on this article and like the East Valley Tribune on Facebook and follow EVTNow on Twitter.
in the next two years. The first will be at 4050 S. Alma School Road off Ocotillo and Alma School in a 1,400-square-foot space.
Eat Fit Go offers freshly made, healthfocused meals that are pre-packaged but without preservatives, offering dishes such as breakfast tacos, fajita bowls, chicken pesto and citrus salmon.
Culinary Dropout eatery coming to downtown Gilbert
The Gilbert Town Council has approved
(Special to the Tribune)
Brent Fetters is currently covering Phoenix and the East Valley from north to south by himself.
Couple’s hand pies bring warm flavor to Peixoto Coffee
BY SUNAINA TANDON Tribune Guest Writer
The smell of apple pie and Brazilian coffee fills the air as Bubby Goober’s hand pies sell rapidly at Peixoto Coffee in downtown Chandler. Tastes of apple, cinnamon and nutmeg bring back nostalgic childhood memories.
Bubby Goober’s Baked Goods is a local pop-up bakery started by Jennifer Tom and Corrie Sharp. The two bakers have been together for almost 14 years. Corrie is Bubby and Jennifer is Goober; together they are Bubby Goober’s.
Bubby Goober’s began when Tom decided for a new year’s resolution that she wanted to learn to bake. That eventually led to the creation of organic non-GMO hand pies.
“Nobody does what we do,” Sharp
can buy
locations can also be found on Facebook.
BRIEFS from page 20
an agreement to sell vacant land it owns to a development group that will build a Culinary Dropout restaurant, the fourth in the Valley. The sale was for just over $1 million. The site, at the northeast corner of Hearne Way and Gilbert Road, will officially become The Yard at Gilbert Heritage District. Culinary Dropout or a similar restaurant will feature indoor-outdoor seating, a banquet facility and
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YOUR WORRIES ARE
said. Each pie is handmade from start to finish. They even grate their own fresh nutmeg.
“The amount of time and love that goes into them is beyond what I am seeing in this market,” Sharp added.
From spices to sugar to flour, everything that goes into the pies is high quality and local, Sharp said.
“We are constantly looking for new ways to infuse local ingredients into the pies,” Tom said. “Our goal is to be hyperlocalized. For example, a local farmer is now growing blackberries just for Bubby Goober’s.
“When people taste the pies, we want people to taste what it is like to live in this community and taste the hard work and effort from other small businesses and artisans like us.”
Each pie is different. They are imperfect as they should be, said Sharp.
“The pies are supposed to be messy and goobery,” she added.
They also have a selection of vegan galettes, or flat, crusty cakes.
When the couple initially moved to Arizona, Tom started volunteering with birds. This inspired her to become vegan
outdoor entertainment in a 25,000-squarefoot, two-story building.
The location is across from Barrio Queen and Lo Lo’s Chicken and Waffles.
John Deere equipment store opens at Gila River site
RDP Equipment has opened its second Valley full-service John Deere construction equipment, in Chandler.
The store, on 10 acres of land in the Gila River Indian Community, is in the Lone
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during that time period.
“We wanted vegans to be able to have something without sacrificing the taste,” Tom said. They also sell gluten-free pies for customers with gluten allergies.
“It is important for us to reach out to different demographics,” Sharp said. They believe everyone should be able to taste the memories that come along
Butte Industrial Park.
The facility has 31,300 square feet of space, including a 3,100-square-foot retail area, an 11,000-square-foot parts warehouse and mezzanine, and a 12,600-square-foot, 12bay service shop.
Gold Canyon of Chandler expands candle sales to Mexico
Chandler-based Gold Canyon, a directsales candle company, expanded into Mexico in early November.
with the pies.
“Our goal is to have a small pie shop with great music and amazing coffee.” She said parents bring their children for ice cream and pies or students come do their homework while snacking on a hand pie with a cup of coffee.
“I want it to be a third space for people,” Tom added.
In a news release, the company said, “Mexico’s favorable direct-sales market, growing demand for high-quality candles and a large base of entrepreneurs make it an ideal market for Gold Canyon.”
The company recruited direct-sales leader Lourdes Valerio to oversee consultant and leader development in Mexico.
You
Bubby Goober’s Baked Goods at Peixoto Coffee (11 W. Boston St. #6, Chandler) and at the Gilbert Farmer’s Market (222 N. Ash St., Gilbert). Their pop-up
(Sunaina Tandon/Special to the Tribune)
Corrie Sharp and Jennifer Tom sell their Bubby Goobers hand pies at Peixoto Coffee in downtown Chandler. They also have a selection of vegan galettes.
Hamilton’s Shough shaped by mom’s
BY CHRISTOPHER W. CADEAU Tribune Guest Writer
Since Hamilton Huskies quarterback Tyler Shough was 5 years old, his mom has lived with a stage-4 breast cancer diagnosis. For some families, this would be detrimental, but for the Shoughs it’s one more reason to succeed. In 2006, a few weeks after his mom’s diagnosis, Tyler’s 19-year-old brother passed away. The Shough family declined to share details about the death. It was around this time that Tyler’s mother, Dana Denley-Shough, knew the power of Tyler’s candid personality, and realized how her battle with cancer could help shape Tyler’s life.
“I’ll never forget that day that I took Tyler to kindergarten,” Dana said. “I had just had a head-shaving party the day before, and I forgot my hat in the car. So, I turned around to get it, and he looked at me and said, ‘Mommy you don’t have to put that hat on. You look
beautiful without it.’
“That was a defining moment. That’s when I took my hat off, I threw it in the car and I left it. I said, ‘You know what? What I do right now in front of this little
boy, and show how comfortable I am is going to define his character.’ And guess what? I walked into his little kindergarten class and little boys go, ‘Mrs. Shough,’ and I go, ‘Feel my head,’ and then I said ‘I might not have hair, but I’m still Tyler’s mommy, and I haven’t changed just because I look different.’
“And Tyler had the biggest smile on his face, and I knew we were going to be OK.”
Fighter’s mentality
The life on life’s terms situations that the Shoughs have battled through, together as a family, since his mom’s diagnosis in 2006 has caused 17-yearold Tyler to blossom rather than fold.
The Shoughs credit their family’s resolve to the fighter’s mentality.
“Everybody’s got some sort of issue or story,” Dana said as her green eyes flickered with perseverance and her voice resounded with hope. “It’s how you deal with it that defines your character, and everything about you.
“Yeah my two boys were 2 and 5 years old at the time of my diagnosis in 2006. I was given a very grim, stage-4 metastatic breast cancer diagnosis. I had two spots in my spine and a 10-centimeter tumor.
It was grim. I’m like who’s going to raise these two boys. I could curl up in a corner and say, ‘Oh poor pitiful me,’ or I can say, ‘Gosh darn it, I’m not done. These boys deserve to have a mom raise them.’ And God knew I wasn’t done.
“So, I had the fighter mentality. You know, my husband was a rock. This is why Tyler and all of my kids are able to get through stuff. You latch onto your core values, your family is everything, and family and friends got us through those tough times. My husband goes ‘Get mad dog mean,’ like Clint Eastwood used to say.”
Tyler has seen her battle from his oldest memories. It gave him insight to draw on when he faces his own struggles.
“She’s always been a fighter, she’s a survivor and she’s really inspired me and been there for me,” Tyler said. “If something doesn’t go your way, what are you going to do? Are you just going to fold up? No, you say, ‘I’m going to take it head on and fight back.’
“That’s why I’m trying to be like her … She was probably going to die; I mean, we went on a vacation to get my mind off of it as a kid. And then she tried a new medication and it worked. It’s now the standard for breast cancer. That’s what I look up to.”
The new medication is called Herceptin. According to breastcancer.org, Herceptin was introduced in 2006 and 84 percent of women who have received it as a treatment with chemotherapy are still alive today.
All for family
The stress of cancer is enough to make the strongest of family units crumble, but the Shoughs’ children have always been empowered to succeed.
Tyler’s father, Glenn, and Dana, married for 19 years, are able to do this because they stress academics, independence and never focus on the negative.
Both parents earned bachelor’s degrees from Arizona State. Glenn is a retired police officer and now teaches criminal justice and driver’s education. Dana
is also an educator, now retired, and received her master of education from Northern Arizona.
What helps Tyler get through life problems and the adversity of football is the 24-hour rule his dad has instilled in him, he said.
“You have to have a short memory as an athlete,” Glenn said. “There is a time for reflection and a time to move on … you have to do that to improve, don’t dwell. You have to have a philosophy so you’re not being negative. That’s the 24hour rule. In football, you have 24 hours to reflect then it’s time to improve.
“The things we work on are core values. Lead by example, maximum effort, body language and attitude are things that you can control. Those are the things we work on.”
(Billy Hardiman/Special to the Tribune) Quarterback Tyler Shough of Hamilton High throws during a game with Basha High in Chandler. He is expected to play baseball for the defending state champion Huskies in 2017.
(Special to the Tribune)
In kindergarten, Tyler Shough made his mom Dana’s day when he told her, ‘Mommy you don’t have to put that hat on. You look beautiful without it.’
Six football programs search for new coaches
BY JASON P. SKODA Tribune Prep Sports Director
The 2011 football season saw seven new coaches take over East Valley programs.
Some of those teams have made new hires (multiple in some cases), since then and others are among the list of programs looking for a new coach in 2017. Who remains?
Only two of those programs have stayed with that initial hire: Chandler’s Shaun Aguano and Higley’s Eddy Zubey.
Once this year’s crop of new hires for six programs is in place, will it have more staying power than the 2011 process unearthed? Check back in 2022.
One thing is for sure is that of the six openings, the most surprising is Red Mountain. The Mountain Lions won eight games and made the state semifinals under Ron Wisneiwski.
The run to the semis, where Red Mountain battled Mountain Pointe before losing 21-14, was done with a boatload of juniors and bodes well for 2017.
And Wisneiwski, who was told he didn’t win enough region games, still is unclear as why he will not be part of it.
“No understands what happened,” he said. “The kids don’t, the members of the Red Mountain football association don’t. It doesn’t make sense, which in my mind, leads to people speculating that there has to be something else to it.”
The only comment from the school came in the form of a release from principal Jared Ryan.
“Ron Wisniewski has been an outstanding leader for our football program along with being an excellent teacher over the last seven years. After careful consideration, the difficult decision has been made to part ways and begin our search for our future program leader. We thank Coach for all of the time, effort and dedication to Red Mountain High School.”
The one blemish in his seven seasons, in which he compiled a 45-37 record, was the fact that the Lions went 9-22 in games decided by 7 points or less.
His best years were back-to-back 9-3 seasons in 2011 and 2012, but this year seemed to be the breakthrough everyone had been waiting. He was he was hired to replace Jim Jones, who resigned after the 2009 season.
The Red Mountain opening will be the most attractive one in the East Valley. Some of the others programs looking for coaches this offseason will be more of a project.
Jim Ewan (Westwood), Gerald Todd (Basha), Pete Wahlheim (Highland), Richard Mettlach (Corona del Sol) and Spencer Waggoner (McClintock) all resigned or were told their contract would not be renewed.
The first to strike was Basha, as the school announced Thursday it hired Rich Wellbrock, formerly of Desert Edge. He led the Scorpions to a 73-14 record and the 2015 Division III state title.
Ewan was let go before the final game of his second season, and Mettlach was an interim coach because of the late appointment of former coach Cory Nenaber to athletic director last spring.
Wahlheim had three winning seasons in 10 years, Todd’s defense gave up 36 points a game over four years and Waggoner won five games in his two years at the helm.
On the other end of the spectrum is Chandler and the job Aguano has been doing since his hire in 2011.
The Wolves won their second state title in three years this season and was selected to represent Arizona in the State Champions Bowl Series.
The Wolves will play a state champion from either Georgia or Florida on Dec. 23 at the Dallas Cowboys’ 12,000-seat indoor practice facility in Frisco, Texas. The game will be televised on ESPNU with a doubleheader starting at 4 p.m. Utah is also participating in the series. Chandler won 10 straight to end the season and knocked off nationallyranked Mountain Pointe 36-17.
– Contact Jason Skoda at 480-898-7915 or jskoda@evtrib.com. Follow him on Twitter @ JasonPSkoda.
(Tribune file photo)
Ron Wisneiwski was relieved his dutes at Red Mountain despite leading the Mountain Lions to the 6A Conference from semifinals.
Musical minister brings classical songs back to the church
BY RALPH ZUBIATE Tribune Executive Editor
Charles Szczepanek goes a long way to follow his muse. The Queen Creek resident is minister of music and liturgy at the Church of the Ascension, a Catholic church in Fountain Hills.
But the ministry gives him opportunity to reach people with his music, weaving the sacred into his classical piano pieces.
“If you know a little about the history of music, most classical music as we know it started as sacred music,” he said. “Bach’s job was being a music director at church. He happened to write music on the weekend.”
Szczepanek (pronounced “Stepanek”)
said. “I wanted to do something different.”
The album grew out of playing at parties for fun.
“It was around December 2012, and I started playing some of the stuff I used to play for people and at parties. Before I knew it, everything I had learned in school or the past six years was melding with all the rest I had been so familiar with,” he said.
“So, these are new arrangements of Christmas tunes that started happening. I wasn’t even planning on releasing an album and instead just having fun. I played a little something, and I thought that’s cool. The next day, I’d play something different, that’s cool, too. About a week later, I thought I
“ Music is a way you can touch people so deeply, and you don’t have to hit them over the head with scripture quoting.”
has a master’s degree in classical piano performance.
“I’ve been assistant musical director in churches where I grew up in since I was a kid in Chicago,” he said. “I have been picking music for services since I was 10 or 12 years old.”
Szczepanek has a foot in both the sacred and secular music world.
“The classical music sphere is different from the church sphere,” he said. “When it was originally performed, it was in the cathedral for a couple hundred people, and maybe eight people performed it.
“Classical music was really part of the church for a long, long time.”
He is trying to bridge the gap with his own recordings, which are available on iTunes, Amazon and CDBaby. More information is available at his own website, charlesszczepanek.com.
“Winter Day Dreaming” is filled with Christmas covers and the original title song. One favorite is an arrangement of “Carol of the Bells,” with an unusual 5/8 time signature.
“Everybody always plays ‘Carol of the Bells,’ and the same way,” Szczepanek
should just put them together and do a Christmas album.”
Szczepanek also tours the country playing classical piano.
“Anytime I’m not playing in church, people don’t really understand what I do,” he said.
“I do a little touring at universities around the country, and they think I’m a professor. I tell them what I do the rest of my time, in church, and they say, ‘Oh, that’s interesting!’”
Some of that disconnect is because of their previous church music experience.
“If they’ve only been to one of those big churches, they’re stunned by the difference with Catholic Mass,” he said, contrasting his classical music with the rock-show feel some Protestant churches feature.
“They can be cool, in their own way, and bring spirituality to the younger generation. But it doesn’t have to be a big show to keep their interest.”
He tailors the music at his church to his audience.
“A lot of the people in Fountain Hills are winter visitors, so I try to keep the
music the same for people—at least some of the same they hear when they’re back home.”
He also is director of a concert series at the church, bringing in classical performers and others.
“I usually try to give the audience something cool that they’re not going to get. We have had American standards, jazz, musical theater.”
Szczepanek feels the spiritual power of music when he performs.
“I’ve really come to see music as something that helps people in a lot of ways,” he said.
“For a long time, part of the draw for me playing at church is the fact that I get this satisfaction that I’m helping people pray. It’s going to be different for everybody who is there. That feeling is great
“There’s been a lot of scientific talk about music and especially music therapy, how it helps the body and mind and all that. I’ve always believed it’s far deeper than that.
“I believe the reason the music helps the physical is that it’s spiritual in nature.”
Despite his obvious link to the church, when he’s on tour, most avoid the questions about his faith.
“A lot of people are afraid of asking. And they’re afraid of the answers they’re going to get,” Szczepanek said.
He feels the two sides of his career are in perfect alignment.
“I don’t have a big problem trying to reconcile the two sides of what I do,”
Szczepanek said. “If people want to know about my faith, I’ll tell them whatever they want to know. If they don’t ask, I’m comfortable with that, and that maybe somehow, they had a deeper experience anyway.
“Music is a way you can touch people so deeply, and you don’t have to hit them over the head with scripture quoting. You don’t have to be so aggressive about trying to get someone to meet you where you are or where they are. Just play.”
– Contact Ralph Zubiate at 480-898-6825 or rzubiate@timespublications.com.
(Special to the Tribune)
Charles Szczepanek tours regularly as the collaborative pianist for one of the most celebrated tuba performers in the history of the instrument, Patrick Sheridan.
Mountain View Lutheran to hold annual German Christmas service
Why do more than 400 people attend an event that many can’t even pronounce?
Because the visitors to this event at Mountain View Lutheran Church share a common love of the German language and customs.
“Weihnachtsgottesdienst in deutscher Sprache”—“Christmas Service” in German—likely will again draw people as far away as Tucson and Flagstaff.
“These are Germans, Austrians, Swiss and everyone who enjoys the German culture,” said Chandler resident Ingeborg Mack, one of the organizers. “The Christmas Service is offered for Christians of all denominations, and even those who do not belong to any are welcome.”
In past years, she said, about 20 percent of guests could not speak German but got involved anyway by singing hymns that can be also sung in English, such as “Silent Night”— “Stille Nacht” in German.
Mack grew up in Stuttgart, Germany, and moved to Chandler 30 years ago.
A former deaconess in the German
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.
LIVING TRUTH
Join Shiranda Deerwoman for a group TK Process in which we will identify a quality of truth that is of special interest to us at this time when we celebrate the holidays and the Coming of the Light. We use muscle checking to determine what blocks us from living the quality on which we focus. The work brings us to a greater experience to resolve mental and emotional concerns.
DETAILS>> Noon to 2 p.m., Interfaith CommUNITY Spiritual Center, 952 E. Baseline, Suite 102, Mesa. Admission $20. Information: healwhatcausedit.com.
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 14
THE SOUND OF LIGHT KIRTAN
Join Prem Vidu & Friends for an evening of call-andresponse-style community chanting. No experience necessary.
DETAILS>> > 7-8:30 p.m., Interfaith CommUNITY Spiritual Center, 952 E. Baseline, Suite 102, Mesa. Suggested donation is $10-$20. Information: facebook.
Lutheran Church, she has been a volunteer deaconess at Mountain View Lutheran for about 25 years.
The celebratory afternoon begins with singing traditional Christmas songs. The hour-long Christmas service starts at 4:30 p.m. with the ringing of the church bells of the Dom in Trier.
The brass ensemble, a children and adult choir and recorder ensemble “enrich the celebration with their music and remind many of their traditional childhood holidays past,” Mack said.
The question, “Why do we celebrate Christmas” will be answered in a short play presented by several children. The children’s choir and soloists will sing about the joy that the many Christmas traditions give people.
“But the wonder of God’s love is the real reason of the Christmas joy,” Mack added.
Pastor Cordula Schmid-Wassmuth will address the children with a special message and will also give the sermon.
Schmid-Wassmuth grew up in Namibia and in Wuppertal, Germany. She studied to become a pastor and served in congregations in Germany.
She lives with her husband and two daughters in Washington, D.C., where her husband is pastor of the German Congregation.
com/AZKirtanCommunity.
FRI.-SAT., DEC. 16-17
HOLIDAY CONCERT
Chandler Children’s Choir is presenting “Sleigh Ride,” the choir’s winter concert, at the First United Methodist Church of Mesa. The choir will be celebrating the sights, sounds and spirit of the season, and exploring music from around the globe.
DETAILS>> 7 p.m. 15 E. 1st Ave., Mesa. Tickets are $15 for general admission and $22 for preferred seating. Space is limited. Information: chandlerchildrenschoir.org.
FRI.-SUN., DEC. 16-18
WALK THROUGH BETHLEHEM
First Baptist Church Chandler’s 4th annual Walk Through Bethlehem Live Nativity will guide visitors through the city of Bethlehem, past the stable of live animals and end at the manger and celebrate the birth of Jesus. Food trucks and photo opportunities will be available. Carolers will be singing on the grounds. DETAILS>> 6-8 p.m., 3405 S. Arizona Ave, Chandler. Cost: Free. Information: fbc.net or 480-963-3439.
SUNDAY, DEC. 18
HANDEL’S ‘MESSIAH’ SING-ALONG
The Stapley Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Gilbert is hosting a community sing-along with orchestra. Individuals and families are welcome, including children. There is no admission and no donations will be accepted. Soloists will be auditioned and must attend a dress rehearsal on Dec. 17. The orchestra for this event is open to the community, but requires attendance at rehearsals which are held Sunday evenings from 4-6:30 p.m. until
After the service, everyone is invited to the fellowship hour where tea, coffee and home-baked Christmas cookies brought by the guests will be available.
the performance.
DETAILS>> 7 p.m., 1100 N. Cooper Rd, Gilbert. Cost: Free,. Information: Richard Ewer at 480-507-5758 or richard.ewer@gmail.com.
MONDAY, DEC. 19
MENORAH WORKSHOP
Chabad of the East Valley and Lowes are offering a workshop for kids to make their own menorah from wood and other supplies. Parents must accompany their children and there is no charge for attending. There will be a raffle for Hanukkah prizes.
DETAILS>> 5-6 p.m., Lowes, 2900 W. Chandler Blvd. Register at info@chabadcenter.com. Information: 480855-4333 or chabadcenter.com.
“This time is a wonderful opportunity to meet old friends and connect with new people and chat in German and have fun,” Mack said.
The service will be at 4:10 p.m. Dec. 18 at the church, 11002 S. 48th St.,
SATURDAY, DEC. 24
‘THE LIGHT OF LOVE’
Join us as we celebrate the joyful coming of the Light of Love for Christmas Eve. Christmas music will fill the air at this positive, uplifting holiday service.
DETAILS>> 4 p.m. Interfaith CommUNITY Spiritual Center, 952 E. Baseline, Suite 102, Mesa. Information: Rev. Julianne at 480-593-8798 or interfaith-community. org.
ANSWERS TO PUZZLE & SUDOKU
(Special to the Tribune)
A children’s presentation is part of the German Christmas service held annually at Mountain View Lutheran Church. This year, the service is Dec. 18.
(Special
to the Tribune)
Kim Johnson’s “La Tortuga” is just one of the many dogcentered art pieces you’ll find in the “It’s a Dog’s Life” exhibit.
Amazing art exhibits to see before the New Year
BY JUSTIN FERRIS Get Out Editor
The end of the year brings major holidays, school vacations and visiting family. Maybe you need to find something to do with the kids or in-town relatives. Perhaps you need somewhere to escape from the kids or intown relatives.
Either way, we rounded up some great Valley art exhibits everyone should see. These cover a range of subjects, so you’re sure to find something of interest.
Alien Worlds and Androids
Kids and sci-fi-loving adults alike will love this 5,000-square-foot exhibit at Arizona Science Center. See life-size replicas of Iron Man, C-3PO, R2-D2 and other fan favorites. Plus, learn about real alien worlds and robots with looks at Mars and the Curiosity rover, along with activities, experiments, crafts and more.
DETAILS>> Until Jan. 16, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily; Arizona Science Center, 600 E. Washington St., Phoenix; Cost: $24 adult, $19 kids 3-17; azscience.org.
In Stitches: Seriously Humorous Art Quilts
Quilts take a lot of time and effort to create, so many people assume that they’re serious business. The latest Art Quilts exhibit at Chandler Center for the Arts undermines that stereotype with quilts that contain humorous images and titles.
Bonus: This year’s Art Quilts juror, Marla Hattabaugh, made her career around humorous quilts and a concurrent exhibit of her work—“These Are Not Your Grandmother’s Quilts”—takes place at the Chandler Center for the Arts Vision Gallery.
DETAILS>> Until Jan 7, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday; Cost: Free; visiongallery.org.
It’s a Dog’s
Life
Dog lovers and kids will enjoy this exhibit at the i.d.e.a. Museum. In addition to fun art that features dogs and a journey through the history of canines and man, you can explore how dogs see, build your own dog house, play veterinarian, and enjoy plenty of other arts, crafts and exhibits that use
all your senses.
DETAILS>> Until Jan. 22; 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, noon-4 p.m. Sunday; Cost: $8 per person, free for kids under 1; ideamuseum.org.
Mesa Arts Center
The Mesa Arts Center Museum hosts several exhibits at any given time, and they’re free, so drop by and see them all. At the moment, you can see “Off the Page” (multimedia works inspired by great literature and stories), “The Footnote Chronicles by Corinne Geertsen” (surreal photo manipulations), “Disillusioned” (including photographic pieces from “Fallen Princesses” and “Gods of Suburbia”), and “Paradise Lost” (10 drawings that merge the contemporary and ancient).
DETAILS>> Through January; Tuesday to Sunday, Times vary; Cost: Free; mesaartscenter.com.
Nature Connects: Art with LEGO Bricks at Phoenix Zoo
Combine the Phoenix Zoo and Lego, and you get an art exhibit the entire family can enjoy. This touring exhibit uses more than 1 million Lego bricks to create 27 exquisite
animal and flora sculptures. From a giant corn spider and a herd of deer to a huge polar bear with cubs (sponsored by CocaCola, naturally) there’s plenty to enjoy.
DETAILS>> Until Jan. 2, daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Phoenix Zoo, 455 North Galvin Parkway, Phoenix; Cost: Included with zoo admission; phoenixzoo.org.
Phoenix Art Museum
In addition to its massive regular collection, the Phoenix Art Museum hosts regular special exhibits that are definitely worth a look. At the moment, you can see “Get Face” (assembled portraits from all the museum’s collections), “Kehinde Wiley: A New Republic” (contemporary portraits from a new leading artist), “Mapping the Monochrome” (conceptual art featuring maps, monochromes and sculptures from Horacio Zabala) and “Emphatics: AvantGarde Fashion 1963-2013.” Plus, two new exhibitions: “INFOCUS Juried Exhibition of Self-Published Photobooks” and “Eye on Fashion: The Kelly Ellman Collection.”
DETAILS>> Through January, Tuesday to Sunday. Cost: Museum admission. Times vary; Phoenix Art Museum, 1625 N. Central Avenue, Phoenix; phxart.org.
ACROSS
1 Smell
5 U.K. fliers
8 Teen’s skin woe
12 One of the Three Bears
13 Conclusion
14 TV’s Dr. McGraw
15 Mideast port
16 Wrestling hold
18 Tetanus
20 Lassoes
21 High tennis shot
22 Jewel
23 Jaunty topper
26 Samson’s weapon against
the Philistines
30 Altar affirmative
31 London forecast
32 Hive dweller
33 Arid
36 Playwright Henrik
38 Noon, in a way
39 High card
40 Squabble
43 Plaster-fiberboard mix
47 Home entertainment piece
49 Vicinity
50 Oodles
51 Billboards
52 One-named supermodel
53 Some evergreens
54 Lad
55 Harp’s cousin
DOWN
1 October birthstone
2 Pedestal part
3 Oil cartel
4 Irritate
5 Betty Ford Center program
6 From the start
7 Govt. Rx watchdog
8 Self-assurance
9 Hew
10 Pleasant
11 BPOE members
17 Sketched
19 Make marginalia
22 Choke
23 Lobster eater’s aid
24 Tokyo’s old name
25 Director Howard
26 Cohort of Whoopi and Sherri
27 Outdated, as a wd.
28 Born
29 Hallow ender
King Crossword
31 Calendar abbr.
34 Rejoices
35 God, in Grenoble
36 Aloof
37 Lament
39 Pretentious
40 Vacationing
41 Bronchial sound 42 Radiate
43 Prank
44 Host
45 Mad king of literature
46 Highway
48 Arrest
TSO for Christmas
Trans-Siberian Orchestra is best known for its holiday shows that blend pyro, dramatic readings, singing and stellar instrumentation. TSO returns for two shows on Dec. 26 at Gila River Arena. The radio station 99.9 KEZ presents the 3 p.m. show with a portion of the proceeds benefiting Operation Santa Claus. 100.7 KSLX hosts the 7:30 p.m. show with a portion of the proceeds going to the Arizona Animal Welfare League. For more information, visit gilariverarena.com.
Public
RICHARD L KLAUER, #003070
Richard L Klauer, P C 3509 East Shea Blvd , Suite 117 Phoenix, AZ 85028
Ph: 602-230-1393
Fax: 602-230-1273
rlk@klauerlaw com
Attorney for Petitioner
IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF ARIZONA IN AND FOR THE COUNTY OF MARICOPA
In the Matter of the Estate of ) No PB2016-003977 )
JANET W ALLEN ) NOTICE OF NON-APPEARANCE ) HEARING ON PETITION FOR Deceased ) ADJUDICATION OF HEIRS AND ) APPOINTMENT OF PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a Petition for Adjudication of Intestacy, Determination of Heirs and Appoint of Personal Representative has been filed in the above-named Court requesting that the Court adjudicate that Decedent died intestate and determine the heirs of Decedent and that Letters of Personal Representative be issued to Kathryn L Allen
A Non-Appearance Hearing has been set to consider the Petition on the December 22, 2016 at 11:00 a m before Commissioner Margaret B LaBia nca, Maricopa County Superior Court-Old Courthouse, 125 West Washington, 2nd Floor, Phoenix, AZ 85003
Dated this 9th day of December, 2016
RICHARD L KLAUER P C
By signed Richard L Klauer
Richard L Klauer, Esq
3509 East Shea Blvd , Suite 117 Phoenix, AZ 85028
Original of the foregoing was filed this 9th day of December, 2016
Copy of the foregoing was delivered this 9th day of December, 2016 to:
Commissioner Margaret B LaBianca
Maricopa County Superior Court
125 West Washington, 2nd Floor Phoenix, Arizona 85003
signed Richard L Klauer
Publish: East Valley
December
Public Notices
ARIZONA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS
BID OPENING: FRIDAY, JANUARY 13, 2017, AT 11:00 A M (M S T )
TRACS NO 010 MA 133 H873001C PROJ NO NH-010-B(214)T TERMINI EHRENBERG-PHOENIX HWY (I-10)
LOCATION SR 101L / I-10 RAMP SW #2201 AND RAMP SE #2202
$500,000 The location and description of the proposed work are as follows:
County, on the Interstate 10 and State Route
1
pairing and replacing bridge deck joints, repairing bridge decks, replacing concrete barriers, striping and other related work
Project plans, special provisions, and proposal p
free of charge from the Contracts and Specifications website, or they may be purchased in paper format at 1651 W Jackson, Room 121F, Phoenix, AZ 85007-3217, (602) 712-7221 The cost is $16 00
ARIZONA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS
BID OPENING: THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 2017, AT 11:00 A M (M S T )
TRACS NO 040 MO 059 H879901C
PROJ NO NHPP-040-B(221)T
TERMINI KINGMAN – ASHFORK HIGHWAY (I-40) LOCATION DW RANCH ROAD TI UP
$4,000,000 The location and description of the proposed work are as follows:
cing the existing deck of a 4-span steel plate girder bridge, widening the road approaches to the bridge, replacing guardrail, replacing pavement markings, and other related work
Project plans, special provisions, and proposal p a
free of charge from the Contracts and Specifications website, or they may be purchased in paper format at 1651 W Jackson, Room 12 1F, Phoenix, AZ 85007-3217, (602) 712-7221 The cost is $49 00
SUMMONS (SUM-100) (CITACION JUDICIAL)
CASE NUMBER (Numero De Caso): NC06737
NOTICE TO DEFENDANT: (AVISO AL DEMANDADO):
JOHN OWEN MURRIN, an individual; BRADLEY LAWERENCE an individual; and DOES 1 through 50, inclusive
YOU ARE BEING SUED BY PLAINTIFF: (Lo estan demandando el demandante):
SMDC HOLDINGS, LLC, a California Limited Liability Company; RELIANT LIFE SHARES, LLC, a California Limited Liability Company
NOTICE! You have been sued The court may decide against you without your being heard unless you respond within 30 days Read the information below
You have 30 calendar days after this Summons and legal papers are served on you to file a written response at this court and have a copy served on the plaintiff A letter or phone call will not protect you Your written response must be in proper legal form if you want the court to hear your case There may be a court form that you can use for your response You can find these court forms and more information at the California Courts Online Self-Help Center (www courtinfo ca gov/selfhelp), your county law library, or the courthouse nearest you If you cannot pay the filing fee, ask the court clerk for a fee waiver form If you do not file your response on time, you may lose the case by default, and your wages, money, and property maybe taken without further warning from the court There are other legal requirements You may want to call an attorney right away If you do not know an attorney, you may want to call an attorney referral service If you cannot afford an attorney, you may be eligible for free legal services from a nonprofit legal services program You can locate these nonprofit groups at the California Legal Services Web Site (www lawhelpcalifornia org), the California Courts Online Self Help Center (www courtinfo ca gov/selfhelp), or by contacting your local court or county bar association NOTE: The court has a statutory lien for waived fees and costs on any settlement or arbitration award of $10,000 or more in a civil case The court's lien must be paid before the court will dismiss the case AVISO! Lo han demandado Si no responde dentro de 30 dias, la corte puede decider en su contra sin escuchar su version Lea la informacion a continuacion Tiene 30 DIAS DE CALEDRARIO despues de que le entreguen esta citacion y papeles legales para presenter una respuesta por escrito en esta corte y hacer que se entregue una copia al demandante Una carta o una llamada telefonica no lo protegen Su respuesta por escrito tiene que estar en formato legal correcto si desea que procesen su caso en la corte Es posible que haya un formulario que usted pueda usar para su respuesta Puede encontrar estos formularios de la corte y mas informacion en el Centro de Ayuda de las Cortes de California (www sucorte ca gov), en la biblioteca de leyes de su condado o en la corte que le quede mas cerca Si no puede pagar la cuota de presentacion, pida al secretario de la corte que le de un formulario de exencion de pago de cuotas Si no presenta su respuesta a tiempo, puede perder el caso por incumplumiento y la corte le podra quitar su sueldo, dinero y bienes sin mas advertencia
Hay otros requisitos legales Es recommendable que llame a un abogado immediatamente Si no conoce a un abogado, puede llamar a un servicio de remision a abogados Si no puede pagar a un abogado, es possible que cumpla con los requisitos para obtener servicios legales gratuitos de un programa de servicios legales sin fines de lucro Puede encontrar estos grupos sin fines de lucro en el sitio web de California Legal Services, (www lawhelpcalifornia org), en el Centro de Ayuda de las Cortes de California, (www sucorte ca gov) o poniendose ne contacto con la corte o el colegio de abogados locales AVISO: Por ley, la corte tiene derecho a reclamar las coutas y los costos exentos por imponer un gravamen sobre cualquier recuperacion de $10,000 o mas de valor recibida mediante un acuerdo o una concesion de arbitraje en un caso de derecho civil Tiene que pagar el gravamen de la corte antes de que la corte pueda desechar el caso
The name and address of the court is (El nombre y direccion de la corte es): Los Angeles Superior Court
Governor George Deukmejian Courthouse 275 Magnolia, Long Beach, CA 90802
The Name, address, and telephone number of plaintiff's attorney, or plaintiff without an attorney, is (El nombre, la direccion y el numero de telefono del abogado del demandante, o del demandante que no tiene abogado, es):
David Beitchman, Beitchman & Zekian, P C 16130 Ventura Blvd Ste 570, Encino CA 91436, (818) 986-9100
DATE (Fecha): JAN 21 2015
by Sheri R Carter, Clerk by: (Secretario) Sergio Madera, Deputy (Adjunto)
PUBLISHED IN THE EAST VALLEY TRIBUNE, Mesa, AZ 12/4, 11, 18, 25, 2016 / 3298
ARIZONA
DEPARTMENT
OF TRANSPORTATION
ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS
BID OPENING: FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 03, 2017, AT 11:00 A M (M S T )
TRACS NO 0000 YU YUM SL725 01C PROJ NO TEA-YUM-0(213)T
TERMINI YUMA BUSINESS ROUTE, B-8 LOCATION FOURTH AVENUE GATEWAY
$773,000 00 The location and description of the proposed work are as follows:
The project is located on Business Route B-8
shared-use pathway extending from 1st Avenue along the east side of 4th Avenue to the existing Yuma Canal Bridge The work also includes upgrade/refurnish existing lighting, signage and pavement marking, landscaping, rehabilitation of a historic land marker, and other related work
Project plans, special provisions, and proposal p a m p h
l e free of charge from the Contracts and Specifications website, or they may be purchased in paper format at 1651 W Jackson, Room 121F, Phoenix, AZ 85007-3217, (602) 712-7221 The cost is $28
ENERGY INFORMATION SYSTEM REBUILD ARIZONA BOARD OF REGENTS REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
Arizona State University is requesting proposals from qualified firms or individuals for RFP# 2 9 1 7 0
WEBSITE REBUILD Proposal packages are
State University, 1551 S Rural Road, Tempe , Arizona 85281 Proposals will be accepted for RFP# 291703 until 3:00 P M , MST, 01/04/17 the address listed above or by mail to Purchasing and Business Services, Arizona State Univ
http://asu edu/purchasing/bids/index html
A mandatory pre-proposal conference will be held at 3:30 PM, MST, Wednesday, December 7, 2016 in The University Services Build-
Connect Please see Bid Board and RFP for registration and details
University Services Building (“USB”) 1551 S Rural Road, Tempe, AZ, 85281 (located on the east side of Rural between Broadway Ave and A
NOTICE OF PUBLIC SALE T
LLC, Overland Park, Kansas will offer the
row Truck Sales, Inc
ARIZONA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS
BID OPENING: FRIDAY, JANUARY 13, 2017, AT 11:00 A M (M S T )
TRACS NO 019 PM 049 H817801C
PROJ NO NH-019-A(208)T TERMINI NOGALES – TUCSON HIGHWAY (I-19)
LOCATION PIMA MINE ROAD TI OP NB & SB
$6,400,000 The location and description of the proposed work are as follows:
The proposed work is located in Pima County on Interstate 19 between mileposts 49 29 and 50 00, approximately 15 miles south of the City of Tuc son Part of the project is located within the boundaries of the Tohono O’odham Nation San Xavier District The proposed work consists of removing and replacing the SB and NB
ends of the SB bridge, reconstructing roadway
and guardrail end treatments, replacing pavement markings, and other miscellaneous work
Project plans, special provisions, and proposal p
free of charge from the Contracts and Specifications website, or they may be purchased in paper format at 1651 W Jackson, Room 121F, Phoenix, AZ 85007-3217, (602) 712-7221 The cost is $81 00
Publish: East Valley Tribune, December 4, 11, 2016 / 3294
ARIZONA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS
BID OPENING: THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 2017, AT 11:00 A M (M S T )
TRACS NO 070 GI 259 H874001C PROJ NO STP-070-A(216)T TERMINI GLOBE – LORDSBURG
HIGHWAY (US 70)
LOCATION US 70 / BIA 6 INTERSECTIONS
h e a m
$1,088,000 The location and description of the proposed work are as follows:
The proposed project is located on US 70 in Gila County, approximately 7 miles southeast o
Apache Tribe Reservation at Milepost 259 6 T
bound right turn lane and acceleration lane at the intersection of BIA 6, including earthwork, pavement milling and overlay, asphaltic concrete pavement, aggregate base, drainage culvert, cattle guard installation, fencing, guardrail, riprap, rail bank protection, installing pavement marking, signage and lighting, and other related work
Project plans, special provisions, and proposal p a m
i l a b l e free of charge from the Contracts and Specifications website, or they may be purchased in paper format at 1651 W Jackson, Room 121F, Phoenix, AZ 85007-3217, (602) 712-7221 The cost is $31 00
2010 Freightliner Cascadia 1FUJGLDR9 ALAG5091 The property may be
602-256-7643 Cash sales only
Publish: East Valley Tribune, December 11, 2016/ 3334
Life Events
Obituaries
BUTLER, Anna Deon Clark
East
480.898.6465
class@timespublications.com Deadlines
Classifieds: Thursday 10am for Sunday Life Events: Wednesday 5pm for Sunday
Obituaries
SMITH, Gary Glen
Anna Deon Clark Butler, born February 5, 1925 in
T o o e l e , U t a h
S a m a n d A d
passed away at age 91, on December 2, 2016, at the home of her daughter, Kathy Steadman, in Carlsbad, CA She is survived by her brother, Dwight Clark of
Lloyd Butler, Kirk Butler, Tom Butler, Kathy Steadman, Scott Butler, Sheila Patrick, and Kevin Butler, plus 30 grandchildren and 59 great grandchildren F
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1455 N Harris Dr , Mesa,
the Guestbook: www.EastValleyTribune.com
PARR SR., Thomas R
Thomas, 92, passed away of natural causes
N
Dakota after a long and active life Tom was born in Duluth Minnesota February 14, 1924
He is preceded in passing by his parents Edwin Arthur Parr and Harriet Kool Parr of Duluth and on November 11, 2016 by his wife of more than 66 years, Fern Mildred Sortedahl Parr He is survived by his brother William in Florida; Tom (Pepper) Parr Jr and his wife Rhonda Parr of Indianapolis; Brian Parr and his wife Betsy Hemler of Grand Forks; seven grand children and two great grandchildren
T
and attended Central High School, graduating in 1942 As was the custom, he joined the war effort enlisting in the United States Marine Corp and was part of the 5th Marine Division, 5th Assault Signal Company, though he spoke very little of the experience He saw battle for five days on Iwo Jima before being wounded “in the upper thigh” by a shell fragment “I guess I didn’t dig my foxhole quite deep enough ” Following recovery he also was part of the occupying force in Japan after the close of the war Tom graduated from the University of Minnesota in Duluth with a degree in Chemistry, and a school letter in Tennis He worked as a milk inspector for St Louis County, also at Bridgeman’s Creamery in Q u a l i t y C o n
Treatment Plan on the Old North Shore Drive Tom was a great sportsma n, enjoying all kinds of racket and ball related sports including, handball, badminton, and racket ball, but his true love was tennis He competed throughout his long life, preferring singles, as he loved the runn i n g a r o
where he continued to compete, including internationally on “the senior circuit” as he called it More recently he moved to Grand Forks ND to be closer to family
Please Sign the Guestbook at eastva lleytribune.com
KOVACS, Douglas Keith
Doug, 59, passed away
Brentwood High School, Pittsburgh, PA He is survived by brothers, Daniel, David (Sally), Dennis (Judy), and Darryl (Sue) A private
75, Passed away November 29, 2016, in Mesa, Arizona Born in Wichita, Kansas to Glenn and Ruby Smith Gary attended Mesa High School, Class of 1959 Survived by his wife, Janice; sons, Scott and Kelly; grand daughters, Heather, Tara, Alison, Erin, Abby and Nora; great grandsons, Riley and Gavin His sister, Twila Koon; and brother, Delbert Smith; as well as other extended family and friends A Celebration of Life will be held at a later time
Please Sign the Guestbook at eastvalleytribune com
VODICKA, David Allen
David Allen Vodicka, 52, born December 9, 1963 i n W a r r e n , O
with Luekemia in the arms of his long time caregiver Denise
David was a welder since age 15 He worked with step-father Bill Hooks as an iron worker
Mother Janice Moyers; Father, Earl Vodick passed; Brother, John Earl; Sisters: Susan Marie passed, Brenda Christine Gonzalez; Daughters: M a r y E l i z a b e t h V o d i c k a
grandchildren; Uncles: Raymond and Danny; Aunts: Aunt Shorty and Norma Jean; several Nieces and Nephews
David will be greatly missed by all who loved and knew him At David's request no services will be held
Sign the Guestbook at: www.EastValleyTribune.com
Employ
Employment General
ERP Specialist
Develop Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Automated Warehouse Management sys w/exp in various Barcode prog & Int'l trade 2yrs exp req mail to Job Loc: Kmomo 2301 W Indian Schl Rd. Phx, AZ 85017
Sales & Shipping
Position Needed
Imperial Wholesale 1 PHX 2 Mesa
Email or call jhabib@ imperialwholesale com 480-986-6900
Employment General
IntraEdge has multiple openings for Sr Programmer Analyst II Reqs US Bachelor degree/foreign equiv in Commerce/BusAdm/ STEM field Will accept combination of IT training/education/experience for equiv to ed req Analyze/resolve/test/report on IT related projects using skills in EMC/MS/SQL/ Excel/Java/C
Fax your resume to V Singh @ (866)273-1073 with ref no 2016-25 directly on resume & reference ad in East Valley Tribune
Place Your Meeting/Event Ad email ad copy to ecota@times publications.com
Duties: Laborers will be needed for turf care, pruning, fertilization, irrigation system maintenance and repair, general clean up and installation of mortarless segmental concrete masonry wall units Work in the 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: 02/01/1710/31/17 Wage: $11 74/h, OT $17 61/h if necessary Raises, bonuses, or incentives dependent on job performance.
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: Phoenix, 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 # 2469626
Employer: Siteworks Landscape Development, LLC 2915 W Fairview Street Chandler, AZ 85224 Contact: Manely Vazquez Fax (480) 820-1606
Employment General
Nursery workers, 3 temporary full-time positions
Duties: Work in nursery facilities or at customer location planting, cultivating, harvesting, and transplanting trees shrubs, or plants No EXP REQ No EDU REQ
Days & Hours: 40 hours/week (6:00am-2:30pm); day shift; Mon-Fri Dates of employment: 02/15/1711/15/17 Wage: $10 00/h, OT $15 00/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: Phoenix, Arizona - 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 #: 2492283.
Employer: Ana P Perez, LLC 7202 S 7 th Ave Phoenix, Arizona 85041 Contact: Ana P Perez Fax (602)276-4300
Nursery workers, 60 temporary full-time positions
Duties: Work in nursery facilities or at customer location planting, cultivating, harvesting, and transplanting trees shrubs, or plants No EXP REQ No EDU REQ
Days & Hours: 40 hours/week (6:00am-2:30pm); day shift; Mon-Fri Dates of employment: 02/15/1711/15/17 Wage: $10 00/h, OT $15 00/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: Phoenix, AZ - Maricopa and Pinal counties Daily transportation provided to and from worksite
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 #: 2492280
The Scottsdale Plaza, 7200 North Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, AZ 85253 (contact Karla Rodriguez) seeks 30 temporary, F/T housekeepers from 1/17/17 to 6/30/17 $10 33 per hour Overtime may be available at $15 50/hour Clean & service resort rooms, w/bathrooms w/showers, toilets, sinks, floors Make beds Vacuum, dust Remove trash No education required 6 mo previous hotel housekeeper exp required On the job training provided Workers should reside in greater Phoenix area Minimum 35 hrs/week Hours may vary Open 7 days/week Daily work hours 9am4:30pm Employer will provide worker at no charge all tools, supplies, & equipment required to perform job Transportation (including meals & 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 emplo y-
Employment General
Herder Plumbing Inc 3707 E Southern Ave #1039 Mesa AZ 85206 seeks 20 “temporary full-time” Pool laborer Helpers to work&reside in Phx Metroplex area to use, supply&hold pipes, hand/electr tools &materials for pools, clean wk area Bend lift&hold up 50Lb work in ext weather, 3mo exp in Res constr, on-the-job-train avail, no edu reqd, travel in Phx-metroplex area M-F 7am-3pm @$13 72/hr OT avail @$20 58 from 2/15to11/15/17 US&H2B workers offered same wages& working conditions to include paid posthired drug test Sgle wrkwk computes wages 40hr/wk Weekly pmt “Transportation (including meals & to the extent necessary lodging) to place of employment or its cost to workers reimbursed, if the worker completes half the employment period Return transportation provided if the worker completes employment period or is dismissed early by employer” H-2B Wrkr to be paid U S Consulate, border, lodging fees on 1st workwk on a company check “Tools provided at no charge to worker” “The employer guarantees to offer work hours equal to at least ¾ of the workdays in each 12weeks of total employment period” Apply in person at nearest SWA, call520-866-3608, fax res 520-836-5876 Attn: Desirae Diaz or fax res to emplyer 480 385 5123 RE JP2490111
View Rd PHX AZ 85021 seeks
weather, 3mo exp, on-the-job train avail, no edu nor travel reqd M-F 7am-3pm @$13 38/hr OT avail @$20 07 2/15to 11/15/17 US&H2B workers offered same wages& working conditions to i n c l u d e p a i d p o s t - h i r e d d r u g t e s t S g l e w r k w k c o m p u t e s w a g e s 4 0 h r / w W e e k l y p m t “ T r a n sp o r t a t i o n ( i n c l u d i n g m e a l s & t o t h e e x t e n t n ecessary lodging) to place of employment or its cost to workers reimbursed, if the worker comp l e t e s h a l f t h e e
transportation provided if the worker completes employment period or is dismissed early by emp
r ” H-2B Wrkr to be paid U S Consulate , border, lodging fees
Duties: Laborers will be needed for turf care, pruning, fertilization, irrigation system maintenance and repair general clean up and installation or mortarless segmental concrete masonry wall units 3 months landscape EXP REQ No EDU REQ Drug testing REQ
Days & Hours: 40 hours/week (6:00am-2:30pm); day shift; Mon-Fri Dates of employment: 02/08/1711/08/17 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: Phoenix, AZ; Maricopa and Pinal counties Employer will provide daily transportation to and from the worksite
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 #: 2491359
Employer: Gothic Grounds Management, Inc 27502 Avenue Scott A, Valencia, CA 91355 Contact Matt Busse, fax (480) 557-7879.
Nursery workers, 10 temporary full-time positions
Duties: Work in nursery facilities or at customer location planting, cultivating, harvesting, and transplanting trees, shrubs, or plants No EXP REQ No EDU REQ
Days & Hours: 40 hours/week (6:00am-2:30pm); day shift; Mon-Fri Dates of employment: 02/15/1711/15/17 Wage: $10 00/h OT $15 00/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: Phoenix, Arizona - 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 #: 2492281
Employer: Dream With Colors,
(602) 266-6092
Meetings/Events
East Valley Jewish Couples Club
Offers once-a-month social activities such as dining, movies, plays etc for Jewish couples in the 45- to 65-year-old age range Info: Melissa, 480-785-0744, beadlover@cox net
active 55+ park Call 480-494-6791 or 480-373-6752 Leave a message
Real Estate For Rent
Apartments
2 Bedroom 1 Bath Apt by Gilbert & Main in Mesa Laundry, covered parking & patio $625 Nick 480-707-1538
ALMA SCH & MAIN 1bd, 1 bath Bad Credit ok No Deposit $600/mo Includes all util (602) 339-1555
Crismon & University 3bd, 2 bath Fenced Yard Bad Credit ok No Deposit $900/mo (602) 339-1555
Homes For Sale
Rooms For Rent
Mesa $550 Completely furnished studio, 1 person, priv entr, french door, 1/2 bath shared kitchen, cable, internet, near bus, w/d, util included 480-461-1342
Meetings/Events
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
Place Your Meeting/Event Ad email ad copy to ecota@times publications com
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
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
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
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
