SanTan Sun News - 2.13.2022 by Times Media Group

February 13, 2022 | www.santansun.com

Relentlessly local coverage of Southern Chandler

An edition of the East Valley Tribune

Fiscal doomsday clock ticks for Chandler schools HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services

A financial doomsday clock is ticking for most school districts in Arizona and unless the Legislature acts to stop it by March 1, Chandler Unified faces making $54 million in immediate spending cuts before the end of the current school year. In all, Arizona school districts face $1.2 billion in immediate cuts if the Legislature does not raise or postpone

what’s called the Aggregate Expenditure Limit that dates back to the 1980s, when Arizona voters approved a spending cap for K-12 schools that the Legislature could override with a simple vote. State Superintendent of Public Schools Kathy Hoffman last week called out Republican lawmakers for not trying to develop the two-thirds consensus of lawmakers needed to raise or postpone that cap. “A 16% reduction in budgets will means layoffs amid the already cri-

sis-level teacher shortage,’’ she said. “For students and their parents and guardians, these cuts will mean losing access to academic programs, extracurriculars, high-quality teachers, and even school closures.’’ And Hoffman told lawmakers their voters will notice. “If schools close because they are not authorized to spend money already sitting in their bank accounts, the blame will lie with you, not our public schools,’’ she said.

House Speaker Rusty Bowers, R-Mesa, told Capitol Media Services the real hang-up is a fear that if lawmakers agree to ignore the cap this year, they effectively will set a precedent that could be used against them in the still-ongoing litigation over whether a 3.5% income tax surcharge on the wealthy approved by voters in 2020 would be allowed to take effect. The Supreme Court last year rejectSee

SPENDING on page 6

City mulls rate hikes, alley pickup’s future BY KEN SAIN Staff Writer

Matt Orlando said he warned his fellow Chandler City Council members to stay away from alleys. They didn’t listen, and that is why Orlando says an estimated 60 people showed up Thursday for a public hearing on proposed rate hikes for the city’s utilities. They were concerned about a proposal to eliminate alley trash pickup

and replace it with curbside pickup in front of homes. Matt Dunbar, the city’s budget manager who has been leading the public discussions, said more people have commented about alleys than any other issue in the proposed rate hikes. Most residents attending the Feb. 3 meeting came away satisfied that if they and their neighbors want to keep it, alley pickup will continue. They’ll just have to pay $1.61 more a month for it. The city plans to increase the

rate that homeowners and businesses pay for water and solid-waste collection starting July 1. Dunbar said even with this increase, the city will still have among the lowest utility rates in the Valley. A day after the alley meeting, Dunbar stood in front of a very different group to give them the same update. They didn’t ask a single question about alleys. Instead, Chandler Chamber of Commerce President/CEO Terri Kimble

told city leaders they seriously need to reconsider their timeline for rolling out the rate hikes. She warned them that businesses and homeowners’ associations plan their annual budgets from January through December, and that a significant rate increase in the middle of the year would be a hardship that could lead to lost jobs. Kimble urged Dunbar to have the See

UTILITIES on page 4

Helping teachers

During last week’s Chandler Unified Governing Board meeting, students, teachers and parents ripped the state’s new “opt-in” policy for sex education and CUSD’s revisions of its own policies made to conform with that state law. (YouTube)

Parents, teachers rip new state, CUSD sex ed

BY KEN SAIN Staff Writer

More than a dozen students, teachers and parents admonished the Chandler Unified School District Governing Board Feb. 9 over its rollout of a new policy that requires parents to opt into any classwork that includes sexuality. A couple of the 16 people who spoke became emotional as they told the board the district went even further than the state law requires, calling it

discriminatory in how it treats LGBTQ+ people. “I personally had to sign a permission slip for my ninth-grader to read ‘Romeo and Juliet,’ of all things,” Krista McKinney said. “Parents also had to sign permission slips for their children to participate in a cooking class about chicken breasts.” The comments came during the time the public is allowed to address the See

SEX ED on page 12

Teachers have helped Basha High School student Jadyn Ocampo learn and now she’s trying to help them pay their bills. She started the Al and Laurie Ocampo Scholarship, in honor of her grandparents, to help them pay down their college loan debt. Read how she’s helped on page 14. (David Minton/Staff Photographer)

F E AT U R E D STO R I E S Catalytic converter thefts soar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .NEWS . . . . . . . . . Page 18 New Chandler store pays homage to 1990s

BUSINESS . . . . . . . Page 28

Chandler man authors mystery novel. . . . . . . . . . . .NEIGHBORS . . . . . Page 36 Bix concerts at Chandler Center for the Arts. . . . .GETOUT . . . . . . . Page 38

More News . . . . . . . . . 1-25 Business . . . . . .28-31 Sports . . . . . . . 32-34 Opinion . . . . . . . . 35 Neighbors . . . 36-37 GetOut. . . . . . 38-39 Faith . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Directory . . . . 44-45 Eat . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

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THE SUNDAY SANTAN SUN NEWS | FEBRUARY 13, 2022

CUSD aims to prepare for a robot future BY KEN SAIN Staff Writer

Officials played a three-minute video at a recent Chandler Unified School District Governing Board meeting titled” he Future of Work.” It showed houses being built, cars being driven, cows being milked, packages being delivered and fields being plowed. What it did not show were any people doing those jobs. The video spoke about how robots are moving into new fields. The Washington Post’s robot reporter wrote 850 stories last year. The video claims an artificial intelligence program is a better therapist than a human one. Another claim is that robotic surgeons are more accurate than even the most skilled doctors. And techs are working on AI programs to replace human lawyers. “The first time we’ve seen it, and we worked with people who we’re showing this video of future jobs, most of the people in the room said, ‘This is scary, are we ready?’” said Dr. Wendy Nance, district assistant superintendent. Nance showed the video as part of her presentation on the portrait of a graduate. The name may change to “portrait of a learner,” Nance said, because district officials want to look at performance at all grade levels, not just the latter years. But the goal is the same: Over the next four months they will look for

Chandler Unified officials say that with the coming dominance of robots in the workforce, today's high school graduate requires skills that can be useful to earn a living. (Special to the Arizonan)

ways to help CUSD students be better prepared for the world they will enter once they graduate. And it’s looking like a world where robots are doing many of the jobs people do today. Superintendent Frank Narducci said the core mission will remain the same for CUSD, making sure students read, write and do math. But they want to find what other skills they will need and how can the district better prepare them. In this process they are calling those competencies and the goal is to reach a consensus on seven for CUSD. The district is partnering with a non-

profit, Battelle for Kids, to do this project. Valerie Greenhill, a vice president at Battelle, said each district comes up with something a little different. “Every community tackles those questions a little differently because every community is different,” Greenhill said. “There are some competencies that we see more often, but I have not seen two that are identical yet.” Critical thinking would be one that is quite common. Greenhill said one that she is starting to see more and more lately is empathy. To figure that what the seven competencies will be for CUSD, Nance is putting together a group of 100 people that will meet four times over the next four months. They will comprise 40 people who are in the district, 40 people who are outside of it, and 20 current students. The outsiders will come from a variety of backgrounds, including the faith community, business, higher education, social service agencies, and policy makers. The insiders will include educators, families, school leaders and district leaders and the school board. Nance said they’ve already started selecting the 100 and invitations for the first meeting will go out by the first week of February. So what will the jobs of the future look like? “I don’t know if we know what they’re going to look like,” Nance said. “Some are obviously going to have to

be in the technology world.” “I think that’s the whole point of this, it’s about the learning process, not necessarily the content because it changes so fast,” said Colleen Flannery, the district’s director of technology services. The first meeting will focus on how the world has changed and the implications for students. The topic of the second meeting is a discussion on the competencies students will need to thrive today and tomorrow. The third meeting plans to identify and contextualize the competencies that should be a shared, local vision for our community’s portrait. The final meeting in May focuses on how to make what they envision for future students a reality. As part of this new plan, the district hopes to give them skills that will better prepare them for the future. They include critical thinking, adaptability, growth mindset and empathy. Nance said during her presentation that CUSD wants to help students be ready when it’s time for them to make a choice after graduating high school. Do they enroll in higher learning? Join the working force and skip college? Or enlist in the military? When they get there, they may find robots teaching college courses, or unclogging drains or repairing HVAC units, or even fighting the nation’s wars. CUSD officials are hoping this process will prepare students for whatever the world looks like 20 years from now.

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UTILITIES

THE SUNDAY SANTAN SUN NEWS | FEBRUARY 13, 2022

from page 1

city delay the increase until January, which would give those businesses and HOAs time to plan and budget for them. How much rates will be going up depends on the type of user. The city is not going to apply a flat rate hike to all customers. Instead, it is adjusting the rate hike depending on which category the user falls into: Residential, multi-family, non-residential, landscape or industrial. A city service cost study City officials say that even after the rate hike, a Chandler homeowner on average will have the seccompared each of those ond-lowest utility bill among East Valley cities. (City of Chandler) categories to how much service do they use, and how much are they paying. Some were getting more service than they paid for while others were using less service but paying more. So, the rate hikes will vary to try and balance that out. For example, a single-family homeowner can expect its water bill to increase by 1.27%. Landscape users, however, will see a 5.88% increase. The last time Chandler raised its utility rates was in 2017. The city estimates the combined single-family utility bill will be $76.78 for the upcoming fiscal year This chart shows the different rate increases different categories of utility customers face come July (12,000 gallon usage). That is 1. (City of Chandler) less than Scottsdale ($107.10), Tempe ($120.40), Phoenix say alley service is more convenient, Those bins hold 300 gallons and are ($148) and Mesa ($152.08). Gilbert curshared by two families. The bins in front since they don’t have to roll a bin to the rently charges less at $65.38. However, street on certain days, and that they of a house are smaller, holding just that town is also in the process of raising under 100 gallons. prefer to keep the smell away from its rates and Dunbar said the increase Most of the newer developments do their homes. will likely move them ahead of Chandler. not have alleys, so this is an issue that The other options the city is considAnyone who wants to comment primarily impacts older neighborhoods. ering are to limit the number of times about the rate increase should visit residents can take loads to the RecyIf the city does do away with alley chandleraz.gov/ProposedUtilityRates. cling Solid Waste Collection Center or service, there is a chance that land The city is gathering public comcall to request bulk pickup. could be returned to homeowners. ments through March. If all goes as Under the proposed plan, residents However, Public Works Director John planned, the City Council will vote to could take up to two loads of less than Knudson said that will depend on if raise the rates in May. there are other utility lines there or not. 400 pounds to the collection center Dunbar said there are a couple of each year. Any additional trips would If there are lines for phone, electricireasons for raising rates. cost them either $10 or $20.70, dependty, cable, etc., then that would not be “It’s a little bit of inflation – we’ve ing on the type of material. possible. got utility costs that are higher, chemEach resident would be limited to only Dunbar said that opens up a lot of ical costs that are higher – but we also one call each year for bulk pickup. Dunbar issues and is something the city would have some capital improvements that said that 95 percent or more of Chandler have to take a look at. are coming up that we have to make residents only need that many trips each The decision to end alley service or sure when it’s time to fund those capiyear. It’s the others who use the service not would be made neighborhood by tal improvements, we can fund them,” often that would end up paying more. neighborhood. Dunbar said. Dunbar said the city plans to phase It would take a majority of the resDrawing the most comments so far in the increases over five years so that idents who share an alley to decide to is a proposal to end trash collection in residents living on tight budgets don’t end that service in order to save some alleys. Only about 10% of the trash the get hit with them all at once. There will money on their solid waste bill. If a city picks up is from alley service. That’s most homeowners on a given alley want be three increases, spaced two years about 7,800 homes. to maintain alley service, then everyone apart. The first would be this July. The city says it can save money by col- must pay more. He said the city will look at the lecting garbage from the front of homes. numbers each year and may adjust the Dunbar said 98 percent of the subThe contractor, Waste Management, mitted comments have been against rates as needed. The ultimate goal, he has to pay higher insurance rates for said, is to make sure that everyone is ending alley service. driving its vehicles through alleys. The paying a fair share based on the services “Right now, from what we’re seeing, company also needs to use different they use. a majority of them would really like to trucks that cost more. The larger alley “Since we didn’t get out of alignment keep them, and they understand there’s bins cost more money and the city has a cost increase to it, or associated with it, overnight, we wanted to make sure that to treat them to keep rats and other we didn’t go back to alignment overbut they’re fine with that,” Dunbar said. animals from settling in. night,” Dunbar said. He said that most of the comments

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THE SUNDAY SANTAN SUN NEWS | FEBRUARY 13, 2022

City sees alarming rise in mental health calls BY KEN SAIN Staff Writer

Chandler Police say the number of mental health-related calls for service has doubled since 2015 to about 2,500 a year. “It’s unbelievable,” said Councilmember Matt Orlando. “It’s scary, I mean it’s what’s happening, it’s our society today. We are growing in … teen suicides, growing in drug addictions, and alcohol addiction and just general mental health issues.” Police are not the only ones who respond to mental health calls. Orlando said the Fire Department handles a couple of thousand as well. Councilmembers were briefed on how the city responds to behavioral health issues during a work session on Jan. 27. “I knew Chandler was doing a lot of things to address mental health, but man there were a lot of services that are coming to bear from all different parts of the city,” said Vice Mayor Terry Roe. “I was super impressed.” At the end of the presentation staff made some recommendations on how to handle the increase. They are: • Create a behavioral health unit within the police department • Add a behavioral health navigator, someone who helps patients get through a complicated health care system • Embed crisis counselors in the 9-1-1 communications center • Identify training resources for city employees on signs of suicides • Partner with Chandler Unified School District and Compass Church to offer

SPENDING

This chart shows the steady rise in mental health calls to Chandler Police since 2015. (City of Chandler)

a free mental health conference focused on kids • Explore other community partnerships A lot of that will cost money the city doesn’t currently spend. Can the city afford it? “We’re going to have to,” Orlando said. “We’re going to have to find the money. I just talked to the city manager tonight, we've got some options on the table that we’re discussing. “It’s a question we keep asking, ‘Can we afford this?’ Well, can we afford not to do it? You saw that line. That trend line was going like this, at a 45-degree angle. Year over year it’s getting higher and higher and higher. We have to do something.” There is a price being paid now because of the increase in calls, city officials said. They’ve noticed more calls for service, residents worrying about the

safety of public facilities such as parks and libraries, challenges cleaning and maintaining public facilities that are being taken over by people experiencing homelessness, more requests for blight removal and environmental cleanup near homeless camps and more cases in the courts. Chandler Fire has a two-person response team that responds to calls and requires three full-time and eight part-time employees. They provide masters-level mental health professionals to people in need. The average time for those units to respond to a call is 13 minutes and 33 seconds. The increase in cases is also impacting the courts. Chandler Municipal Court has three treatment courts. Chandler, along with other East Valley cities are part of the Veterans’ Court. It also offers a mental health court. It recently started a new

from page 1

ed arguments that the estimated $827 million that Proposition 208 would raise automatically is exempt from the aggregate constitutional limit on how much the state can spend overall on education. But the justices sent the case back to Maricopa County Superior Court Judge John Hannah to determine if there still is a legal way for the funds to be used. Hannah gave no indication. of when he might rule. Bowers said there may be some merit to getting rid of the cap, something that would solve the immediate problem. “But if that’s their view, and we do it, that just reinforces their side of the argument,’’ Bowers said. And he said there’s a big difference between the state hitting the expenditure limit – the issue immediately facing lawmakers – and whether the state’s most wealthy can be forced to pay a new tax for education. But Roopali Desai, attorney for Invest in Arizona, the group that put Prop 208 on the ballot, said the question before Hannah is what might be raised and spent in the 2022-2023 school year. What’s facing lawmakers right now, she said, is whether schools can spend the money they already have this school year.

District headquarters at Chandler Unified will be busy in the next few weeks eyeing cuts if the Legislature fails to lift the Aggregate Spending Limit.

As the harsh prospect for major cuts moves closer to reality, more school officials in the East Valley are talking about it, though the Chandler Governing Board has not discussed it so far. Kyrene Board member Michelle Fahy earlier this month noted the $17 million cut confronting her district, stating “We are going to experience devastating financial impact.”

CUSD spokesman Terry Locke said that if the district is forced to make the cuts, officials will have a targeted approach. “If the Legislature doesn’t act, we would have to reduce our budget and eliminate any expenditures that don’t impact our student learning directly and also shift expenditures into other funds,” Locke said.

support court. In all three cases, the goal is to find out what issues are in play, address them and help people get the care they need instead of putting them into the criminal justice system. The support court is relatively new, having started in December. Chandler Police does have a Crisis Intervention Team now. Those officers get 40 hours of specialized training that focuses on reducing the risk of serious injury or death between officers and people with mental health issues during an emergency. The program has been taught in the Valley since 2004 and was expanded in 2014. CIT officers get eight hours of continuing education each year. And all Chandler officers get CIT-related training annually. Orlando said it is important for the public to know they will never send just mental health teams to an emergency situation and that there will always be trained officers present. “We’ll always send out a police officer, definitely if there is going to be violence, or an issue like that, so let’s put that to rest,” he said. Roe said he’s not surprised by the huge increase in cases, pointing out the fact that the pandemic for the past two years has stressed the mental health of many people. He said he thought the recommendations were good ideas. “We know other cities are doing like programs already, with success,” said Roe, who is a former Mesa police officer. “We want mental health folks to be treated with dignity, for their benefit and the benefit of the community.”

State Sen. Sean Bowie, whose district covers parts of northern Chandler and Mesa, Ahwatukee and parts of Tempe, said the combined cuts facing the five school districts he represents total $177 million, with Mesa Public Schools confronting a potential $73 million hit. While legislative panels in recent weeks have heard testimony – and preliminary votes – on secondary education issues such as whether teachers should be required to tell parents if their child confides in them they are gay and banning references to homosexuality in textbooks – the fiscal crisis facing districts has received scant attention. Democrat Jennifer Pawlik of Chandler has introduced a couple of measures, one to waive the cap for this year and another to abolish it entirely – which would require voter approval. But Republicans have not brought the issue forward and may be angling for something in return first – such as voucher expansion or reenactment of the income tax cut that is now tentatively scheduled to be on the November ballot. Bowie said in a message to his constituents earlier this month, “My worry is that some of my colleagues See

SPENDING on page 10

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THE SUNDAY SANTAN SUN NEWS | FEBRUARY 13, 2022

Catalytic converter thefts bedevil Chandler owners SANTAN SUN NEWS STAFF

Chandler motor vehicle owners are feeling the sting from one of the nation’s most rapidly increasing property crimes. Catalytic converter thefts in Chandler totaled 447 in 2021. Though Chandler Police only last year started keeping track of converter theft reports it receives, it’s likely the city is no different from its neighbors or the nation. The number of catalytic converter thefts in Gilbert, for example, soared from a mere dozen in 2020 to 141 last year. Of that total last year, 101 occurred in parking lots – sometimes in broad daylight – while 18 occurred in residential driveways, 10 in locked commercial yards and the remainder on streets, alleyways and even an auto parts yard, according to Gilbert Police. Mesa Police also have seen a staggering rise in the crime: They handled two stolen catalytic converter cases in 2018 and one in 2019. In 2020, that jumped to 69 and in the first 10 months of 2021, police got 431 converter theft reports. “The statistics are comparable to the upward trend in catalytic converter thefts across the nation,” said Gilbert Police spokesman Paul Alaniz. State and national statistics bear that out. According to an analysis by the public data website BeenVerified, reported thefts in Arizona have grown from 30 in 2019 to 142 in 2020 before skyrocketing

to 1,501 through the end of September, a 956.4% increase from last year. That was second only to Colorado, which saw catalytic converter thefts jump 1,254% in the same period. Nationwide, there were 49,611 converter thefts through the first nine months of year, up 244% from 14,433 stolen through all of 2020. BeenVerified estimates that number will reach 70,000 in 2021. In terms of overall thefts, Arizona ranked sixth in the first nine months of this year, trailing only California, Texas, Washington, Minnesota and Colorado. A catalytic converter looks like a small muffler along with the exhaust system. It is designed to convert the environmentally hazardous exhaust emitted by an engine into less harmful gasses. The brazen thieves literally crawl beneath a vehicle and saw the devices off, then find an unscrupulous junkyard that might pay as big bucks because the converters contain much-sought precious metals rhodium, palladium and platinum. Earlier this month, Phoenix Police arrested a couple who were allegedly sawing off sawing a converter off an auto. David Glawe, president and CEO of the National Insurance Crime Bureau, said the rise in theft is due to the increased value in the metals contained in the converters. Federal regulations have effectively required catalytic converters on all cars for decades. If one is stolen, Glawe said, it can cost several thousand dollars to

install a new one while thieves can get $150 to $200 per converter. The black-market operators who buy from the thieves then collect the valuable metals that the converters contain and reap thousands. The converters contain platinum, palladium and rhodium. Glawe’s group said recently that rhodium is valued at $13,100 per ounce, palladium at $1,975 per ounce and platinum at $1,011 per ounce. “We have seen a significant increase during the pandemic,” Glawe said. “It’s an opportunistic crime. As the value of the precious metals contained within the catalytic converters continues to increase, so do the number of thefts of these devices. There is a clear connection between times of crisis, limited resources, and disruption of the supply chain that drives investors towards these precious metals.” “Removing a catalytic converter takes only minutes using some basic, readily-available, battery-operated tools from a local hardware store,” he added. “And for the vehicle owner, it’s costly due to the loss of work, finding and paying for alternate transportation and then paying anywhere from $1,000 to $3,000 to get your vehicle fixed.” The value of the catalytic converters varies with the model, though Ford pickups, Priuses and other hybrids and luxury vehicles are the most prized among thieves. Astonishingly, they are rarely discov-

ered in the act even though they often are doing their dirty deeds in residential neighborhoods at night in victim’s driveways. Some reports indicated a skilled thief can remove the converter in less than a minute. Most times, the victims don’t discover the thefts until the next day. One Chandler victim complained their vehicle had been left overnight at a repair shop and got a call the next day that converter thieves had struck. “It’s pretty evident on how I discovered it because it’s really loud when you start the engine,” one unlucky Honda owner told the SanTan Sun News. “Half of the sensor was also stolen because it’s easier for the thief to just cut it away rather than unscrew it. ...Even with comprehensive insurance coverage, it’s still a huge hassle not having a car for several days. I strongly suggest others learn from my experience and take some precautions.” Travis Robertson admitted he doesn’t know much about cars – but he does know that a loud rumbling is not supposed to come from underneath them when they’re started. “It scared me,” Robertson said. “That’s an understatement, it was really scary, my car was dying.” Robertson, a senior at Arizona State University, was on his way to a football game on in October when he realized See

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THE SUNDAY SANTAN SUN NEWS | FEBRUARY 13, 2022

CATALYTIC

thieves, motor vehicle owners are encouraged to install a catalytic converter anti-theft device. These are available from various manufacturers and can provide a level of security from theft, the NICB says, but they can cost several hundred dollars online – and some additional cost to have them installed. Owners also can have their Vehicle Identification Number etched on the devices – though that will help only if police happen to find the stolen converter in some thief’s possession. The bureau also advises, “Park personal vehicles in a garage. If not possible and vehicles must be parked in a driveway, consider installing motion sensor security lights. While lights may not provide complete security, it may make some thieves think twice, making them leave the area and your vehicle untouched.” The bureau also said victims should call police and their insurer. “In some cases, this theft is covered by insurance,” it said. “The optional comprehensive portion of your insurance policy, the portion that covers damage caused to your vehicle not caused by accident, covers this kind of loss. However, the owner will be responsible for paying the deductible. If your deductible is $1,000 and the cost to repair the damage costs $1,000 or maybe a few hundred dollars more, drivers may not opt to file a claim.” The NICB advises drivers to contact their insurer to report the theft and determine the best course of action. Cronkite News contributed to this report.

from page 8

he had become a victim of catalytic converter theft. Robertson, whose car was parked on the ground-floor level of his apartment’s parking garage on the day of the theft, acknowledges that it was “really not the most secure spot.” Since then, he has heard from friends and others who were also hit by converter thieves. He suggests that people need to be aware of where they park if they do not want to become a victim of theft. “If you live in an apartment, be mindful of how secure it actually is,” Robertson said. “A lot of people think, ‘This will never happen to me,’ but I think they should be mindful because there’s always a chance that it will.” According to NICB’s Operations, Intelligence and Analytics study of reported thefts, there were 108 catalytic converter thefts per month on average in 2018, 282 average monthly thefts in 2019, and 1,203 average thefts per month in 2020. The state attorney general’s office last year conducted a sting with Mesa Police that resulted in the arrest of three suspects in a catalytic converter theft ring. The suspect who purchased the catalytic converters from undercover officers was also charged with commercial burglary at an auto recycler in Mesa. In the one case,141 catalytic converters were stolen with a value of over $40,000. So far, 18 states were evaluating potential legislative actions to curb the theft problem. Arizona was not among them. To increase their protection from

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will demand policy changes in exchange for lifting the cap. I hope we will do the right thing and vote to raise the cap before March 1st, but it’s too early to tell.” Without action by March 1, school districts across Arizona would have to cut a total of more than $1.2 billion from their 2021-22 budgets. That translates out to around $1,300 per student than what they’ve already budgeted. Districts will be able to collect the state and local taxes as planned. They just won’t be able to spend it all. And that has implications for districts that are unable to pay for the teachers they hired and the contracts they’ve already signed. The only thing that could avert this fiscal train wreck would be action by the Legislature, which could approve an exemption from the voter-approved aggregate expenditure limit of about $6.6 billion. But that would take a two-thirds vote. “It’s catastrophic and it would be devastating to our budget, especially since we’ve already committed contracts for the year,” Kyrene Chief Financial Officer Chris Hermann said last fall. He said if the district has to start altering spending plans in the spring “it doesn’t give you hardly any time to

t? o G ws Ne

THE SUNDAY SANTAN SUN NEWS | FEBRUARY 13, 2022

make adjustments.” Gubernatorial press aide C.J. Karamargin last fall would not commit to Ducey supporting an exemption. In his budget for the 2022-23 fiscal year, Ducey proposed a $14.25 billion spending plan that included $227 million in new K-12 funding above and behind what’s required to keep pace

the Aggregate Expenditure Limit that voters approved in 1980 for all K-12 spending statewide. Based on figures at that time, it is adjusted annually for inflation and student growth. What’s happening this year is largely the convergence of two unusual factors. First, the limit is always based on last year’s student numbers. Chuck Essigs,

If the Legislature doesn’t act, we would have to “ reduce our budget and eliminate any expenditures that don’t impact our student learning directly and also shift expenditures into other funds. ”

– Terry Locke

with enrollment growth and inflation and $127 million for higher education, including $46 million for “economy workforce initiatives’’ at the three universities to prepare students for careers in future job. Karamargin last fall noted that schools got more than $4 billion in COVID relief dollars. While those dollars are not subject to the expenditure limit, they also are one-time monies. The current problem goes back to

lobbyist for the Arizona Association of School Business Officials, estimates that the drop in students in public K-12 education last year, much of that due to COVID, will reduce the spending limit by about $300 million. But the bigger problem is one that the Legislature created in seeking to provide financial help. In 2000 voters approved Proposition 301 to levy a 0.6-cent sales tax to fund education, including teacher salaries,

for 20 years. And voters made those revenues exempt from the aggregate expenditure limit. With that tax expiring this year, lawmakers in 2018 agreed to a new, identical levy to pick up in July and run until 2041 to keep the money flowing without interruption. Only thing is, they never exempted what the new levy will raise from the expenditure limit. And that alone accounts for more than $632 million of money now coming in to schools — money they formerly got to spend but, legally speaking, cannot spend this year absent a legislatively approved exemption. Tucson projects a $58 million spending cut would be necessary in the current school year, gutting kindergarten and after-school programs and pushing class sizes to more than 40 pupils. “If you’re a district that has a lot of special ed kids, obviously you can spend more because the formula allows you to spend more,” Essigs explained. That’s because state law provides a higher level of aid for youngsters with special needs. But that 17% hit, he said, would come to the total spending authority, “even the part of it that includes special ed students.” Executive Editor Paul Maryniak contirbuted to this report.

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THE SUNDAY SANTAN SUN NEWS | FEBRUARY 13, 2022

Join us for the

State of the City

Mayor Kevin Hartke and the Chandler City Council invite you to a free community concert and the annual State of the City Address. Join us as we celebrate Chandler Changemakers, budding youth artists and the success of our innovative City. Come enjoy complimentary food and beverages from local Chandler businesses prior to the Mayor’s address.

Thursday, Feb. 17 Chandler Center for the Arts | 250 N. Arizona Ave. Doors open: 5:30 p.m. | Mayoral address: 6:30 p.m.

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from page 1

governing board. Each speaker was limited to two minutes for their comments and board members are forbidden by law from responding to those comments during the meeting under most circumstances. Most of the speakers met afterward with a district official. The CUSD Governing Board revised its Parental Involvement in Education policy in December to conform with the new state law that made Arizona the fifth state in the country requiring parents to opt into sex education for their kids. The policy has been referred to as the “KB Policy” because it was sections K and B that were revised. District spokesman Terry Locke confirmed that a permission slip was sent in January to parents of students in a cooking class because the subject involved chicken breasts but stressed that this was “simply it was a misinterpretation of the legislative statute” and that it “was corrected and did not apply to the context or content.” He said the “administration and teacher resolved and communicated the correction.” A couple speakers said the revisions burden teachers, forcing them to track who has returned signed permission slips and who has not and then having to create an alternative lesson for the children of parents who did not opt in. Several teachers and high school students also ripped the policy, noting the rising suicide rate among young people

in the LGBTQ community and warning the new policy would further marginalize them. “When I first heard this I thought, alright, no problem, I don’t teach sexuality,” said Caroline Sheridan, a teacher at Chandler High School. “I teach English and I teach criminal justice. … Somehow I found out I need permission slips before I can teach, “Of Mice and Men,” “Romeo and Juliet,” “Othello,” “To Kill a Mockingbird.” I can’t teach about Emmett Till without a permission slip.

is a member of the LGBTQ+ community. “Imagine how it would feel to be a student and feel … people need permission slips to hear about someone like me,” Sheridan said. “It’s horrifying, it’s offensive and it’s tragic.” Diane Mendel of Gilbert asked the board what it and the district did to ask students and parents for input when it was formulating the policy. District officials denied that the policy suppressed all teaching about the LGBTQ community.

It doesn’t matter who writes a book, if it’s “ great literature, it will be read, we are not going to

destroy classics. There was some confusion … if we went past what needed to happen. We deﬁnitely need to look at the impacts and that we do not put ultra-burdens on our teachers. We take that seriously all the time.

”

– Frank Narducci

Of course, this makes no sense.” Sheridan said she was told she would need permission slips to teach any subject material if the author was a member of the LGBTQ+ community. District officials immediately said that was incorrect. Sheridan said she also received notice in a district email that she would need a permission slip if any character in a work

“At no point, I can tell you, that when we were deciding how to address this policy, which is based on legislation, at no time was it that we should not be addressing or learning about LGBTQ in our community,” said Dr. Craig Gilbert, the assistant superintendent of secondary education. Gilbert told the speakers if they have concerns now, they should check out

what the Legislature is working on this year because he said they are looking to build on what they passed last year. “We’re not asking our teachers to stop teaching what they are teaching,” Gilbert said. “The issue with this policy has to do with the permission slip, not to stop teaching. … We have to put in policy because of the legislation.” Superintendent Frank Narducci said the public needs to pay attention to what the Legislature is passing because they have little choice but to follow the law once it becomes statute. “It doesn’t matter who writes a book, if it’s great literature, it will be read,” Narducci said. “We are not going to destroy classics. There was some confusion … if we went past what needed to happen. We definitely need to look at the impacts and that we do not put ultra-burdens on our teachers. We take that seriously all the time.” Katie Nash, the president of the Chandler Education Association that represents teachers in the district, said the communication for the rollout of this new policy could have been better. “Unfortunately, I think the district … the communication, the roll out of it, the delivery of it, wasn’t well done,” Nash said. “There probably should have been a staff meeting to explain to people what it is and how to implement it in their classes. Unfortunately, it was sent as an email with attachments saying please use this permission slip.” Nash said that some teachers may have gone too far in implementing the policy to “cover their butts.”

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THE SUNDAY SANTAN SUN NEWS | FEBRUARY 13, 2022

Basha High senior gives scholarships to teachers BY KEN SAIN Staff Writer

A Basha High School senior says her biggest worry when she decided to give scholarships to teachers was not trying to raise the money, but wondering if anyone would apply. “For me, the more intimidating thing was, ‘I don’t know if anyone’s going to apply.' I was praying just like one person, please apply so I can actually do the project.” There was no reason for Jadyn Ocampo to fret. She left the application window open for two weeks and 34 Chandler Unified School District teachers applied for the Al and Laurie Ocampo Scholarship. The Gilbert resident said she wanted to raise money for teachers for her senior project because she has seen how the student loans teachers take out to get their degrees can take decades to pay off. Both her parents are teachers. “My mom faces student debt. I lived with her in Flagstaff when she was in grad school at NAU, and I see her 10 years later like still paying for that degree. I was like, ‘I know that affects a lot of educators.” Jadyn was hoping to raise $1,000 to give to one teacher when she first started the project. She ended up raising more than $4,000 on a GoFundMe page. She decided to award three $1,000 scholarships and four $300 scholarships. “I was moved by all the stories,” Jadyn said. “There are three stories that really stood out to me.”

Basha High senior Jadyn Ocampo said her parents are both teachers and both have college debt, so she started a scholarship fund for Chandler Unified School District to help them out. (David Minton/Staff Photographer)

Jadyn said she knows that with the money she awards, the teachers won’t pay off their student loans, but she hopes it will help them make at least one payment. Those three teachers were Yolanda Jones of Navarette Elementary, Hunter Wilkes of CTA Independence and Eric Bealer at Hamilton High School. Jadyn said Jones’ story touched her because she’s a full-time teacher who heads home each day before she goes to her second job at Chick-fil-A. On top of that,

she’s a graduate student who hopes one day to be a principal at a Navajo school. She said she identified with Wilkes because they are both athletes. Jadyn plays tennis and Wilkes came within an inch of qualifying for the Olympics in the pole vault. To train for a shot at the Olympics, she spent an extra year at her university, which just added to the debt she had already amassed. Bealer has six children – the same number as Jadyn’s grandparents, after whom

she named her scholarship fund. Two of Bealer’s children have medical needs. “I guess the key thing with all those teachers, is like, despite their hard things, they’re still so excited to go to work,” Jadyn said. Getting the $300 scholarships were Anna Zepada of San Marcos, Vanessa Randall of Hamilton, Amber Lugo of Conley and Andrew Pezzuto of Santan. After more donations came in on Ocampo’s GoFundMe page. She now has enough to hand out about six more $300 scholarships. She said she may have to wait until March to do that, because she’s already missed too much school on this project. Jadyn said when she first started trying to decide which teachers to award the scholarships to, she made an initial cut to 15. From there, she picked the seven that ultimately got money. Jadyn said she will look at the eight she didn’t choose from that initial cut to find the next six. And she hopes to keep this going. “I really feel like I can go somewhere with this,” Jadyn said. “I would love to start a foundation. I mean, I’m 17 and I have to worry about paying for college right now. But I would love to do this again next year.”

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To donate to the Al and Laurie Ocampo Scholarship, search GoFundMe. com by “Ocampo Scholarship.”

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THE SUNDAY SANTAN SUN NEWS | FEBRUARY 13, 2022

Chandler 911 operators get special training for kids BY KEN SAIN Staff Writer

Chandler is one of only three Valley police departments that gives its dispatch officers extra training to help them deal with missing children. Communications Director Michelle Potts said it’s easy to see why Chandler PD makes it a priority. “These are our children,” Potts said. “The children of our community matter, and I think that we have a responsibility, to our community in general, but especially have a responsibility to the most vulnerable in our community, and I think our children are some of those.” Chandler renewed its membership in the Missing Kids Readiness Program sponsored by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in January and has belong to the program since 2012. Potts said operators have seen the value of that extra training. “We had one call where a little boy went missing,” Potts said. “One of our call takers specifically asked, ‘Is he prone to anything specific, or drawn to wander toward a specific location?’ And the mom said, ‘yes, he likes this one park.’ And the call taker said, ‘Does he like water?’ And she said yes. So, we went and looked on a map, we found bodies of water and the officers were able to go to those bodies of water and we did find him close to the water. That was a real great success story.” Potts said the training mostly fo-

calling “9-1-1,People they call in

crisis, In everyday communication, we’re thinking critically and we’re thinking rationally. When people call 9-1-1 they’re not thinking critically, and so this training really provides us a way, to guide those questions to help people to answer the questions we need.

”

– Michelle Potts

Chandler Police Communications Director Michelle Potts said it’s important that 911 operators have extra training in dealing with children. (David Minton/Staff Photographer)

cuses on what questions 911 operators need to ask when a caregiver tells them a child is missing. “This certification, which offers the

most thorough training for telecommunicators in our industry, and I think it shows our community that we’re devoted to protecting the children in our community,” she said. “It’s additional training, it shows really start to finish what is needed for every second along the way where we

can make sure that we’re dotting every I and crossing every T in asking all the questions when we receive that first call that comes in.” Potts said when they get a call about a missing child they have no way of knowing if it’s a serious emergency, or just a child has stayed too late at a friend’s house. “We don’t know, we never know,” Potts said. “And that’s the value of know what questions to ask as soon as possible. We have to ask the parents those critical questions. … We never know exactly what we’re dealing with, and that’s why we treat it as urgent as possible right from the very beginning.” Besides Chandler, Mesa and the Gila River Indian Community also have law enforcement communications offices that are certified. Potts said there’s not a lot of cost to get certified, just the annual application fee. However, there is a cost as far as devoting the time for staff to get the training needed. “It is an investment of time,” she said. “It’s time, and training, and certification. We have to align our policies and it takes time.” “People calling 9-1-1, they call in crisis,” she said. “In everyday communication, we’re thinking critically and we’re thinking rationally. When people call 9-1-1 they’re not thinking critically, and so this training really provides us a way, to guide those questions to help people to answer the questions we need.”

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THE SUNDAY SANTAN SUN NEWS | FEBRUARY 13, 2022

House Speaker protects election results from Legislature BY HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services

The top House Republican is unilaterally quashing legislation that would have given lawmakers the power to reject election returns. Strictly speaking, Speaker Rusty Bowers of Mesa told Capitol Media Services on Wednesday that he is not killing HB 2596. That’s something he could do by simply refusing to assign it to any committee to be considered. Instead, Bowers last week took the unprecedented step of assigning the proposal by Rep. John Fillmore, R-Apache Junction, to each and every one of the 12 House committees, saying he knows full well there is no way it can secure approval of each of them. The maneuver drew an angry reaction from Fillmore, who complained that “his highness’’ was abusing his powers in deep-sixing a measure that has the support of 14 other Republicans in the Legislature – including Gilbert Rep. Jake Hoffman. “He does things like he’s God,’’ Fillmore said of the speaker, ignoring the will of other GOP lawmakers. But Fillmore acknowledged he doesn’t have the votes to oust Bowers as speaker and install someone who would allow a full debate on the plan. “Sometimes there are a great many of the legislators (who) don’t have the intestinal fortitude to do what is right,’’ he told Capitol Media Services.

House Speaker Rusty Bowers consoles Apache Junction Rep. John Fillmore after essentially killing Fillmore’s bill to give the Legislature the power to overturn election results. Fillmore said Arizona “needs to get back to 1958-style voting." (Capitol Media Services.

Fillmore’s legislation is a grab-bag of changes to election laws. It would: • Repeal laws allowing anyone to get an early ballot, saying only those with an excuse, like being hospitalized, would get that right; • Bar all other forms of early voting, requiring that ballots be cast only on election day; • Prohibit the use of Election Day voting centers available to anyone within a county, restricting people to cast

ballots only in their home precinct. “We need to get back to 1958-style voting,’’ Fillmore said. But the provision that alarmed Bowers and some others would have required the legislature to call itself in special session after every election to review the ballot tabulating process for both the primary and general elections. More to the point, it would permit lawmakers to “accept or reject the election returns,’’ with the latter option paving

the way for anyone to file suit to seek a new election. That, Bowers told Capitol Media Services, is unacceptable. “We gave the authority to the people,’’ he said. “For somebody to say we have plenary authority to overthrow a vote of the people for something we think may have happened, where is it?’’ Bowers said of the unproven and unverified claims made by those seeking a new vote. And he said that an audit of Maricopa County election returns ordered by Senate President Karen Fann has not produced any evidence that, as some have suggested, the election was stolen from Donald Trump. “The point is, when we gave fundamental rights to the people, I don’t care if I win or lose, that right was theirs,’’ Bowers said. “And I’m not going to go back and kick them in the teeth.’’ The speaker also said he could not go along with another provision which would have scrapped the current system of having ballots tabulated by machine, replacing that with a hand count of the all the votes cast, a figure that in 2020 exceeded 3.4 million. Bowers acknowledged there are those within his own party who continue to insist that the last election was rigged despite the lack of any proof provided by proponents of that charge. See

ELECT on page 21 SCAN FOR

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THE SUNDAY SANTAN SUN NEWS | FEBRUARY 13, 2022

Around Chandler The city of Chandler is accepting nominations through Feb. 28 for its annual Volunteer Recognition Awards program. The traditional breakfast to honor the volunteers will not be held again this year. However, the city is promising a unique surprise for those chosen. To nominate someone, visit chandleraz.gov/volunteer100.

Innovation Fair slated Saturday in downtown Chandler

The City of Chandler and Chandler Unified School District will hold the annual Chandler Innovation Fair 10 a.m.3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 19, at 178 E. Commonwealth Ave., downtown. The hands-on, free event will feature more than 65 exhibitors demonstrating the basics of science and the impact it has on your daily life. There will be plenty of hands-on activities as engineers and other working professionals, student makers and innovators showcase new experiments and science concepts. Event sponsor Northrop Grumman will launch a model rocket every hour and their scientists and engineers will have nearly 30 interactive activities on display. Northrop Grumman also will have a passport for kids to earn stamps as they complete each activity and win a prize. The City’s science competition returns for Chandler K–12 students and educational organizations

The Chandler Innovation Fair is part of the Arizona SciTech Festival, a statewide movement to promote and celebrate science in our daily lives and to earn recognition for Arizona as a science and technology hub. Information: chandleraz.gov/science.

Construction begins on 420 apartment homes on Frye

Construction has begun for a 420unit apartment complex on Frye and Ellis that will be called Town Chandler. The developer, The Related Group, says the first units should be available to rent in the summer of 2023. The project calls for outdoor spaces, amenities, and an upscale mid-century modern design. The developer is billing them as luxury homes.

Drum circles return to Chandler Public Library once a month

After an 18-month pause, the free drum circles at back at Chandler Public Library, thanks to AZ Rhythm Connection. The drumming will continue on the first Sunday of the month at 2 p.m. in the downtown library branch. A limited number of hand percussion instruments are available for those without their own instruments. Welcomed instruments include djembes, bongos, congas, tablas, tambourines, and other similar hand drums. The circle is open to all ages (under 12 must attend with a parent or guardian). Information: facebook.com/chan-

Attendees will enjoy a sampling of local food and beverages from Chandler restaurants prior to the speech. The speech will be available on demand at chandleraz.gov/StateoftheCity shortly afterwards.

Chandler Sports Hall of Fame plans induction ceremony

Bridge lessons to be offered in Sun Lakes next month

At 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 19, at Hamilton High School auditorium, the accomplishments of seven athletes, coaches, and athletic administrators will be celebrated at the Chandler Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony and luncheon. Inductees include: Dr. Camille Casteel, former Chandler Unified School District superintendent, tennis coach Phil Gonzales, basketball coach Greg Haagsma, football players Cole Luke and N’Keal Harry, basketball player Markus Howard, and softball player Sierra Rodriguez. Tickets are $15. Lunch to follow. Tickets: eventbrite.com/e/chandler-sportshall-of-fame-induction-ceremony-andluncheon-tickets-250307154437

An introduction to modern bridge’s fundamentals and some common conventions will be offer 9-11:15 a.m. every Monday March 7-April 18 in Cottonwood Country Club Room A7 in Sun Lakes. Cost is $70 plus textbooks that are available at a discount from the instructor. This class requires a minimum of eight participants to be registered by Feb. 26. “Boot Camp Bridge: Review the Basics” offers lessons on modern conventions such as Stayman, Jacoby and Blackwood. That will run 9-11:15 a.m. March 21-April 18. Cost is $50 plus textbooks. Contact Karin Hansen, karinhanse@ aol.com or 612-242-8593 to register or for more information.

Devorah Hadassah lists upcoming activities, events

State of City address to include concert, art contest

Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America, is a volunteer organization that inspires a passion for and commitment to the land, the people, and the future of Israel. Devorah

Mayor Kevin Hartke will deliver his annual State of the City in an event starting at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 17, at the Chandler Center for the Arts, 250 N. Arizona Ave.

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AROUND on page 21

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NEWS

THE SUNDAY SANTAN SUN NEWS | FEBRUARY 13, 2022

UA expanding presence here with online program BY KEN SAIN Staff Writer

The University of Arizona is expanding its presence in Chandler by opening up an online school across from City Hall. School officials, including President Robert Robbins, were on hand last week for the grand opening of the University of Arizona Global Campus, which has more than 28,000 students enrolled for online classes. The school will have about 80 employees working out of a Chandler office, mostly administrators and technical support workers, but possibly some teachers as well, UAGC President Paul Pastorek said. “Some of the teachers who lead other teachers will be housed here,” Pastorek said. “It’s administrative in nature, our technical operations will be here in Chandler as well.” UA began offering undergraduate courses in Chandler in the fall of 2018 as part of its 2+2 program, which allowed students to attend community college for two years then finish up their bachelor’s degree with two years at a location near them. UA holds its Chandler classes at the city’s community center. For now, UAGC is an independent institution that is affiliated with the University of Arizona. However, Robbins, the UA president, has said he wants to bring it into the university officially and

Chandler Mayor Kevin Hartke cut the ribbon for the University of Arizona Global Campus as university officials looked on during a ceremony Feb. 7. (David Minton/Staff Photographer)

The California attorney general filed a 2017 lawsuit against Ashford and its parent company Zovio, saying it engaged in false advertising and illegal business activity. The lawsuit claims

We serve really different kinds of communities,” “ he said. “We serve different kinds of programs right now. With the announcement we’re moving into the University of Arizona, we’re exploring just how we will be partners. We will be partners, whether we will be merged or not is yet to be decided.

”

– Francisco Meneses

has begun that process. That decision has been controversial. Professors at the Tucson school raised objections as a Faculty Senate meeting. UA bought the Global Campus school from Ashford University, which had a dubious record as a for-profit business.

they misled students to get them to enroll and then used illegal debt collection practices to get them to pay their bills. According to Inside Higher Ed, the University of Arizona purchased Ashford University for $1 in December of 2020.

However, as part of the agreement, UAGC will use Zovio for recruiting, financial aid, counseling, institutional support, information technology and academic support services. Zovio will get paid for that work plus get about a fifth of the school’s tuition and fee revenue. Gail Burd, UA’s Provost, said he’s not worried about Ashford’s woes. “The agreement that we have, all those liabilities fall onto the OPM, and not on to Ashford, or the University of Arizona Global Campus, or the University of Arizona,” Burd said. “Those liabilities are not our concern.” UAGC is currently certified. However, the certification body, Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior College and University Commission, placed a notice of concern on its accreditation status – meaning it is in danger of being found out of compliance. “We have had to focus on making sure, most importantly, that we are being responsible with students,” said Pastorek. “And we are being responsible to them in every domain: When we market to them, when we enroll them, when we educate them and when we graduate them. “We have made it our No. 1 mantra in our organization over the last year since we took over the operations of Ashford University that we would be different, it would be a new day, that there would be a student-centered, student-focused approach. I can’t speak to what happened before, but my job is to make sure that every day that every person who works on behalf of the university is student-centered, student-focused and doing it for the right reasons.” If UA does eventually welcome in the Global Campus as an official part of its organization, it would have two different online schools. Its Arizona Online was ranked No. 7 in the nation by the U.S. News and World Report and has more than 6,000 students.

Burd said they haven’t quite figured out how they will handle two different online schools should Global Campus officially become part of UA. “First, we need to research,” she said. “We need to figure out what other institutions have done that have worked, and decide for our institution what’s the best answer.” She pointed to Purdue adding online school Kaplan as an example. That become Purdue Global and that deal is very close to the same one UA made with Zovio. Kaplan provides many of the services to Purdue that Zovio does to UA, and also gets a slice of the tuition. Purdue did not offer any online education prior to its deal with Kaplan. However, Burd said they started to do so after and kept them separate. “That’s a model that looks attractive to me, so I want explore that, but others too.” Burd said that Kaplan had many of the same image problems that Ashford had when Purdue took it over. And she said they may ultimately decide to keep their online school separate instead of merging them, because they serve different audiences. “They’re two different missions,” Burd said. “These students, this faculty, have a very different mission, job, and approach than what we have at the University of Arizona. The University of Arizona primarily takes in 18-yearolds, there’s an online program that is very highly ranked … I think we can learn from each other and support each other.” Pastorek agreed. “We serve really different kinds of communities,” he said. “We serve different kinds of programs right now. With the announcement we’re moving into the University of Arizona, we’re exploring just how we will be partners. We will be partners, whether we will be merged or not is yet to be decided.”

THE SUNDAY SANTAN SUN NEWS | FEBRUARY 13, 2022

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treat your neuropathy three factors must be determined. 1) What is the underlying cause? 2) How much nerve damage has been sustained. NOTE: Once you have sustained 95% nerve loss, there is likely nothing that we can do for you. 3) How much treatment will your condition require? The treatment that is provided at Aspen Medical has three main goals.

The amount of treatment needed to allow the nerves to fully recover varies from person to person and can only be determined after a detailed neurological and vascular evaluation. As long as you have not sustained at least 95% nerve damage there is hope! Aspen Medical will do a chronic pain and neuropathy severity examination to determine the extent of the nerve damage as a public service to you and/or your family and friends. This neuropathy/pain severity examination will consist of a detailed sensory evaluation, extensive peripheral vascular testing, and a detailed analysis of the findings of your neuropathy.

1) Increase blood flow 2) Stimulate and increase small fiber nerves 3) Decrease brain-based pain

As you can see in Figure 2, as the blood vessels that surround the nerves become diseased they shrivel up which causes the nerves to not get the nutrients to continue to survive. When these nerves begin to “die” they cause you to have balance problems, pain, numbness, tingling, burning, and many additional symptoms. The main problem is that your doctor has told you to just live with the problem or try the drugs which you don’t like taking because they make you feel uncomfortable. There is now a facility right here in Mesa that offers you hope without taking those endless drugs with serious side effects. (See the special neuropathy severity examination at the end of this article) In order to effectively

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NEWS

THE SUNDAY SANTAN SUN NEWS | FEBRUARY 13, 2022

Mesa Temple already setting stage for Easter BY PAUL MARYNIAK Executive Editor

After a two-year hiatus, the popular Easter Pageant at the Mesa Arizona Temple is returning in April in such a big way that preparations already are underway. During the second week of January, a 50-ton crane placed six 55-foot light towers and since then, other cranes have been used to help erect the 45-foot-tall – or four-story – stage for the free show, which will be presented at 8 p.m. April 6-9 and April 12-16. Even though Lent won’t begin for another month, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has a big reason for laying the groundwork for a pageant that dates back to 1938, when it was a modest sunrise service that gradually evolved into an evening event beginning in 1977. “This is a very different production from its humble beginnings as a sunrise service in 1938,” said Jill Adair, communications director for Mesa Temple events. “On that Easter morning, young men and women of the Mesa Maricopa Stake hosted a statewide convention, and the culminating event of this festive weekend was an Easter Sunrise Service on the grounds of the temple. From that time on, it became an annual event and a beloved community tradition, moving from sunrise to an evening production in 1977.” Canceled the last two years while the temple and its grounds underwent an exhaustive renovation, the pageant prom-

A 50-ton crane earlier this month helped put in place six four-story light towers around what will be the stage for the Mesa Arizona Temple’s celebrated Easter Pageant in April. (Photo by Richard Webb)

ises to be bigger – no small feat for what church spokeswoman Jennifer Wheeler said is already recognized as the world’s largest annual outdoor Easter pageant, drawing tens of thousands of people. Some aspects of the show remain unchanged. There is still a cast of about 400 men, women and children presenting the life of Jesus Christ. They’ll be wearing the same costumes others have worn in past presentations.

But organizers also are adding a number of new features – some of which they are keeping under wraps for now. Indeed, among the upgrades is a new script and score written by writer-composer Rob Gardner, a Gilbert resident who has written and directed a number of works for stage and screen and most recently directed the movie “Lamb of God – The Concert Film.” He and pageant creative director Jenee Prince were in England last weekend

to record the new score with the London Symphony Orchestra. “It’s been an intense last few months taking on the weighty task of writing a new soundtrack for the Easter Pageant,” Gardner said. “But the writing is done and I’m excited to record with the London Symphony Orchestra. Making music with them is always a thrilling experience, they bring such artistry and power to everything they perform.” Local singers and narrators will be recorded here. This week, work is getting underway on props and their operation – an area that Steve West, Temple Events Committee executive director, wasn’t about to discuss in detail. But he hinted that whatever in store will amaze audiences. “I can’t give away too much,” West said. “We want to premier this and be new to the world.” “Essentially, it’s a little different this year,” added West, who has been involved with the pageant for 10 years. “We’ve been designing the props for the last couple of months.” He said the next month will give stage managers a chance to work with the props so that scenes change flawlessly. “All of that is going to be happening for about four weeks before the actual performers come and begin to rehearse,” he said. “We have local volunteers who help See

TEMPLE on page 22

Faith leaders want Super Bowl moved from Arizona BY JEREMIAH SOSA Cronkite News

Faith leaders from around the country are calling for the NFL to move the 2023 Super Bowl out of Arizona, citing several bills they characterize as voter suppression. “We all would love for Arizona to see that kind of revenue, to bring that many people here to invest in our state, but I think there are times where you can’t remain silent, and this is the time where money has to not supersede morality,” said the Rev. Dontá McGilvery, pastor of Outreach and Justice at First Institutional Baptist Church in Phoenix. “We have to show that money cannot be more important than people,” McGilvery said. “And right now, the most important thing is voting rights and how our government is restricting that.” The Rev. Stephen A. Green, Chair of Faith for Black Lives in New York, created a petition addressed to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell calling for Super Bowl LVII to be moved from Arizona, which is scheduled for Feb. 12, 2023, in Glendale. It now has over 200 signatures from faith leaders, including the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr., and Bishop William Barber II. “As the NFL has recently considered relocating Super Bowl LVII because of COVID-19, we, as faith leaders, ask you to consider relocating Super Bowl LVII from Arizona because of another disease: the disease of racism, and par-

The last time the Super Bowl landed in Arizona was 2015 and Phoenix rolled out the red carpet. (Cronkite file photo by Aimee Cash)

ticularly, its symptom of voter suppression,” the petition said. The bills in question include SB 1003 would limit the amount of time voters have to fix a signature on a mail-in ballot, and SB 1485, which would remove voters from the Permanent Early Voting List of people who automatically receive mail-in ballots if they failed to vote in consecutive election cycles. Of the 200-plus signatures from faith leaders, 36 live in Arizona. One is the Rev. Aubrey L. Barnwell, a pastor at First New Life Church in Phoenix.

“The reason I signed (the petition) was because of the persistence we have to go through to actually get visibility and to realize how critical it is for those of us who are in leadership, specifically faith and the connection between voting rights and people having access to the polls,” Barnwell said. However, Barnwell, along with the other faith leaders in Arizona who signed the petition, have seen a major pushback from those who want to keep the Super Bowl in Arizona, in large part due to the significant economic impact

that the event would provide to the Phoenix metropolitan area. During the 2015 Super Bowl, which was held in Glendale, the greater Phoenix area saw a $719 million economic impact, according to a study from Arizona State University’s W.P. Carey School of Business. That was up over $200 million from the $500 million the area saw during the 2008 Super Bowl. This is familiar territory for Arizonans. In 1993, Arizona was set to be the home of Super Bowl XXVII, an event that was estimated to generate between $200 million to $250 million in economic revenue for the state. However, after Arizona voters failed to approve a 1990 proposition that would have made Martin Luther King Jr. Day a state paid holiday, the NFL and its commissioner at the time, Paul Tagliabue, decided to move the game from Tempe to Pasadena, California. A spokesperson for Gov. Doug Ducey released a statement that said, “The benefits, both direct and indirect, for businesses large and small are tremendous. It’s an opportunity to put Arizona on full display across the country. It is unfathomable why anyone would want to deny Arizona these benefits and this opportunity. … To call on the NFL to not bring the Super Bowl to Arizona over a bill that may not get out of comSee

SUPER BOWL on page 21

NEWS

THE SUNDAY SANTAN SUN NEWS | FEBRUARY 13, 2022

AROUND

from page 17

Hadassah is the Southeast Valley chapter. It invites women to join. Information: Eliana Bar-Shalom at 860-377-7126 or ebarshalom.eb@gmail.com. The first Monday of each month is “Out to Lunch” that the group hoopes to resume in April. The second Wednesday of each month is Literary Ladies, on Zoom. at 1:30 p.m. The third Wednesday of the month is a collection of non-perishable food for Jewish Family & Children’s Services.

ELECT

from page 16

And he said he is willing to consider changes in law designed to protect the right to vote and protect against cheating. For example, he has allowed bills to go forward that alter the early voting process or increase identification requirements. But Bowers said he’s not willing to go along with “capricious’’ alterations to

SUPER BOWL

from page 20

mittee is beyond belief.” In 2021, Major League Baseball pulled its All-Star game out of Atlanta and moved it to Denver due to what some said was a restrictive voting law against

displays of artifacts and memorabilia, tours of vintage railcars and a large sale of railroad books, magazines, and timetables. Food and beverages will be available for purchase. The Arizona Railway Museum is normally open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, September through May. It is closed during the summer. Information: azry-museum.org or call 480-821-1108.

Angry Crab Shack and Forty8 Live!

plan to help Chandler residents have a small taste of Mardi Gras with a Southwest Cajun Fest planned for Feb. 26. It will take place from 2 to 9 p.m. at A.J. Chandler Park. In addition to seafood, there will also be entertainment, a live alligator petting zoo, jugglers and brass marching bands. Tickets are $12 online and $20 at the door. Children 12 and younger are free. Admission price does not include food or beverages. The money raised will be donated to Greater Cause Foundation, which raises funds for a number of Arizona charities.

the law that are supported by “people of that ilk, the screaming, demanding, arrogant, self-righteous bunch.’’ And the speaker said it is his job to stand up and say ‘no,’ even when others cannot –or will not. “I would say that most Republicans don’t like it that way,’’ he said. “They’re just intimidated by these people.’’ Killing Fillmore’s bill, Bowers said, “is just a message.’’ Fillmore told Capitol Media Services he isn’t buying arguments by election

officials who say that machine counts are more accurate. Nor was he swayed by the fact that current law already requires there be a hand count of ballots from selected precincts to compare that tally with what the machines registered. Bowers said that in assigning HB 2596 to all 12 committees, he actually is giving Fillmore what he wants: the chance for one or more hearings. That, the speaker said, could not have occurred if he refused to refer it to any committee

at all. But Bowers made it clear that there is no way this bill would ever become law. He gets that power not just by virtue of being the speaker and deciding what bills are put up for votes of the full House. There are only 31 Republicans in the 60-member chamber. And with no Democrats in support, that means a single GOP vote against it – including his – would kill it if it even got that far.

people of color in Georgia. That decision was inspiration for Green when he was creating his petition. “It definitely inspired it in understanding that sporting teams and sporting corporations have a role to play in protecting our democracy,” he said. “Major League Baseball’s move

to suddenly move the All-Star game from Georgia I think suggests that it is possible to move the Super Bowl game from Arizona.” When asked if he expects the NFL to respond to the petition, Green said, “We do. You know, we will continue to escalate our ask, and our movement

until they do.” Part of Green’s plan to escalate his movement is to hold a rally called “I Love Democracy” on Feb. 14 in Glendale. “We will hold a press conference in a rally to prove how serious we are about this effort to move the Super Bowl from Arizona,” Green said.

Arizona Railway Museum slates open house Feb. 26

Train lovers, history buffs and people of all ages are invited to climb aboard and explore the glory days of local and long-distance travel on America’s railways during Arizona Railway Day in Chandler 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Feb. 26 at the Arizona Railway Museum, 330 E. Ryan Road. The free public event is hosted each year by volunteers of the museum, located in the southwest corner of Chandler’s Tumbleweed Park. Arizona Railway Day will include

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TEMPLE

NEWS

from page 20

us install the speakers and monitor the sound and the lights,” West said. “But we also have professionals who come and are actually employees of the church who help us.” “But with the updating of the script and the score, that’s also required some slight modifications to some of the lighting and the sound system.” West, Easter Pageant Committee Chairman Matt Riggs and about 100 volunteers also have been busy with the arduous task of finishing up the stage – which will now be on the temple’s east

THE SUNDAY SANTAN SUN NEWS | FEBRUARY 13, 2022

side, facing the re-done temple grounds where 9,000 folding chairs will be set out for pageant spectators at 525 E. Main St. Although West wasn’t certain of the light towers’ weight, he said they were heavy enough to require the 50-ton crane. Besides the four light towers resting in the “bowl,” two more will stand at the north and south ends of the stage – a gift from another temple in Utah. “Those are improvements over what we had,” West said. “We had light towers before that were actually affixed to the stage… So that helps us to have light that we can project out into the crowd or even more back onto the stage – either way.”

The stage itself “is sort of a hybrid of the old and new” and has been reconfigured so that there’s more surface area for the cast. Parts of that stage were made by Gallagher Staging and Manufacturing in California while other parts are stored in a giant warehouse on Southern Avenue in Mesa. The stage was new enough that in 2019, it was set up and given a trial run before landscaping was completed “so that we could make sure we had the right locations” for massive concrete footings that had to be poured,” West explained. The steel foundations are bolted to those footings, the biggest of which have specially developed trays for dirt and

grass that are used when the stage is dismantled, hiding most of the concrete. As for the content of the presentation itself, West said “90% of it is drawn from the King James Version of the Bible.” “With any production,” he added, “you have to take some liberties because you have to make things transition (on stage), but we’ve tried very diligently to make this so that it has appeal to a wide Christian audience.” And that goes right to the purpose of why organizers go through all this work, said Prince, explaining, “Our purpose is to bring others closer to the Savior. We want others to get to know Him, to feel His love and to feel more hope and peace.”

Chandler helping people file their income taxes SANTAN SUN NEWS STAFF

The City of Chandler is partnering with Mesa United Way for its Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program to help working families who earned less than $58,000 in 2021 with free tax preparation and filing services. There are seven tax preparation sites located in Chandler that are currently operating through April 14. Free tax assistance will be available either of the sites by either walking in or by appointment. Appointments can be scheduled online at chandleraz.gov/VITA, selecting your preferred location site and checking date and time availability. Residents also may email vita@mesaunitedway. org for an appointment or call 480-8342122 (please leave only one message.)

•A ZCEND Chandler, 345 S. California St., 4–7 p.m. Tuesdays •B uddhist Tzu Chi Foundation, 2133 W. Elliot Road, 9 a.m. to noon Saturdays, by appointment only. • Chandler-Gilbert Community College, Pecos Campus, 2626 E. Pecos Road, Cholla Hall, Room CHO-106, 6–8 p.m. Wednesday •C GCC - Sun Lakes Center, 25105 S. Alma School Road, Sun Lakes, 10 a.m. to noon Fridays. To schedule an appointment, call 480-895-9270, ext.113. This site will be closed on March 18. handler CARE Center, 777 E. Galves•C ton St., noon–4 p.m. Fridays; 9 a.m. to noon Saturdays, by appointment only. Closed Feb. 19, March 19 and 26. • F irst Credit Union, 25 S. Arizona Place, Suite 111, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesdays, by

appointment only. • S alvation Army, 85 E. Saragosa St., 6–9 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. Interpreters also are available at some sites to assist Spanish-speaking residents. All volunteers are certified with the Internal Revenue Service and have completed the VITA training program. When visiting a VITA site for free tax preparation, residents must bring several items with them including W-2 forms, photo identification, Social Security cards (including those of all dependents) and more. Applicants should to review the complete list of what to bring at chandleraz.gov/VITA. Residents are encouraged to view the complete list of what to bring at chandleraz.gov/VITA. The website also has locations of other East Val-

ley VITA sites serving the community through Chandler’s partnership with Mesa United Way. Face masks are required and no more than two people can attend an appointment. The Downtown Chandler Library is hosting AARP Tax-Aide now through April 18 to help taxpayers file personal tax returns for free. Appointments are available 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Thursday; and 3–7 p.m. Wednesday, and reservations are required. Information: chandlerlibrary. org/research-taxes. Information: chandleraz.gov/ VITA or mesaunitedway.org/volunteer-income-tax-assistance. People also can contact Don Jensen at 480-8342113, or Lauren Koll at 480-782-4358 with questions or concerns.

THE SUNDAY SANTAN SUN NEWS | FEBRUARY 13, 2022

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Cactus League on the ropes for 3rd straight year BY KEN SAIN Staff Writer

Spring is coming, but it appears Cactus League baseball will be delayed. Pitchers and catchers are scheduled to start reporting on Valentine’s Day, but instead of peanuts and Cracker Jacks baseball fans will likely get broken hearts. A labor dispute is threatening the Cactus League season. At this paper's deadline, MLB owners were reporting to be planning a delay, making 2022 the third straight year that Spring Training Season in Arizona suffered. “The Cactus League is the crown jewel of Arizona tourism,” said Kim Sabow, president and CEO of the Arizona Lodging and Tourism Association. “There is most definitely a ripple effect that permeates our entire economy.” Baseball owners locked out players once the previous collective bargaining agreement expired on Dec. 2. MLB Players Association leaders have said they gave up too much in the most recent agreements and they are determined to get some of that back. The Associated Press reported that the average salary for Major League Baseball players has dropped from about $4.1 million in 2018, to $4.05 million in 2019, to $3.89 million in 2020 (based on a whole season). The median MLB salary last year was down 6% from where it was in 2017. AP

Discord between team owners and the Major League Baseball players union threatens to throw a wrench into the 2022 Spring Training season, leaving venues like Sloan Field in Mesa empty for the third consecutive season after two seasons were ravaged by the pandemic. (file photo)

says the last time salaries were this low was in 2015. Owners, however, don’t want to give up their gains. Both sides are hoping that as financial pressure builds, either in the form of missed paychecks or gate receipts, the other side will be more willing to compromise. However, for that to happen, spring training and possibly regular season games would have to be postponed.

That’s not good news for people in the Valley who rely on Spring Training to bring in tourism dollars and boost the local economy. The W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University estimated the 2019 Cactus League season generated over $644 million in economic impact. That number dropped significantly in 2020 after the

pandemic forced an early end to Spring Training on March 12. The business school estimates the economic impact that shortened season fell to only $363 million that year. “The pinch we’re feeling is that we’re not able to distribute as much money out to youth sports,” said Steve Adams, the president of the Hohokams nonprofit group, which handles parking at both Mesa ballparks. “We’ve earned enough money for the past two years to basically cover our operating costs, but didn’t have any left over for youth sports,” Adams said. He said that wasn’t necessarily a problem in 2020 because most youth sports leagues were shut down by the pandemic. However, pandemic-driven limits on attendance in 2021 did hurt youth sports teams last year. Most parks limited the number of fans to about a fifth of capacity to promote social distancing. And it appears it will be the labor issues that threaten this Cactus League season. “We have more than 2,000 volunteers who put in about 100,000 volunteer hours each year,” said Cactus League Executive Director Bridget Binsbacher. Binsbacher said another shortened Spring Training season will definitely See

CACTUS on page 27

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THE SUNDAY SANTAN SUN NEWS | FEBRUARY 13, 2022

Federal appelate court rejects SRP antitrust defense BY HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services

A major Arizona utility can be held liable for violating antitrust laws through its policies of charging higher rates for electricity to its customers who choose to install rooftop solar panels, a federal appeals court ruled last week. In a unanimous decision, a threejudge panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals rejected arguments by Salt River Project that its activities and pricing structure are protected by various state and federal laws. The judges said there is sufficient evidence that can show the price structure was designed to deter the competitive threat of solar energy systems and force consumers to exclusively purchase electricity from SRP. The Jan. 31 ruling does not end the matter, sending the case back to a trial judge who will determine the extent of the utility’s conduct and the damages to SRP customers. Jean Su, director of the energy jus-

CACTUS

from page 26

hurt the Valley’s economy. “The trickle-down effect is significant, it’s very real,” she said. “Obviously, it’s been a tough time for everyone involved.” There are 10 Cactus League stadiums that host 15 teams. Hohokam Park and Sloan Park in Mesa are home to the Oakland A’s and Chicago Cubs, respectively. The Los Angeles Angels call Tempe’s Diablo Stadium home. There are two ballparks in Scottsdale, Salt River Fields is the home to the Diamondbacks and the Colorado Rockies. The San Francisco Giants train at Scotts-dale Stadium. The Milwaukee Brewers call Maryvale home. The Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago White Sox train in Phoenix. The two Ohio teams, the Cleveland Guardians and Cincinnati Reds, set up shop in Goodyear. The Seattle Mariners and San Diego Padres are based in Peoria and the Texas Rangers and Kansas City Royals play in Surprise. Sabow, the head of the state’s tourism association, pointed out the ASU study found that six out of 10 fans attending Cactus League games came from out of state. It also found that a third of them travel to other parts of Arizona. “I want to emphasize, we remain optimistic,” Sabow said. “When a decision is reached, this industry is ready to welcome everybody back. We’re looking forward to a 2022 Cactus League season. It would be devastating for the local economy if there isn’t one.” She’s not the only one remaining optimistic. “We’re definitely hopeful,” said Binsbacher, the Cactus League executive director. “We’re not part of those conversation, but we’re watching it closely.”

tice program for the Center for Biological Diversity, said the ruling makes clear that all utilities can be subject to anti-trust laws if their policies and practices which have not been approved by the commission result in deterring customers from investing in solar. “This is a game changer in the struggle to defend rooftop solar against utilities’ all-out war on clean, affordable,

which gave customers credit for excess power they generated that could be sold to others. That changed in 2014 when SRP adopted a new pricing plan which says that solar customers who still need to be hooked up to the utility for times when solar is not available can be charged up to 65% more than prior plans. Yet at the same time rates for non-solar customers

This is a game changer in the struggle to defend “rooftop solar against utilities’ all-out war on clean, affordable, climate-resilient energy. ”

– Jean Su

climate-resilient energy,’’ she said. “For the first time, a federal court has said utilities can be liable under antitrust laws if they attack rooftop solar,’’ Su said. “The future for renewable energy just got a light brighter.’’ An SRP spokesman said the ruling was at least a partial victory with certain claims having been dismissed. As to the rest, Scott Harelson said the company is confident that the rate plan “will be determined to have been rationally considered and adopted, and not in violation of any law or statute.’’ According to court records, SRP at one time encourage the use of solar energy systems, even to the point of adopting a “net metering’’ system

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went up about 3.9%. “Not surprisingly, applications for solar-energy systems in SRP territory decreased by between 50 and 96%,’’ wrote Judge Eric Miller for the appellate panel. That resulted in a lawsuit by several SRP customers who said it discriminates against customers who use solar energy system and makes it impossible for them to obtain any viable return on the solar systems they install, “thereby eliminating any competition from solar energy.’’ A lower court threw out the complaint, resulting in this appeal. But Miller said that ruling was in error and flew in the face of what the trial judge herself decided. “By the district court’s own logic,

solar-energy systems are uneconomical, at least in part, because of SRP’s exclusionary conduct,’’ Miller wrote. The utility attempted to argue that the customers could not allege antitrust injury because they still attempted to use the market alternative that they claim SRP tried to make uneconomical. Miller said that misstates the law. “Coercive activity that prevents its victims from making free choices between market alternatives gives rise to antitrust injury,’’ the appellate judge wrote. He said it is not necessary for someone to first prove that all competition has been driven out of the market. “Rather, the plaintiff need only show that diminished consumer choices and increased prices are the result of a less competitive market due to either artificial restraints or predatory and exclusionary conduct,’’ Miller said. And that, he said, is exactly what the customers claim: that they were directly and economically hurt by by the SRP pricing scheme which is aimed at suppressing competition by discouraging customers from installing solar-energy systems. “SRP cannot escape liability by portraying (the customers’) injury as mere collateral damage of its exclusionary conduct,’’ the judge wrote. The appellate court also rejected the company’s claim that it is entitled to immunity because of what is known as the “filed-rate doctrine.’’ It says if a rate has been approved by an agency that antitrust challenges cannot be brought.

THE SUNDAY SANTAN SUN NEWS | FEBRUARY 13, 2022

For more community news visit SanTanSun.com

Chandler woman gives birth to her retail dream BY PAUL MARYNIAK Executive Editor

Erin Dragoo made it out of school before COVID-19 hit. With a degree from Arizona State University’s Cronkite School of Journalism, the Chandler woman had her sights set on a career in web design and social media studies. But she also helped out at her mother-in-law’s 4-year-old Ocotillo boutique called Judy Wear. That experience gave her the retailer bug – and that itch blossomed last week into the grand opening of her own store, Lunch Money at 2430 S. Gilbert Road, Chandler. The store reflects a certain nostalgia that Dragoo has to the 1990s. Though born in 1990, she explained, “Fanny packs, baby tees, butterfly clips, oversized scrunchies, chokers, printed leggings – it just brings back some nostalgia for me.” Hence, she said her “entire store is curated” with an inventory that “took me three months of heavy research and online shopping.” “It’s carefully selected to ensure that everything goes together, that

Erin Dragoo last week cut the ribbon at the grand opening of her new Chandler store, called Lunch Money. (David Minton/Arizonan Staff Photographer)

everything is fun, that nothing is basic or ordinary,” Dragoo explained, stating that she also looks for handmade items to sell because “they make the most unique gifts for both the people we love and ourselves.”

So, Lunch Money brims with a variety of handmade wares: clay and resin earrings and hair clips, concrete phone holders, photo holders and soap dishes, hand-mixed confetti packets, candles, hand-painted blankets, sage bundles

and incense burners, resin bottle openers and wine glass holders, dried flower arrangements, wood flowers and wall hangings, paper machè bowls and animal head wall hangings “and some really cool art prints.” “I will say that I’m very picky,” Dragoo said. “I’ve had a few artists approach me about carrying their product and I’ve turned them down because it doesn’t go with the Lunch Money vibe. Of course, I also carry bigger brands like ban.do and Erin Condren because I have always loved their products, and I never dreamed that I would be able to sell them.” There are also tarot cards, funny greeting cards, planners and “so many cute gift items.” Dragoo’s playful approach – reflected even in her grand opening Feb. 1, when she cut a ribbon with giant pink scissors – also extends to the way she decorated Lunch Money: wild blackand-white floor tile, bright green walls and a flower wall for selfies. A Tucson native who has lived in Chandler for more than 10 years, Dragoo makes no secret of how working in See

LUNCH on page 30

Chandler man, 3 fellow alumni drawn to same firm SANTAN SUN NEWS STAFF

They attended the University of Wisconsin at different times, but have ended up working at the same Gilbert company, drawn by its commitment to reduce – if not eliminate –the use of single-use plastic packaging. And now, Jorgen Hamann, Brandon Moore, Collin Euteneuer and Roder Connell have embraced the ecological mission of Footprint, a molded fiber company occupying a 135,000-squarefoot building near Baseline Road and Hobson Street that develops and manufactures eco-friendly packaging. Headquartered in Gilbert, Footprint said its products have already led to a global redirection of 61 million pounds of plastic waste from entering the air, earth, and water working with leading global consumer brands like Walmart and Conagra. Recently, it became publicly listed on NASDAQ through a combination with Gores Holdings VIII, Inc. The combined company is expected to have a post-transaction total enterprise value of $1.6 billion. The four University of Wisconsin grads all went to its Stout campus, where close to 10,000 students are enrolled in what has been called that state’s polytechnic university. Hamann (Class of 2018) is a packaging engineer who lives in Tempe; Moore (Class of 1996) is vice president of design and lives in Mesa; Euteneuer (Class

Roder Connell

Jorgen Hamann

of 2015) is sales director and lives in Chandler; and Connell (Class of 2019), a Gilbert resident, is a platform engineer. All four men reflect a commitment to Footprint’s determination to reduce the disastrous impact plastic has had on human and environmental health. “Together, these UW-Stout alumni are fighting it head on by designing, engineering, and manufacturing plantbased fiber containers, bowls and trays that replace short-term use plastic,” a company spokeswoman said. Connell, who defines and manages the development path for new product launches, said he decided to major in plastics because it has become an increasingly more sought-after skill among corporations. “There will always be a need for packaging,” he said. “Every physical item

Brandon Moore

you buy comes in a package. There is an abundance of career opportunities for packaging majors.” Though he is the youngest of the four alumni, he interacts with them on a continual basis, tackling tasks together on projects with their individually define roles and responsibilities. Connell said he initially had figured he’d end up working in his native Wisconsin. But he was drawn in part to Footprints because of its mission. Indeed, at a job fair at the university, Connell said, “I did end up pitching my take on ‘The Benefits of Molded Fiber and the Danger of Single-Use Plastics.’ I had spent all night and morning rehearsing my pitch before the interview… and I guess I nailed it.” Moore joined Footprint partly out of his passion for design, creativity – and

Collin Euteneuer

the environment. “Footprint and having multiple patents have been great accomplishments so far,” he said. “In the future, I would love to see Footprint go into history as a company that helped change the world.” Like his three fellow alumni, Euteneuer says packaging offers a world of opportunity. But as Hamann noted, Footprint also offered an opportunity to do more than make a living. “Our mutual interest in living somewhere new and helping save the planet is likely what brought us together,” Hamann said. And they share a common goal, he added: “To continue taking steps to improve the planet we all live on and make it a better place for the next generations.”

BUSINESS

THE SUNDAY SANTAN SUN NEWS | FEBRUARY 13, 2022

Pooches can stay in luxury at new Chandler ‘dog hotel’ BY KEN SAIN| Staff Writer

When it comes to pets, many families are willing to pay a little extra to make sure they get the best. “It’s an extended member of the family,” Keith Nicholson said. Three years ago, when he was still living in New Jersey, Nicholson needed a place to board his two dogs. He came across K9 Resorts and loved the service so much, he’s bringing it to Chandler. The business offers dogs a luxurious experience for either overnight or day care service. At a dog resort, luxury means chandeliers, Italian tile flooring, intricate crown molding and baseboards for dogs. And that doesn’t include a private TV in some rooms. “Everybody coming in really sees their dog, and wants their dog to be treated like a member of their own family,” he said. “When you drop your dog off you know, you’re comfortable that you’re leaving them behind, and they’re fine.” K9 Resorts opened recently at 1870 W. Germann Road in a strip mall at its intersection with Dobson Road. It gives canines’ masters a few options to choose from. Top of the line is a luxury suite, which is a large private room with a TV running animal programs. There are only six luxury suites. There are also 44 executive suites that are 4’x7’ in size. All the luxury and

Left: The K9 Resorts Luxury Pet Hotel staff are ready to pamper pooches during their stay. Right: Keith Nicholson, owner of K9 Resorts Luxury Pet Hotel on Germann Road in Chandler, escorts Snoopy to the executive suite. (David Minton/Staff Photographer)

executive suites come with a Kuranda bed, which Nicholson says is one of the top brands available. For those whose dogs don’t need quite as much luxury, there is a compartment area for dogs that are used to being kept inside a container. The 27 units are not cages; they have a seethrough door. A single compartment is big enough for small dogs, but bigger dogs will probably need a double unit. There are also both indoor and outdoor play areas. So how much does this luxury cost?

A luxury suite goes for $85 a night, an executive suite is $65, a double compartment $55 and a single compartment $48. That’s for overnight service. It is possible to put multiple dogs in some spaces at a discounted rate for families with more than one dog. K9 Resorts also offers day care for either a half ($38) or full ($48) day. There are additional charges for baths, private play time with staff, treats, etc. Nicholson, a local accountant and real estate agent, said he’s been working

on bringing the first K9 Resort franchise to Arizona for about three years. “I like to keep myself busy,” Nicholson said. He said the demographics are right to open his business in Chandler. He also looked at some locations in Gilbert. But he settled on Chandler because of the location, which was in a residential area, close to the highway and on the way to the airport. See

K9RESORT on page 30

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from page 28

Judy Wear at 950 E. Riggs Road for more than three years only deepened her desire to run her own shop. “I began by helping her build her logo and brand identity,” she recalled. “Then I created her website and became her social media girl, posting every day for three years. But somewhere in there, I decided that I wanted to be a bigger part of her shop, so I also became the jewelry buyer. And I found that I loved doing that, more than I loved building websites and creating social media content. “I loved creating the displays and finding different ways to show off our product. I would find myself going to Judy Wear Boutique after hours just to change everything up. It was my play time, my happy place.” After working there so long, she said, “I was just starting to feel a little unfulfilled.” “I wanted something that resembled me, something all my own. My close friend, Alisa Moreno, sent me the Instagram page for a tiny little shop in San

K9RESORT

from page 29

To get ready for opening his business, Nicholson and his assistant manager, Kaila Gong, went to New Jersey for training. “We were immersed right in with the day care, taking care of, giving baths, feeding, everything,” Gong said.

Erin Dragoo decorated and styocked her new store, called Lunch Money, in an eclectic way that to some degree reflects her nostalgia for the 1990s. (David Minton/Arizonan Staff Photographer)

Diego called Simon Limon, owned by Alexandra Scarlett Perez Demma, and I just fell in love. I was inspired. I wanted my own Simon Limon. So I just decided to go for it.” As for the store’s name, that also is somewhat nostalgic for Dragoo. “When I was in high school, my mom would give me $20 at the beginning of

each week for lunch and expect that it would last until Friday,” she explained. “I never did use that money to buy lunch. Instead, I would take it to the mall and spend it on little knick knacks and clothes. That brought me so much more joy than eating lunch ever did. So, my store sells everything that I would want to spend my lunch money on. It’s

K9 Resorts is undergoing major national expansion. There are currently 16 locations on the company’s website, but some, like Chandler, are not open yet. Nicholson said there are plans to expand to 70 locations relatively soon. The first location opened in 2005. Americans spend a lot of money on

their dogs. The American Pet Products Association says consumers spend billions on their pets each year. Last year, that was $103.6 billion. It doesn’t break down how much of that goes to boarding, but it’s a relatively small slice. Boarding is combined with grooming, training, pet sitting and walking. Last

a compilation of everything that I love.” Now that she has opened, Dragoo has an interesting take on competition. “I’m not nervous about competing with the big chain stores,” she said. “I love the big chain stores. I think that just being a small business is a competitive edge in itself. I have found that more people want to support local businesses than chain stores as long as they provide the right product and excellent customer service. And I know that I have both of those going for me. “I’m also confident in the uniqueness of my products, like the handmade earrings and other goodies — you won’t see that at Target or any of the department stores. Also, Lunch Money is an experience. It’s almost sensory overload. It’s an absolute joy to come into my store; it’s more than just shopping. …Everything is bright and fun. Customers will always see me when they walk in and we’ll get to know each other, making it a much more intimate shopping experience.” Information: lunchmoneyaz.com, 480-622-4220.

year Americans spent $8.1 billion for these other services. Nicholson and Gong said they are both dog people. “I have a couple, well, I had a couple, one passed away,” Nicholson said. “Getting pressure to get another one at some point.”

Dinosaur store offers fossils, activities for kids BY MELODY BIRKETT Contributor

Walk into Christian Kaleta’s Mesa store, and you’ll be greeted by a sight you won’t find anywhere else in the retail world: Stan the Tyrannosaurus Rex, aka T. Rex, a $20,000 dinosaur skull replica. “That’s our most popular attraction,” said Kaleta, who owns Tyrannostorus at 1816 W. Baseline Road, adding a skull that big takes about four-to-six months to produce. “When you find a dinosaur or a cast, it’s a piece of art,” Kaleta said. “Whoever made that cast, owns the rights to that cast.” T. Rex is one of many imitation and real skulls of hippopotamuses, giraffes, warthogs, polar bears, grazing animals from Africa, alligators and other creatures that range in price from $99 to as much as $2,000. “I struggled with getting some of these (skulls) because we’re not a museum or university,” explained Kaleta. “I was told ‘no’ on some – that it’s not for the retail world but for education. Well, this is educational.” Skulls aren’t the only things for sale at Tyrannosaurus. “We have a full collection of dinosaur replicas such claws, teeth, thumb spikes, triceratops horn, raptor claws - all kinds of stuff kids go wild for as well as the full toy section with different species of dinosaur and prehistoric reptiles and mammals,” said manager Bryan Troglia. The store even carries a big basket of

“And, of course, my 12-year-old son has a major interest in this kind of stuff.” Kaleta also owns the Predators Reptile Center in the same shopping center. Since his background is in exotic animals, he thought opening a store Tyrannostorus would be a great fit. “We have a lot of educational stuff,” said Kaleta. “One of the biggest things with my son is everywhere we go, he loves museums and likes touching everything. That’s what kids do – they touch. “I wanted to build a place for him to not get yelled at. We encourage kids to come in to play and touch even the expensive stuff. That’s fine. I want them to get close and personal with T. Rex to bring that imagination together.” Another area of the store features some Skulls and parts of various prehistoric and other animals abound in Tyrannostorus in extinct mammals from the Ice Age and Mesa. (Melody Birkett/Contributor) many of the relics were found in Arizona, including remnants of cave bears, dire wolves, fossils and even real emeralds. coprolite, also known as dinosaur poo. the American lion and saber-tooth cat. “You can grab a $10 bag and the kids “Very fun for the kids,” Troglia said. The store also carries fossils such as can come to play for a half-hour to an “You can buy as much poo as you like.” ammonites, trilobites and shark teeth. hour and learn,” said Kaleta, calling it “We also have different pieces of A shark tooth runs around $19.99. Some an economical way to learn for families animals like their teeth and tusk,” said are still in the stone they were excavatwith several children. Troglia. “We have real warthog tusks, real ed from and retail for about $49.99. “I have a 12-year-old son and we’re alligator teeth and alligator tooth jewelry.” “The interesting thing about sharks always looking for something different The most popular activity is the is they don’t have skeletons; they’re all to do,” Kaleta said. “During the summer, cartilage,” explained Troglia. “The only sluice, according to Kaleta. Kids can we went to a fossil safari in Wyoming. dig for fossils and sift for treasure with thing you find is their teeth.” We had so much fun. We brainstormed purchased bags of sand. The store’s sea life section contains on the way back home.” They pour the sand into the sifting shark jaws, corals, seashells, barnacles, That’s what gave Kaleta the idea for trays, excavate it and then pull out stones replicas of a big 16-foot great white the store. He wanted kids here to have and gems. There are nine varieties of dirt shark as well as its teeth. You can buy a similar experience. for purchase ranging from $4.99 to $40. just a tooth or the whole jaw. “I’ve always had an interest in dinoSome bags have gems and minerals. Othsaur bones and fossils,” Kaleta added. er bags have arrowheads, seashells and See on page 31

REX

THE SUNDAY SANTAN SUN NEWS | FEBRUARY 13, 2022

Traditional IRAs can be a tax timebomb BY HAROLD WONG Guest Writer

Americans are not big savers. Prior to the last two COVID years, 7.78% of after-tax disposable income was the average savings rate for the 10-year period from 2010-2019., according to Statista 2022. People save for many reasons, but a big incentive is the immediate reduction in taxes from contributing to a traditional IRA, 401k, 403b, or 457 retirement plan. To simplify this article, we will call all tax-deferred retirement accounts IRAs. If you contribute $6,000 to an IRA and are in the 25% tax bracket, that saves you $1,500 in federal taxes for that tax year. If you contribute $19,500 (the maximum 401k contribution limit for 2020 and 2021 for those who are under age 50 and have at least this much of earned income) and you are in

REX

from page 30

“We also have a wide variety of fossil plates that have been excavated out of quarries up in Wyoming, South Dakota,” said Troglia. “Shrimp, little fish like mackerel-sized fish, little squid, all kinds of cool stuff.” Another section has model kits and authentic Arizona candies. “It’s the kind of stuff you remember getting at your elementary school field trips. We have all of that along with a Geo table and gem bag.” And there’s a wide selection of gemstones and precious metals such as bismuth, amethyst, citrine, agates and quartz. “But probably one of our most

the 30% combined federal and state tax bracket, you save $5,850 of income tax. At my many live seminars, I meet many who have been good savers and many engineers fall into this category. By the time they are 62, many have saved $1 million in traditional IRAs, and extra in non-qualified money (meaning not a traditional tax-qualified retirement plan). Suppose they contributed a total of $10,000 each year to their retirement plan from age 33 to 62, for a total of 30 years. Total contributions come to $300,000. If they were in an average 25% tax bracket, they would have saved a total of $75,000 of income tax. They rode the stock market roller-coaster and now have $1 million in their IRA. Congratulations! However, the $1 million is now a ticking tax time bomb because whenever you pull money out to enjoy in retirement, it’s fully taxed as ordinary income because it’s really deferred wages. Once you turn age 72, the IRS forces you to start annual Required Minimum Distri-

butions (RMDs), or distributions of part of your IRA. The RMD amount increases each year. If you have $1 million in your IRA at age 62, you only need a 7% compound average return for it to become $2 million at age 72. When you file your tax return for the year, you are shocked to find out that your first RMD is $72,993 ($2 million divided by 27.4 year life expectancy). If you always maintain $2 million, at 82, you have an 18.5-year life expectancy and so your RMD is $108,108. At 92, your life expectancy is 10.8 years and your RMD is $185,185. Suppose you and your wife died in a car crash any time starting at age 72 or older with $2 million in your IRA and you had two kids. If each kid inherits $1 million, it adds to whatever taxable income they have. Suppose their total tax bracket is 40% and they each owe $400,000 of income tax on the inherited IRA. You saved $75,000 of tax by contributing $300,000 to your 401k; and yet your

family pays $800,000 in total tax. Your family paid 10.67 times the tax that you saved. That’s why traditional IRAs are a ticking tax time bomb. The bigger your IRA becomes, the bigger tax burden occurs! The only solution to this tax problem, or the problem of taxable RMDs, is to do a Roth IRA Conversion. The next article, to be published in March, will cover how to convert your traditional IRA to a Roth IRA, with or without having to pay lots of income tax. Free seminar and lunch: Join Harold Wong at 10 a.m. Saturday Feb. 26 at Hyatt Place, 3535 W. Chandler Blvd., Chandler, for a free seminar followed by lunch catered by La Madeleine French Café. The topic is “Advanced IRA Strategies.” To schedule a free consultation: 480706-0177 or harold_wong@hotmail.com. Dr. Harold Wong earned his Ph.D. in economics at University of California/ Berkeley and has appeared on over 400 TV/radio programs. His website is drharoldwong.com.

popular specimen collections are our shadow box insects,” said Troglia. “They literally fly off the shelves but they’re also done by local artists which makes them unique to our store.” Shadow boxes start at $79.99 and go up to about $250. The butterfly palettes are done by a separate artist and range from $400-$500. “It’s fun not just for kids but for the entire family,” added Troglia. “When you come into our store, you always leave with something whether it’s something you purchase in the store or just a new piece of knowledge about natural history.” Kaleta notices that parents are just as excited as their kids when entering the store.

“It’s interesting to watch because the kids start to do the activities such as the sluice or the digging but then the parents make their way in,” said Kaleta. “And it’s interesting to watch the parents and kids interact,” he added. “Everything these days is electronic and hands-off. Kids are playing video games

and parents are working. This is a chance to come in, get together and learn together and that’s a lot of fun to watch.” Store hours are weekdays from 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sundays 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Information: tyrannostorus.com, 480-597-4467.

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THE SUNDAY SANTAN SUN NEWS | FEBRUARY 13, 2022

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Valley Christian basketball setting sights on gold ball BY ZACH ALVIRA Sports Editor

Greg Haagsma had to rebuild the entire boys’ basketball roster at Valley Christian heading into the 2021-22 season. The head basketball coach and school athletic director graduated 10 of the 12 players on a team that lost just one game all year. But that lone loss came during the playoffs, cutting short the Trojans’ bid for a 3A state title. Haagsma welcomed in a number of new players to the varsity level – four of which are freshman that see a considerable amount of playing time and have made a dramatic impact. He also welcomed in transfers Caleb and Luke Shaw from PHH Prep and Jaylen Lee from Canada. The result: Valley Christian is now one of the top teams in the state, let alone the 3A Conference. “We’re a little more athletic at the top this year,” Haagsma said. “We’ve had teams that were just as skilled. But when you combine all the different aspects of what makes a basketball team good, I would say this team probably has it in the athleticism category. That’s what makes them different from some of the teams in the past.” Valley Christian took the summer cir-

For us, sharing the “ basketball, sharing the

From left: Valley Christian sophomore Luke Shaw, senior Caleb Shaw and junior Jaylen Lee have been leaders for head coach Greg Haagsma’s program this season as they prepare to enter the playoffs as one of the top teams in 3A and the state. (Dave Minton/Staff)

cuit by storm, competing at a high level at Section 7, the massive multi-state tournament that returned this past year after being canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic. The Trojans faced a variety of out-of-state teams at State Farm Stadium and neighboring Kellis High School in Glendale for the tournament. They later went on to play in more

contests outside of Arizona in the fall to prepare for the winter Arizona Interscholastic Association season. Haagsma believes playing in multiple tournaments helped his team mature and build chemistry. Afterall, only one player from last year’s roster remained. Only one player – senior Austyn Gerard – was at the school when Valley Chris-

load I think is important, The other thing is capitalizing on how good we can be defensively. We’ve had the tendency at times to lapse defensively. You combine those things, we have an opportunity to do some damage at state.

”

– Greg Haagsma

tian won its most recent boys’ basketball championship in 2019. “We had a lot of growth to do,” Haagsma said. “We aren’t a school that practices every day in the summer. We had so many new pieces that had to get to know each other a little bit. See

VALLEY on page 34

Chandler teen among those honored Super Bowl week BY ZACH ALVIRA Sports Editor

Diego Foster was admittedly shocked when he was told he would be one of just 10 Hispanic student-athletes honored in Los Angeles during Super Bowl week. He had applied on a longshot, knowing that his chances of being picked out of the more than 30,000 applicants would be slim. But he remained hopeful. The Chandler native and senior at Tempe Prep spent the last week in Los Angeles, home to Super Bowl LVI. On Tuesday, Feb. 8, he was a part of a ceremony where one student-athlete was named a national recipient of the annual Hispanic Heritage Youth Awards. “It feels amazing. When I found out I was a finalist in the first place, I was like, ‘Oh, wow,’” Foster said. “I worked really hard on the essays because I knew that was how they would really see me as a person. Finding out about it was so shocking. Even then, when I realized I was a finalist and found out about the Super Bowl experience, I was in disbelief. “I knew working hard in high school and even before that would bring me good things.” Foster first heard of the Hispanic Heritage Youth Awards last year as a junior in high school from one of his friends. Every year different categories of students have the opportunity to

receive the award. A guidance counselor at Tempe Prep walked him through the process. He didn’t hesitate to get going. A quarterback on the football team and Monmouth College commit in baseball, Foster applied under the Sports & Fitness category, which is hosted by the NFL this year. He went through a rigorous application process, which includes a resume showcasing his 4.3 weighted GPA. He also had to answer five essay questions. After a few months, he received the call. It was a special moment for the senior, who had the opportunity to bring a guest. He chose his grandfather, Kevin English, who he said has made a dramatic impact on his life both on the Chandler native and Tempe Prep senior Diego Foster was field and in the classamong the 10 applicants chosen as finalist for the Hispanic room. Heritage Youth Awards in the Sports & Fitness category. “The most exciting Foster flew to Los Angeles and took part in the ceremopart is I get to spend the ny, which was held Tuesday, Feb. 8 at the Los Angeles time with my guest, my Convention Center as part of the Super Bowl Experience. grandpa,” Foster said. “It (Courtesy Diego Foster)

was a no brainer who I picked as my guest. He’s kind of the guy who taught me how to play baseball, taught me how to play football and basketball, all the stuff I’m interested in now.” The Youth Awards were founded in 1998 by the Hispanic Heritage Foundation to honor Latino seniors in high school who excel in the classroom and community. The first-of-its kind ceremony is expected to draw several Hispanic athletes and celebrities, with the national winner rewarded grants to help fund or support an idea or project in the health and fitness space. Foster said before the event he planned to use the award toward his education at Monmouth if he won. Before heading to Los Angeles, he was on the school’s campus in Illinois applying and interviewing for another prestigious scholarship offered by the school that would cover his tuition. Along with playing baseball, Foster plans to major in kinesiology. He said he was eager to meet the other finalist for the award who have similar interests. Some of them came as far as New York, Florida and Hawaii for the event. “That’s one of the coolest things about this opportunity is I’ll get to meet people who are as interested in this kind of stuff as me,” Foster said. “I’m very overjoyed to have that connection with those people.”

SPORTS & RECREATION

THE SUNDAY SANTAN SUN NEWS | FEBRUARY 13, 2022

Seton girls eye threepeat under legendary coach BY GABRIELLE DUCHARME Cronkite News

Always apply full-court pressure. Always force opposing players to their left when they have the ball. In theory, those simple building blocks explain how Seton Catholic women’s basketball coach Karen Self has built her program and keeps her teams on top. Under Self, Seton Catholic has won 12 state titles, including the last two 4A championships, and has appeared in 17 championship games. “Play defense,” Self said. “We have made a name for our program by playing outstanding team defense.” Self’s players practice two hours a day, six days a week. They travel across the country, from New York to sunny California, to chase the best competition the nation has to offer. Late-night film sessions are followed by 6 a.m. weightlifting. “Everybody’s gunning for you when you’ve won state the last two years, and 12 overall,” Self said. “Everybody’s always gunning for us.” Coaches like Self don’t become legendary without maintaining high expectations. That was evident midway through the third quarter of a recent game against St. Mary’s. The Sentinels were headed for another victory but Self called a timeout, visibly frustrated after one of her young forwards committed a foul. “Play defense!” Self shouted. “Stop letting people drive by you so you can block their shot. That is horrible defense!” Seton’s defense strangled the Knights after that timeout and Seton went on to win 53-33, outscoring St. Mary’s 25-14 in the second half. Senior captain Sasha Daniel led the way with 21 points. Teams haven’t always been gunning for Seton, which was the Valley’s smallest Catholic school before a fire destroyed most of its old campus near downtown Chandler in the 1980s. Self arrived at Seton’s new campus near Ray Road and Dobson in 1992 as a 22-yearold, a year removed from playing basketball for Arizona State. “My first season, we went 12-14 and I thought ‘I don’t know if I can do this.’ Self said. “I was so afraid to tell them that I didn’t want to come back. It got to be a couple weeks before the season. My husband and I talked about it, and we’re like, ‘Well, I can’t really tell them now.’” In year two, her system “clicked,” Self said. The Sentinels won their first state title in her fifth season. Seton has been clicking ever since, and Self is in her 30th season. “It’s unbelievable to look back and think how quickly this has gone, how many people who have touched my life,” Self said. “And just being a part of, you know, going to this wedding or going to this baby shower (over the years).” This year’s team is young, with four freshmen, one sophomore and just two

Seton Catholic coach Karen Self has won 12 state championships and is hoping for a 13th in her 30th season. (Courtesy of Seton Catholic)

seniors. As always, Self relies heavily on her team captains – Daniel and junior guard Amelie Cartagena – to lead the young players and ingrain Seton’s teamfirst culture. Daniel and Cartagena grew up in the program, winning a state title in 2020 a week before the COVID-19 pandemic really took hold. They won again while playing under strict COVID-19 protocols in 2021. Then, they were appointed captains of one of the youngest teams in program history and tasked with handling the pressure that comes with pursuit of a three-peat. “It’s pretty intense,” Daniel said.

minutes into their first game, Cartagena stepped on a player’s foot, causing a painful sprain. She was sidelined again. During the St. Mary’s game, Cartagena sat next to Self and assistant coach Kayla Refner, cheering on her teammates. “I wouldn’t expect anything else from her,” Self said. “She’s a very intense player. She’s very smart and has a very high basketball IQ.” As a former player for Seton Catholic and Self, Refner has mentored Cartagena the same way she has supported many Seton players through the years. “I really tried to focus on individuals

When we are surrounded by strong women “ who can help these kids develop and follow their dreams, it normalizes something that wasn’t normal for me as a child, ”

– Karen Self

“There’s never a day where we just kind of slack off. Every day has meaning.” Daniel never stops competing because she’s on a mission to maintain the program’s level of excellence. “When you look at the wall and see all the championships from girls basketball, you see that’s a big legacy to live up to,” Daniel said. “At school, people expect (us) to win all the time. You live up to this really big legacy.” It’s been a tough season for Cartagena. During a practice in early November, the two-time state champion started feeling her throat close up. She was diagnosed with an allergic reaction. But to this day, doctors don’t know what caused it. Then two weeks later, Seton traveled to San Diego for a tournament. Four

a lot,” Refner said. “So Karen has a big picture in mind and can see that very, very well. And she can see that for other teams.” Daniel takes a place among the best in Seton history. “Sasha is gonna be stellar every night, that’s just what she does,” Self said. Self impacts her players far beyond the court, and she is well aware of the role she can play in their lives beyond their hoop dreams. “When we are surrounded by strong women who can help these kids develop and follow their dreams, it normalizes something that wasn’t normal for me as a child,” Self said. An economics and math teacher at Seton Catholic, Self is a mother of four children, including triplets and a child

born 21 months before the triplets. When she was pregnant with her triplets, doctors told Self to go on bed rest over Thanksgiving. But it was the beginning of the basketball season, so hopeful that she could continue coaching, she pushed back. Naturally, she was persuasive and convinced the doctor to let her coach under strict guidelines. Self used a wheelchair and was hooked up to a terbutaline pump to ease her breathing and help prevent early on-set labor. She coached all the way up to the state semifinals. Her children were born just four days after the semifinals. She was unable to attend the state championship game, and the Sentinels lost. All she could think about was not being present for her team’s heart-wrenching loss. After that season ended, there was still the matter of Self and her husband raising four children all born within 21 months. So she hired what she calls a “basketball nanny” to help navigate the “baby chaos.” “I would take a portion of my basketball pay and pay them to be there on every game day,” Self said. Now, Self mentors younger female coaches. She advises many to also invest in a “basketball nanny,” and regularly consults with ASU coach Charli Turner Thorne, who raised three sons while coaching. Beyond state titles, national tournaments and college scholarships, Self’s program is preparing players for the next chapter in their lives – whether it involves basketball or not. Self hopes the sport helps her players envision the path to greater accomplishments. “It just changes the way kids see those possibilities in the future that’s available to them,” she said.

SPORTS & RECREATION

VALLEY

THE SUNDAY SANTAN SUN NEWS | FEBRUARY 13, 2022

from page 32

That didn’t happen until we were into November and maybe even December a little bit. “We’re really learning how good we can be defensively right now. It’s taken awhile for all parts to gel at the same time.” The Shaw brothers have been among key editions to the Trojan roster this season. Caleb, a 6-foot-5 senior guard, is averaging 25.5 points per game along with 6.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists. It’s one of the best stat lines in the state and will likely continue to improve with the outings Caleb has had as of late. On Feb. 4 against Eastmark, Caleb scored 53 points. Luke Shaw, a 6-foot-2 sophomore guard, is second on the team in scoring with 13 points per game. He is still coming into his own as a player but admires the opportunity to play alongside his older brother on a team poised to make a run at the title. “Growing up with him, I know how he plays,” Luke said. “But to have the chance to play with him on a serious level, it’s really awesome. He’s a great player. The passes he makes, the plays he makes, I love playing with him and he’s a great leader.” Basketball runs in the Shaw family. Casey Shaw, the boys’ father, is an assistant coach at nearby Grand Canyon University. He was hired two seasons ago from Vanderbilt to coach under GCU head coach Bryce Drew, his broth-

Caleb Shawk, a transfer from Phoenix Prep, has played lights out for the Trojans averaging 25.5 points per game and has gone off at times for 53 points against the likes of Eastmark. (Dave Minton/Staff)

er-in-law and Caleb and Luke’s uncle. Scott Drew, head coach of 2021 national champion Baylor, is Caleb and Luke’s other uncle. Their mother Dana is in the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame. Their grandfather is Homer Drew, who coached Washington State, LSU and Valparaiso, among others. He currently ranks sixth all-time among Division I college coaches with 640 career wins. Now, Caleb and Luke are trying to make names for themselves at Valley Christian this season. “It’s fun being able to play together,” Caleb said. “I did it with my older brother, Isaiah, too. We set out at the beginning of the year to win a state title. That’s all we care about.” But they admit they can’t do it alone. Moving from Canada coronavirus lockdowns that kept him away from the court,

Lee found a home at Valley Christian. And the Trojans found a 6-foot-5 junior who can do just about anything on the court. He currently averages 10.6 points and 6.5 rebounds, most of which on the defensive end, per game for the 21-3 Trojans. Lee has been key all season long helping the team secure wins against competition in higher conferences and keep games against the likes of 6A Centennial and Shadow Hills (Calif.) close. “I just do as much as I can to help the team,” Lee said. “We all love the game and put our time into it. We all have the same goal and want to do what it takes to reach that.” Valley Christian wrapped up the season Friday against Arizona College Prep. The Trojans had the opportunity to clinch the 3A Metro Region for the second straight season in their last two outings. And with the top seed as of the final week of the season in the 3A Conference, they have secured at least two home playoff games. Now, they hope the momentum they’ve had all season carries forward into the postseason. Haagsma believes that is possible if they stick to two basic fundamentals of the game. “For us, sharing the basketball, sharing the load I think is important,” Haagsma said. “The other thing is capitalizing on how good we can be defensively. We’ve had the tendency at times to lapse defensively. You combine those things, we have an opportunity to do some damage at state.”

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Infrastructure growth critical to Maricopa County BY JACK SELLERS Guest Writer

As we enter year three of the COVID-19 crisis, I can’t help but think about what we’ve lost. The loss of life, the loss of livelihoods. Those have been devastating. And we must do everything we can to limit the health and financial impacts of the pandemic in the coming months. But I also think about the loss of time. Elected leaders and policy makers have focused so much on the here and now that long-term planning has been largely neglected. There can be no more delays. It’s time to get to work on assuring a prosperous future for our region. So, what does that mean? Above all, we need to invest in critical infrastructure and technology that will make us attractive to individuals

and businesses for the next 20 years. I’ve been saying for years that we must craft a regional transportation plan to replace Prop 400. It needs to assure regional equity and flexibility, and it needs to be something voters across the County can support. I’m grateful we have a governor who understands the important role infrastructure plays in our economic future. I know there are leaders in cities and towns across Maricopa County who understand this, too. But I also know what the political environment is like right now. I know that things that used to be non-partisan are now viewed through the lens of Republicans and Democrats, good and evil, winning and losing. We cannot let politics derail progress. Investments in infrastructure and technology are just good basic government. They should be non-partisan. Even Congress seems to be getting the message. The federal infrastructure bill passed by both chambers and

signed by the President will be good for Maricopa County. I’m confident those dollars can be used to support worthwhile projects. But to make the most out of taxpayer dollars, we need consensus about our goals. And we need to think through some key questions like: • What projects or investments are going to be needed to maintain or improve our high quality of life? • What framework will best enable the efficient movement of commerce and how do we ensure continuity as transit crosses city or county boundaries? • How will we account for and take advantage of the possibility of autonomous delivery and passenger drones? • What place does fixed rail have in our transportation future? Crafting and getting voter approval for a new regional transportation plan is probably my biggest priority moving forward. But it’s not my only focus. Infrastructure means nothing without people.

Right now, we are the #1 ranked county for attracting skilled workers. If we want to retain that distinction, investing in our education system needs to be a priority. Again, politics shouldn’t play a role here. We don’t need to pit one type of school against another. Parents should have many good options about where to send their kids. Our universities and community colleges ought to have our full support in attracting the workforce of the future. It’s no accident Maricopa County has been the fastest-growing county in the United States for the past several years. Leaders of the past made tough decisions and smart investments that paved the way for individuals, families, and businesses to thrive here. Now it’s our turn. Let’s get to work. Jack Sellers is a member of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors and a former Chandler City Council member.

Corporations get a pass as state ducks tax credit review BY BETH LEWIS AND KAREN MCLAUGHLIN Guest Writers

For the sixth time in seven years, Arizonans have been denied accountability for hundreds of millions of dollars in tax credits. And this time, that means a decade with no transparency for corporate donations that bankroll private school vouchers. State law requires the Joint Individual Income Tax Credit Review Committee to review each of the 54 state tax credits on a rotating schedule which results in each tax credit coming up for review every five years. That committee has met only once as required since 2015. The committee is charged with evaluating the credits and determining whether they are delivering on the promised benefit to the state and submit a report to the full legislature by December 15 on whether each of the tax credits reviewed should be retained, repealed, or amended. One of the tax credits they failed to review in 2021 was the Corporate Student Tuition Organization (Corporate STO) Tax Credit. Because the committee also did not meet in 2016, the previous time corporate STO tax credits were scheduled to be reviewed, that means a decade has passed without properly reviewing these tax credits. Tax credits are dollar-for-dollar

t? o G ws Ne

reductions in tax liability. School Tuition Organizations are private companies that any individual can set up to process tax credits for private school “scholarships” (aka, vouchers). For the Corporate STO, businesses can receive a statewide total of up to $142.1 million in tax credits, with that amount increasing every year, to provide tuition “scholarships” (vouchers)

from the State’s General Fund, which is the primary source of funding for our public schools. While most state spending on education is closely scrutinized and negotiated each year through the budget process, the Corporate STO tax credit, like most tax credits in Arizona, remains on the books indefinitely – with no review process, no sunset, and no

It’s time for the Joint Individual Income Tax Credit “Review Committee to follow the law and do its job.

STO vouchers drain desperately needed resources away from Arizona’s chronically underfunded public schools. Vouchers have not been shown to improve academic outcomes for students, and taxpayers deserve transparency and accountability. for private (including religious) schools. There are some slight limitations on Corporate STO vouchers, but not many. The Low Income Corporate STO can fund vouchers for “low-income” students (a family of 4 making less than $107,000 per year qualifies) who are switching from public schools, members of military families, or enrolling in kindergarten. The hundreds of millions of dollars taken in by STOs ultimately diverts

”

measurement of whether they meet the return on investment that voucher proponents promise. In 2021 alone, nearly $96 million in Low Income STO tax credits were used by corporations and insurers. And, given that the Review Committee did not meet this year, nor five years ago, this means that ten years of Corporate STO Tax Credits – more than $200 million – had zero accountability for legislators

and the public. And despite recommendations from JLBC (the Legislature’s own nonpartisan budget scorekeeper) to track the percentage of STOs retained for administrative costs and the amount of STO scholarship money spent per student, legislators choose to fly blind and allow these tax credits to continue – even as Arizona’s per pupil public education funding remains third lowest (48th) in the U.S. It’s time for the Joint Individual Income Tax Credit Review Committee to follow the law and do its job. STO vouchers drain desperately needed resources away from Arizona’s chronically underfunded public schools. Vouchers have not been shown to improve academic outcomes for students, and taxpayers deserve transparency and accountability. Tax credits reduced state revenues by $818 million in fiscal year 2020 and have been growing fast. The committee’s failure to meet means lawmakers have virtually no accountability or control over tax credits once they are in law, and taxpayers have no way of knowing if we are getting the promised return on investment. Beth Lewis is executive director of Save Our Schools and Karen McLaughlin is director of budget and tax policy for the Arizona Center of Economic Progress. Information: sosarizona.com and azeconcenter.org.

Contact Paul C Contact Paul P l Maryniak Maryniak M y i k at at 480-898-5647 480 898 5647 or or pmaryniak@timespublications.com p pmaryniak@timespublications.com pmaryniak@timespublications y i k@ i p bli i com

THE SUNDAY SANTAN SUN NEWS | FEBRUARY 13, 2022

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Chandler man debuts his first mystery thriller BY SRIANTHI PERERA Contributor

Chandler resident Steven Patterson’s debut novel is set mostly in Gilbert, where a serial killer is running amok. The scene is not typical of the town. In fact, it’s macabre and disturbingly similar to another scene law enforcement encountered there a few months ago. Patterson’s suspense thriller novel, “Not Normal,” also incorporates Mesa, Tempe and Chandler. “I always thought of Gilbert as a quiet suburb and wondered, what if it was terrorized by a serial killer? In my mind Gilbert, seems so friendly and safe, I wanted to exploit that,” he said. “It also has a ‘farm community’ feel to it, and that is where our antagonist is most comfortable.” Patterson has lived in Arizona since 1982, hence landmarks such as the Hayden Flour Mill in Tempe appear in the book. His father worked as a flour miller there in the 1980s. The setting also incorporates parts of the Midwest, where Patterson spent his early years: Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. “Not Normal,” the first in the Normal Series, features teenager Anthony Jacobson, who worked hard to hone a pleasing personality. In the author’s words: “This was no easy task considering his sordid family background and the gossip mill of his native Nebraskan town. His theater was mostly a success. Teachers bragged about his character, his younger brother idolized him, and classmates wanted to be him. However, some saw through his mask, including his mother. They knew Anthony Jacobson was Not Normal. “Years later, Patricia Hopkins peered from the safety of her home as two detectives stepped across yellow police tape and into the adjacent Gilbert, Arizona suburban bungalow. What greeted them was macabre and disturbing.” Detectives hunt for the killer and

Chandler resident Steven Patterson’s debut novel is set in much of the East Valley. (Special to San Tan Sun News)

explore the mindset of a psychopath. Patterson uses the genre’s tools of horror, mystery and suspense to fashion his story. It seems the author began honing his horror skills rather young. “I am a movie buff in general; however, I have always loved horror,” he said. John Carpenter’s “The Thing” and slasher films are among his favorites. “As a kid, I wanted to see every horror movie that came out; but was too young to do so,” Patterson recalled. “My mother took me to them, even though she hated the genre.” He read suspense novelists such as Stephen King, Dean Koontz and Robert McCammon. King’s “The Stand” is his all-time favorite, while Koontz’s “Whispers” and McCammon’s “Swan Song” follow closely behind. To write his own novel, Patterson had a general outline in his head before starting. “I like stories that jump around in time,” he said, citing Quentin Taranti-

no’s “Pulp Fiction” as an inspiration. “As a result, I knew chunks of the antagonist’s life. I would think of each as an independent story; as a result, I could place them randomly throughout the novel. By the end, I wanted it all to come full circle and intertwine,” he said. Asked for the best part of his story, Patterson said: “It does have a fun reveal I cannot discuss too much. Based on my reviews, readers seem to enjoy the detail I use in each scene. They also enjoy the time jumps and how it eventually is one story. There are many Easter Eggs in it for fans of the genre; finding those are always fun.” Patterson took a long time to complete his novel. He began writing it in 1997, but stopped after a couple of chapters. Life kept him busy. During his younger days, he lived in Ahwatukee and attended Corona del Sol High School, where he met his future wife, Christi. He studied electrical engineering at Arizona State University, but graduated

with a Bachelor of Science degree in economics. He has worked in help desk management throughout his working life. The couple, who have lived in Chandler since 1999, raised two sons, Joshua and Nathan, who are both in college. When the sons were younger, sports, particularly baseball, took over the family’s life. “I was a very active father. I coached my kids in football and baseball. Once they became serious about baseball, I helped coach their club teams,” Patterson said. “My wife Christi was the team mom and extremely active with them, too.” Every weekend was spent at tournaments, he said. “Our team, “The East Valley Devils” were a very tight group. Our vacations were spent together, often surrounding tournaments in such places as Temecula, Vegas and San Diego. The first person who asked me to sign their copy of Not Normal was Mike Fritz, who runs the East Valley Baseball league in Chandler.” After the sons received baseball scholarships and left home, home life became quiet. “A big part of my life was over,” he felt. In 2019, his mother passed unexpectedly. “She was an amazing woman and the glue that held our family together. As an example of the type of woman she was, on her 80th birthday she went skydiving,” he said. “As a kid, I loved horror movies and novels. She hated them. However, since I was too young to attend or buy them myself, she took me to the movies and purchased the novels.” He dedicated her first novel to her. It only seemed natural, he said. Two months after her death, Patterson was laid off two days after he had marked his 20th anniversary in his job. “My 20-year celebration was the Friday before, complete with See

AUTHOR on page 37

Jewish War Veterans host Hamilton JROTC leader SANTAN SUN NEWS

The Jewish War Veterans Copper State Post 619 will host a Zoom presentation by Master Sergeant Fred Driver of the Junior ROTC program at Hamilton High School Feb. 20. Since 2003, Driver has been teaching aerospace science and leading the Junior ROTC program there, including honor guards, honorary graduates, and until recently, the “Adopt a Highway” program, when a lack of funding caused issues. Post 619 has come to the aid of the ROTC program in years past. When the program lacked funds to procure drill

Master Sergeant Fred Driver

rifles, it purchased several to ensure our drill team could compete in an upcoming event. When the Air Force authorized battle uniforms for cadets, they didn’t authorize additional funding for boots, so Post 619 purchased 15 pairs of boots for the unit. Driver will discuss what the Junior ROTC program is and isn’t, including their mission statement and national and community responsibilities. He will also discuss the Jewish War Veterans tie-in and JROTC support for funerals, graduation escorts, honor guards, speaking engagements and the former Adopt A Highway program.

The virtual meeting starts at 10 a.m. Feb. 20 and the public is welcome to join. 00AM. Everyone is welcome to attend by signing into Zoom. To join: us02web.zoom.us/ j/81231778797?pwd=Q1RaYVBnSnVTbjhRUGptRnJVQXlEQT09 The post is looking forward to resuming in person meetings in Sun Lakes once it is safe and in the meantime supports many nonprofits that help veterans. For additional information about JWV activities or membership: contact Jr. Vice Commander, Elliott Reiss, 480802-3281, ElliottBarb@q.com.

THE SUNDAY SANTAN SUN NEWS | FEBRUARY 13, 2022

Sun Lakes Rotary supports women’s nonprofit

Debby Bailey was named the Sun Lakes Rotarian of the Month for February.

cating for and supporting the economic stability and empowerment of women. Positive Paths is led by a group of East Valley leaders committed to encouraging others to invest in the future of area women in need, and to support women to be resilient and positive contributors to their communities. The Rotary Club of Sun Lakes’ money has been directed towards advanced education scholarships that will help women strengthen their family’s well-being and economic security. Information: positivepathsaz.org. Meanwhile, the Rotary Club of Sun Lakes also named Debbie Bailey the Rotarian of the Month for February, saying the retired educator “has been making a very positive impact” since she joined last August.

Bailey was the project lead for the Chandler High Closet Project, partnering with Classy Closets and the school. As a member of the club’s golf committee, “she has obtained sponsorship donations, including a $1,000 Birdie Scholarship,” the club said, adding she sent letters to nearly 100 area businesses garnering support. She also assisted in interviewing Shinny Obiako for the Rotary Vocational Fund of Arizona Scholarship for a practical nursing program at Gateway Community College. RCSL meets regularly to get to know each other, form friendships, and through that RCSL gets things done within the East Valley and far beyond. See – www.sunlakesrotary.com for more information.

self-published my first novel on Amazon,” he said. The author partly credits the pandemic for enabling him to write and complete the story. Writing helped him cope with his depression. “I was jobless and in a pandemic; consequently, it was my release,” he

said. “Only two chapters were completed before the Coronavirus. I also had to change dates to pre-Corona, to make the story realistic. It does end with a reference to the pandemic.” Patterson is writing a sequel, set in the paranormal, titled “Para-Normal.” Many smaller characters return for

larger parts here. “I loved those characters so much, even though they didn’t occupy a lot of time in the novel,” he said. “I’m bringing them back to enjoy more terror.” Steven Patterson’s “Not Normal” is available through amazon.com and is priced at $15.

SANTAN SUN NEWS

The Rotary Club of Sun Lakes has chosen to support Positive Paths, non-profit organization serving women and their families in the East. When presenting a $4,000 check to Positive Paths’ Board Chair Dr. Maria Hesse, club President Jon Lyons said empowering women to become key change agents is an essential element to achieving a world that works for everyone. Studies show that when women are supported and empowered, families are healthier, more children complete elementary and high school and go on to trade school or college, productivity improves, and incomes increase. In short, communities are strengthened. Positive Paths is dedicated to advo-

AUTHOR

from page 36

cake, cards and a plaque,” he said. Depressed, Patterson began delivering food to make ends meet. “In addition, I picked up my two chapters from 1997 and a year later

(Special to SanTan Sun News)

Basha High athletes help fundraiser for notMYkid SANTAN SUN NEWS

Despite the chilly morning Jan. 29, more than 250 runners and walkers – including some from Chandler and Basha High – gathered at Notre Dame Prep High School in Scottsdale to raise money for programs that support teen mental health. The overall winners were 17-year-old Samuel Johnston for the men, with a time 15:54.9, and 11-year-old Leah Morozowich for the women, with a time of 20:44.8. Race results are posted at runsignup.com/Race/Results/122654. Notre Dame Prep presented a check for $9,240 to Amplif[i], the teen empowerment entity of notMYkid, to enhance their services and educational programs for teens in crisis. Runners came from Los Angeles and all over the Valley. Members of the Basha High School girls’ basketball team

traveled from Chandler to participate in the Saints 5K. “We wanted to do something relating to teen mental health for our senior project,” said Chloe Murakami, a center for Basha High School. “When we searched teen mental on the internet this race popped up, and so we decided to participate.” Nationwide teen mental health issues are on the rise, and this sparked the idea for NDP to find a way to help. “It’s one thing to know that a problem exists, but our students wanted to do more about the issues surrounding teen mental health,” said Gene Sweeney, principal of Notre Dame Prep. “I’m really proud of our students for coming up with the idea for a fun run/walk.” The money raised will help provide tools, education and programs for kids in the Scottsdale community and throughout the Valley so that they can

find the resources they need if they suffer feelings of depression, anxiety and other mental health problems. “Notre Dame Prep has been partnering with us for the last two years and helped us increase our peer-to-peer engagement through our Amplif[i] program where teens talk to other teens and share their stories in schools,” said Alex Morganroth, director of program development at notMYkid. “It’s important that teens hear from each other, so they don’t suffer in silence, but instead reach out for help and know that they are not alone,” she added. Amplifi has a virtual Teen Talk program where teens can “drop in” any Tuesday at 4 p.m. to talk about the challenges they face. Teens can register at bit.ly/teentalktuesday. NDP sophomore Hannah Trujillo is a teen advocate for mental health,

and before the race, she presented the check to Morganroth on behalf of the NDP school community. “I’ve heard people say it’s ‘cheesy’ to talk about mental health, but I think it is very important [to talk about it] because we need to spread awareness,” Trujillo said. “It is very dangerous to be stuck in a bad place for a long time.” notMYkid is a nonprofit that provides children and families with lifesaving programs, support, resources and education. NDP has invited notMYkid to conduct seminars for both teens and parents over the past two years to help families make healthy choices. Notre Dame Prep is a Catholic diocesan college preparatory high school with a co-ed enrollment of 864 students. The school has received national recognition for the caliber of its academic, arts and athletic programs.

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Renaissance woman brings powerful vocals to Chandler BY LAURA LATZKO GetOut Contributor

Storm Large is known for her dynamic vocals and personality. The rock singer, author and playwright, who has appeared on “America’s Got Talent” and “Rock Star: Supernova,” hopes through her music to bring audiences together. Large will perform with her band Le Bonheur at the Chandler Center for the Arts on Friday, Feb. 18. During the show in Tucson and Phoenix, Large and her band will perform a mélange of music – rock, “American Songbook,” Broadway and original music. “We do ‘American Songbook,’ but it’s my interpretation of the ‘American Songbook,’ which includes people who haven’t been inducted yet into the great book,” Large said. “I do a little Cole Porter. I do familiar standards – jazz and whatnot. I also will do some Brandi Carlile. I’ll do my own music. I put the songs together in order of a narrative that I’m trying to convey, which is we don’t know if it’s going to be OK, but that’s OK. We’re human, and what we are experiencing now is an

Legendary singer Storm Large will be performing next Friday at Chandler Center for the Arts.

enormous human experience that it’s not just happening to you. It’s happening to all of us.”

Recently, Large has injected more emotion into original songs like “Stand Up for Me.”

Hailing from Massachusetts, Large now resides in Portland, Oregon. For the last 30 years, Large has been a musician. She loved the artform since she was 5, but didn’t start singing with bands until she was 22. Along with Le Bonheur, Large performs and tours nationally and internationally with the group Pink Martini. She has been singing with the group since around 2011, when she was a guest vocalist with it during concerts with the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center. She made her debut at Carnegie Hall in 2013, performing Weill’s “Seven Deadly Sins” with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra during the “Sounds of Spring” Festival. She has also joined Liza Minnelli, K.D. Lang, Michael Feinstein, George Clinton and Rufus Wainwright on stage. During her appearance on “America’s Got Talent” in 2021, Large made it to the quarterfinals, singing A-ha’s “Take On Me,” “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” and Cheap Trick’s “I Want You to Want Me.” Large said that her experience on See

STORM on page 41

2 jazz artists in Black history concert in Chandler SANTAN SUN NEWS STAFF

Two of the Valley’s brightest jazz stars will be on the same stage at Chandler Center for the Arts Feb. 25 as Phoenix Entertainment Circle offers its Black history concert, titled “Two Horns.” It will feature a tribute to the legendary Miles Davis by recording artists Jermaine Lockhart and Gabriel Bey with the Mainstream Band. Both artists will play music Jermaine Lockhart has won praise for his work on the sax by a number from their latest albums beof jazz afficionadoes. (Special to San Tan News) fore performing their tribute to Miles Davis. Also on the show will be special guest tecostal Church playing his saxophone music. singer Charity Lockhart, who has had sold-out Since then, he’s added jazz, straight-ahead shows with her “Tribute to Aretha Franklin.” grooves, and rhythm and blues genres to his Bey says on his website, “I have a vision to repertoire. elevate and expand Arizona’s music and film inHe says he is motivated by musicians like dustries by developing talented new artists and George Benson, John Coltrane, Dexter Gordon, being a trusted music publishing partner.” Woody Shaw, and Thelonius Monk because George Benson, one of jazz’s greatest gui“they pushed for a unique sound that touched tarist, is executive producer of Lockhart’s “The the mind and soul of listeners. Sunshine Album” and calls the saxophonist a “And that’s what I also hope to do… to perrare kind of artist. form music my listeners will continue to return “When you hear him play, it’s something to whenever they want to feel good. The one very striking-so that the next time you hear thing I’ve learned from Mr. Benson is to make him, you’ll know there’s something very familiar music that sounds good and feels good.” about his sound,” Benson said. Doors will open at 6 p.m. for a special VIP On the London Soul Chart, the “Sunshine package that includes special seating, a free CD, Album” is topping the charts. and meet-and-greet with both artists. Lockhart has shared the stage with Angie COVID-19 vaccination cards will be required Bofill, Pieces of a Dream, Brian Auger, Bob James for admission and the Jazz Crusaders. Tickets are now on sale at the Chandler Arts Lockhart lives in Phoenix and was born in Center: 480-782-2680. Cleveland, Ohio, where he grew up in the Pen-

Gabriel Bey said he wants to develop new talent to expand Arizona’s music and film scene. (Special to SanTan Sun News)

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THE SUNDAY SANTAN SUN NEWS | FEBRUARY 13, 2022

Little pieces of Italy to pepper Heritage Square BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI GetOut Editor

The cobblestone streets of Heritage Square will be peppered with art, food and musicians when the Italian Festival moves from Scottsdale to Downtown Phoenix Saturday, Feb. 26, and Sunday, Feb. 27. “We really look for ways to make it a true, authentic Italian experience,” said Francesco Guzzo, Italian Association of Arizona’s executive director. “We want you to feel like you’re walking into a little piece of Italy with the vendors, entertainment, the food and art displays. Those are all things meant to share the Italian tradition, but we also want to give people a sense of how much Italians contribute to the fabric of Arizona.” This year’s festivities begin at 11:30 a.m. Saturday with a parade and opening ceremonies. The day continues with live entertainment and food — gelato, pizza, sausages, pasta, cannoli, wine and other delicacies. “The food is the standard part of the festival,” Guzzo said. “We call it ‘the authentic true Italian food.’ We don’t even allow fettuccine alfredo. It’s not an Italian dish. A lot of people don’t know that. “We have vendors — pasta and pizza vendors and Romolo D’Amico will make his famous carbonara. It’s an amazing dish to demonstrate on stage. We’ll

Some fun contests for the kids await at Arizona’s Italian Festival later this month. (Special to GetOut)

have vendors selling traditional pasta sauces, clothing and olive oil.” Live performances will include Sbandieratori del Palio di Asti (flag wavers) from the city of Asti in Piemonte, and an art gallery with local and international Italian art. Margherita Fray, a 94-year-old artist, will show off her talents in the gallery. “She’s bringing some of her pieces of art and her books,” Guzzo said. “Her

books have been translated in English and in Italian. That’ll be incredible just to have her there and be part of the community and sign books. “ Blue Door Ceramics’ Christiane Barbato will display her artwork, while Paolo Cosanti pieces will be available, too. Sunday, the flag wavers and vendors return and, like Saturday, they are sponsored by Galbani, Peroni, PepsiCo, Acqua Panna, San Pellegrino, Chelly, DT-

PHX, Desert Rose Worldwide Transportation and Great Value Vacations. “The flag wavers are excited about this,” he said. “They’re the traditional group that represents the city of Asti in world competitions in flag waving. They’ve been doing it for 60 years in Asti. “All the colors they wear are representative of the different boroughs. It’s quite significant.” This year, Guzzo said, antique restored Italian vehicles will drive into Heritage Square. Vespas and Italian bicycles from Scottsdale’s Cyclologic will be on display. “Everything coming out of Italy has an artistic flair to it,” Guzzo said. “Ferraris, Lamborghinis or Bugattis are all pieces of art, even though they’re automobiles. “It’s a well-choreographed event. There’s always something interesting or exciting happening. Throughout the day, when people come in, they’ll see something of interest. There’s never a dull moment.” Galbani will host a demonstration stage, and mixologists will teach patrons to make creative drinks with limoncello and Pellegrino. Many of the sponsors are sending their national representatives to check out the festival. “We’re working on making it as interesting as possible for everyone,” Guzzo said. “We want to attract families and See

ITALIAN on page 42

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THE SUNDAY SANTAN SUN NEWS | FEBRUARY 13, 2022

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Beer fest an endless keg of samples, fun BY ALLISON BROWN GetOut Contributor

From lagers to IPAs to seltzers, there’s a lot of beer to try at the Arizona Strong Beer Festival. Complete beginners and connoisseurs will find what they’re looking for, whether it’s a starting place or a new go-to ale. The festival will boast 300 to 450 samples. The festival returns for its 21st year on Saturday, Feb.19, after a pandemic break. Rob Fullmer, executive director of the Arizona Craft Brewers Guild, who sponsors and produces the event, said the Arizona Strong Beer Festival is coming back strong and he, vendors and customers are excited to get back to it. “We can’t wait to get back to beer fests,” Fullmer said. “It’s been a long two years for everyone and we are thrilled to be hosting the Arizona Strong Beer Festival at a new, state of the art location.” Tickets to the festival start at $60 and can be purchased online. A ticket includes 30 tasting tickets and a commemorative glass. The festival spans 24 acres of the Mesa’s new Bell Bank Park, the largest sports complex in North America. Part of it will be transformed into a miniature city of breweries and other vendors to make up the state’s most comprehensive beer festival. There will also be live music, games and food trucks. The festival got its name for promoting beers 8.5% and above, with a strong alcohol content. However, now that the beer industry and technology have advanced, Fullmer said there are ways to get a bolder flavor without having to add more alcohol. Now, they keep the name and characterize it as beers “strong in flavor, strong in character and strong in tradition.” According to Fullmer, the Arizona Strong Beer Festival started with 25 vendors in a parking lot and has now grown

STORM

from page 38

“America’s Got Talent” was different than her time on “Rock Star: Supernova,” which she did in 2006. “‘America’s Got Talent’ is a machine,” she said. “You are clay, and they are the hands. ‘Rock Star: Supernova’ was more of a traditional reality show, where they are filming you all of the time and just catching you at your worst, catching you at your best. Even though that was exhausting and really weird, I liked that. I actually preferred it because you got into a groove. With ‘America’s Got Talent, it’s so fast. You just get whipsawed through the process. You can’t find the ground. I don’t regret either one. I enjoyed both,” Large said. For Large, it has been important to write and perform music that is meaningful to her. Sometimes, it can take her 15 years to get a song right. “That’s the beauty of not being a pop star,” Large said. “I’m not a slave to my hits, to my

The Arizona Strong Beer Festival and Bell Bank Park in Mesa promises to be a fun time for fans of the sudsy beverage. (Special to GetOut)

to have as many as 10,000 people attend. “I think it’s one of the most fun beer festivals,” said Nicholas Rana, owner of State 48 Brewery, who will attend the festival for the sixth year. “It is the Strong Beer Fest, so a lot of people get pretty intoxicated, and it’s definitely one of the busiest festivals. It’s about as central as can be in Arizona, so you get to see people from all over the state that go to it. You get to meet everybody, it’s good advertising and it’s just a fun festival to be at.” Because it is the premier beer event in the state, the festival will host product and brand launches. Drew Pool, co-founder of Wren House Brewing Company, said it has been part of the festival since it opened in 2015. Pool wants to show off its new barrel-aged projects they have been working on. Strong Beer Festival allows his staff to see what’s trending or what drinkers seek. Fullmer said beer and breweries have a way of bringing people together. Breweries often serve as a comfortable, laid back third space for people

to gather. He said it’s different than a coffee shop or restaurant in that it’s more acceptable to walk up to a stranger and strike up a friendly conversation, whether it’s asking what they’re drinking or where the best pizza place is nearby. With about 60% of the vendors being from within Arizona – and Rana said instead of a feeling of competition between the breweries –it’s more of a feeling of community and togetherness. Laura Hansen, owner of Saddle Mountain Brewing Company, said her company has been involved for the past seven years and, while it’s fun to be recognized, the best part is the people. “We’ve won a few different metals over the years for different beers, which is always a fun thing, but the most enjoyable part is honestly the people, both the other breweries and the customer base,” Hansen said. “Getting to talk to them about craft beer and just enjoying a lovely sunny afternoon with some outstanding craft beers.” In the spirit of community, Fullmer

history, to be the expectation of what people have decided that I must be. I can be whatever I want to be. I have to work a lot harder, and I have to tour a lot more. I don’t make as much money as a pop star, but that’s fine.” In April 2021, Large released an audiobook version of her book “Crazy Enough,” featuring a foreword from Patton Oswalt. Out in November 2012, “Crazy Enough: A Memoir” tells her story of growing up with a mentally ill parent, her fear of similar issues and her problems with drugs and sex addiction. The memoir was an Oprah Book of the Week and won the 2013 Oregon Book Award for Creative Nonfiction. In Portland, she presented a one-woman autobiographical musical called “Crazy Enough,” which ran for 21 weeks in 2009 and was reprised in 2019. Large shares that it is acceptable to experience fear, instability, uncertainty and stress — especially now. She said artists aren’t immune to these same emotions, but they share them onstage in an open and raw way. “The person being vulnerable is a

very brave person to just be like, ‘Yeah, I am (expletive) up,’” Large said. “I have my weakness. I have my frailties. I have my victories. I have my defeats.’ But so do you, and that’s fine. So does the person that you admire the most.” While music is her focus, Large has showcased her acting talents. Large starred in 2007 in a Portland Center Stage production of “Cabaret,” in which she played Sally Bowles. She has also appeared in Jerry Zaks’ musical “Harps and Angels” in 2010 and in the 2011 films “Rid of Me” and “Bucksville.” After quarantining like everyone else during the pandemic lockdown, Storm started doing shows again starting in October. She said playing live is draining because she is “mentally and emotionally out of shape.” To de-stress, she exercises, meditates, reads and listens to podcasts. She said in a time where there is so much social and political division, artists like herself bring people together and share a common experience. “My whole job as a performer is to

said the event is family friendly, and patrons even have picnics there. For those who don’t really like beer, there will also be mead, cider, seltzers and nonalcoholic drinks available. Those under 21 or serving as a designated driver are still welcome to enter the festival for a reduced cost but will not be permitted to drink. When it comes to the 30 tasting tickets, Fullmer said there are a couple different strategies to maximize the experience without ending up with a killer headache the next day. “Do what everyone else is not doing,” he suggests. “I don’t stand in the lines, but I do ask people why they’re standing in line to understand what’s there. Definitely hydrate and take opportunities to check out the food trucks.” Guests wanting to analyze the differences in the breweries to find a favorite should stick with one category, like sours, to better compare and contrast. Most likely, there will be brewers there who can discuss their particular version. The Arizona Craft Brewers Guild represents nearly 100 operating breweries, breweries in the planning state, craft beer bars and distributors across Arizona. Fullmer said Arizona breweries have won world class medals and competed in some of the most prestigious competitions in the world. He said people frequently ask him when Arizona will catch up to other states leading the beer industry, but said maybe the state won’t “catch up,” it will just do something different and be unique.

If you go

What: Arizona Strong Beer Festival When: 1 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 19 Where: Bell Bank Park, 1 Legacy Drive, Mesa Cost: $60 for general admission Info: strongbeerfest.com

collect a bunch of strangers in the dark, in red states and blue states, and get everybody to feel better, to relax, to celebrate, to feel, to be connected, to feel reconnected,” she said. “The artist’s job is to make people feel more connected. That’s why I’m an artist anyway because I want to feel connected. I want to feel less alone.”

If you go

What: Storm Large and Le Bonheur When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 17 Where: Fox Tucson Theatre, 17 W. Congress Street, Tucson Cost: Tickets start at $25 Info: 520.547.3040, foxtucson.com, stormlarge.com What: Storm Large When: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 18 Where: Chandler Center for the Arts,

250 N. Arizona Ave., Chandler

Cost: Tickets start at $38 Info: 480.782.2680, chandlercenter.org

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people of all ages. For the kids, we have balloon artists and the face painter. “For the grownups, we have the demonstrations, the entertainment by The Sicilian Band from LA. They will play traditional Italian songs on Saturday and Sunday. We Festival organizers add authenticity to the festival with have Steve Ansel & The touches of Italy. (Special to GetOut) Jackson Street Band, a full eight-piece orchestra to a day to come through there. play traditional jazz that “Phoenix had been courting us about people love.” Saturday night is for eating and danc- hosting the festival there. This year, we decided to host it at Heritage Square in ing to the band Element. The opera Downtown Phoenix. The space allows singers D Gala will perform on both days, closing out the festival on Sunday. for typically three times the number of people we would normally get. It has Organizers are mindful of the COVID-19 pandemic and deem Heritage the greenery — grass and trees — cobblestone roads and courtyards. It lends Square safe, with its outdoor seating. itself to creating a cozy space for a beauCleaning crews will be working diligently to sanitize the area. Facemasks will be tiful event like the Italian Festival.” available at the entrance. “We’re doing what we can to make sure everything is comfortable,” Guzzo What: The Italian Association’s Seventh said. “We want people to enjoy the Italian Festival entire day without feeling like there’s When: 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Satura concern in any way. It’ll be fun. The day, Feb. 26, and 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. whole thing is catered to make sure everyone has fun and enjoys themselves.” Sunday, Feb. 27 Heritage Square is new to the Italian Where: Heritage Square, corner of East Festival. Previously, the festivities were Adams and North Seventh streets, Phoenix held at the Scottsdale Waterfront. Cost: $15; free for children ages 12 and “It’s a beautiful part of Scottsdale, younger but we ran out of space,” he said. Info: italianfestivalaz.com “There was only room for 5,000 people

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THE SUNDAY SANTAN SUN NEWS | FEBRUARY 13, 2022

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We must united to combat new wave of anti-Semitism BY RABBI IRWIN WIENER Columnist

Anti-Semitism is alive. Today, in our cities, our houses of worship have been defiled, cemeteries have been desecrated, individuals accosted on the streets, and yes, worshipers taken hostage by crazed individuals determined to destroy the very fabric of human connection. Anti-Semitism is alive in our schools as our children are confronted with the most blatant display of inhuman behavior. University professors, students, use hatred as a form of learning to justify this obtrusive conduct. Age-old distortions are prevalent. It seems that all the progress made over the last several decades has no meaning. New efforts are being introduced to rekindle the flames of hate that is

reminiscent of the early part of the last century, and for that matter of centuries past. So here we go again. The difference though, is that the world is supposedly more civilized, more tolerant, more educated. his flagrant display of hostility exists because of the ramblings of mad men or the frenzy of an uncontrollable crowd. And it is for these reasons that it is so frightening. Anti-Semitism now wears a badge of respectability because it is promoted by the organized world to placate greed and foolishly thought to assuage the danger to those participating in what has become another dark day in the history of humankind. Those who thought this kind of vulgarity was destroyed when Nazism and Fascism were defeated should understand that evil could resurrect itself when it has a common enemy.

Watching birds reminds her of her parents, Ecclesiastes BY LYNNE HARTKE Guest Writer

“Some say cardinals are a message from heaven from a loved one who has died,” my sister Renae said as we headed toward the Wallace Desert Garden at the Boyce Thompson Arboretum near Superior, Arizona. Not one to look for angels with every feathered friend, I wanted to document a siting of a northern cardinal for my bird list for 2022. We had been tracking one earlier, when a groundskeeper—emptying the trash cans—had scared it away. He had assured us there were plenty of cardinals on the arboretum’s 300 acres. While we searched for the recognizable scarlet plumage in distant foliage, I thought of the small cardinal snow globe sitting on my desk at home, an item from my parents’ estate. Dad had given it to Mom when they both were going through chemo. Surrounded by endless white of a long Minnesota winter, Mom had often stood at their picture window, gazing at the bird feeder below, searching for the snow globe’s real counterpart. Sometimes we all need tangible reminders to hope, our own messages from heaven. As my sister and I neared The Grotto, an artificial water source at the arboretum, I glimpsed a flash of red through the branches. Stepping quietly, we discovered, not just a male northern cardinal, but also his

mate, sporting the subdued brown feathers, along with the telltale red on her crest, wings, and tail. The pair foraged for seeds, fruits, and insects under the shade of a mesquite before flying off with a cheer-ey cheer-ey, too-too-too. According to The Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior, cardinals do not learn their songs in the nest, but rather through “song-matching.” When one-year-old males return to the breeding grounds to attempt breeding for the first time, they learn their songs from older birds occupying neighboring territories. The males retain these songs for life. I thought of my mom standing at that picture window while stage four cancer attempted to strip her of her life song. I thought of my dad, watching her, with the eyes of a lover who had loved her for half a century. Where had he learned his song-matching? Was it trial and error? Was it from others who had gone before him? Perhaps it was living out the advice given in Ecclesiastes 9:9 NASB, “Enjoy life with the woman whom you love all the days of your fleeting life which He has given to you under the sun; for this is your reward in life.” I am not sure where Dad learned to sing his song, but this I know: when we packed up their estate, a little cardinal snow globe sat near that picture window, flashing a reminder of a love song that would not be forgotten. I can still hear their song. Lynne Hartke is the wife of Chandler Mayor Kevin Hartke.

Hatreds of the not-too-distant past resulted in 30 million people, six million of whom were Jewish men, women, and children killed in a nightmare of ignorance. Nothing has been learned – only refined. Same theme. Same people. It seems that senseless hatred has returned from its slumber. Wickedness is again the order of the day. Justice remains beyond our grasp. The rules have not changed, just the players. The savagery goes unabated because the so-called civilized world looks the other way. Some think that if we close our eyes, it will go away. And now the allies of these barbarians are learning that alliances mean nothing and that there is no immunity to this wave of inhumanity. How can reason prevail when hate is taught in the classroom? How can the brutality end when it is fostered in the home? What can we say or do when mothers and fathers willfully and gleefully send their children to die for a cause they don’t even understand? Recently the world commemorated the Annual International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Speeches and reminisces were given, and for just one moment in time we were all in tune with our thoughts and prayers. For one fleeting moment we, civilized society, understood that humanity

is required to affect a solution to death and destruction. In one single moment civilized society determined not be afraid to confront evil. In this same single moment when we came together to commemorate the destruction of evil, we were also reminded that to survive we need each other. Our prayer should be that this fleeting moment remain a clarion call for sanity and dignity for all people. Our fervent wish should be that our leaders would find a way to bring an honorable end to this nightmare. Our hopes should rest with the world learning, once and for all, that we all suffer when one of us suffers. Anti-Semitism is alive. And we will deal with it because we are a people who brought humanity the message of God, which includes an understanding of life. And because we are a people who have survived unimaginable nightmares. And because we are a people who reveres the dignity of the human spirit. And because we are a people who taught and cherish the concept of mercy and justice which are the ingredients necessary to guarantee durability. Rabbi Irwin Wiener, D.D., is spiritual leader of the Sun Lakes Jewish Congregation.

Chandler Gilbert Arc has been serving individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the East Valley since 1975, providing community living, community based employment and day services and training. We help people with varying support needs to achieve their fullest potential while improving their quality of life.

When you make a donation to Chandler Gilbert Arc, it will come back to you, dollar for dollar on your Arizona State Taxes. Up to $800/family and $400/individual. www.cgarc.org/donation

Chandler Gilbert Arc 3250 N. San Marcos Pl, Chandler, AZ 85225 (480) 892-9422 Chandler Gilbert Arc is an IRS Section 501 (c)(3) non profit corporation, and is a Qualifying Charitable Tax Organization registered with the Arizona Department of Revenue. Our QCO code is 20245. Contact the Arizona DOR at (602) 255-3381, or visit www.revenue.state.az.us for more information

SanTan Sun News - 2.13.2022

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