The Chandler Arizonan - 02.21.2021 by Times Media Group

KYRENE EYES REOPENING

WENINGER'S GAMING BILL ADVANCES

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From Uptown to Downtown, covering Chandler like the sun.

An edition of the East Valley Tribune

This Week

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REAL ESTATE Chandler

like the sun

Housing cru nch

BY PAUL MARYNIAK Arizonan Executive Editor

prices.

pushing Va lley bounda ries farthe r out

Jeff Palacios he invento ry of homes Jr., director for John true when the Valley of research Burns Real so many has reached for sale in and Estate Consult gling people Land Advisor levels the lowest ing, worst with their daily lives, are strug- denced tate experts in modern history, dicated homebu s CEO Greg pandemic battling the by the fact Vogel, inreal essay. yers may we have seen that far away as That means decades.” 2020 were for many Casa Grande, have to look as 80 percent home sales in on the market that while the few ant area and norm for “Variations higher than the Lake Pleasthe years homes Florence. the 2014-20 fers – sometim are drawing multiple signi�icant,” in demand are almost The Cromfor He advised es scores it continu homebuilders19. in- were house – anxious cause of them for of- closely watches d Report, which ed. that sales one Valley, also poor the supply of re-sale “This is be- tough so strong that “it buyers may housing to cast their is going trends it crashes earlier this to soon homes to be below all-time is so said any get your growth this month observe in the lows of the Phoenixsearch far from the have supply almost every situation year” and overall center d, record Metro. “The is the worst week.” ever recorde During Land for new homes, sales growth, Cromford we have d.” will not occur primarily annual assessmAdvisors Organiz homes under said the ratio second half “It is dif�icult until the between ation’s of contract and ent of the to Phoenix is so out Palacios said2021. state of the the housing marketdescribe the state those real estate of for whack sale that prices of before scene, two said they in Greater these days,” and demand had to inventthat “we have never not only will be see no end experts Phoenix it said. “Just driven to frenzy or a descript It noted that quoting the the spiralin the home buying raw facts makes ion” for it. no early end to “crazy by a seemingly as of Feb. many people g upward are exagger to the cheap a 1 form year and money” in trend in compared ago, listings of low feel you ating wildly. who seem were down cent, by the unrelen mortgage rates There are to believe but also 67 perthose nearlythe median sales ting in�lux it cannot residents price had The Cays 17 percent really be and the growingof out-of-state jumped in Down and the per square working at trend toward town Ocoti foot climbed average price home. llo That will “I’ve talked over 19 percent be good news a lot . home,” do own for those he said. “It about work from a home. is triggeri annual appreci Cromford said, who sive catalyst ng a masfor housing “The ation rate surpassed demand. has already affordability will 19 percent …So, get reach 30 what you and could percent think is the stretched beyond into the second by the time we easily norm.” Vogel said are well have enteredit’s not just home “New homebu quarter.” sales that ilders are as they can sales as well, a new territory trying but as land Model-likeJames Bond Living there are to create more supply,hard going “from saying he sees the many physica market Top Floor a chronic but were at its Best!!! legal limits shortage l, �inancia Pent House experien that to ! Corner/End this,” Cromfor how quickly they l and a panic that’s cing for several years we can do Unit leading to d said. “These into homes are rapid appreci additional tion.” sure to be athe current priced well “Even See Page level.” above 500,000 when we 21 Palacios said look at -$2-million the “the ridiculo price range, housing usly strong” gone from 283 market in we’ve days down the Valley by 90 to is evi26

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ore than 70 percent of Chandler Uni�ied School District parents support in-person learning and want it to remain for the foreseeable future, according to a new survey conducted by the district. Of the 13,600 parents who responded to the survey last month, 72 percent preferred the in-class instruction model CUSD has had in effect districtwide since Jan. 19. Of the remainder, 19 percent prefer the

virtual instruction CUSD brie�ly implemented during the �irst two weeks of the current semester and 8 percent prefer the Chandler Online Academy. They appeared to support the district’s contested choice to return to in-person learning at a time when COVID-19 cases were spiking in early January. Arizona reported its highest number of positive cases on Jan. 4, the day before CUSD students were scheduled to return to classrooms. The district decided at the last minute to have students temporarily stay home

Teen’s suicide an impetus to update manslaughter law

for two weeks and learn virtually until the state’s infection rate started to drop. The results were discussed by the CUSD Governing Board on Feb. 10, the day before new data from the county health department showed that one of three benchmarks measuring COVID-19 spread – hospital visits with COVID-like symptoms – had �inally fallen into the moderate range after registering substantial spread levels for nearly two months. The other two benchmarks remained in

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he family of a Chandler teenager who died by suicide in 2019 is hoping state lawmakers will pass legislation that allows law enforcement to prosecute individuals who encourage vulnerable minors to take their own lives. The State House unanimously passed Chandler Rep. Jeff Weninger’s House Bill 2459, which expands the crime of manslaughter to include individuals who advise others how to commit suicide. The impetus behind Weninger’s bill was the tragic death of Adrio Romine, who at age 16 was Chandler High School’s Class of 2018 valedictorian and graduated with a 4.9 GPA. On the surface, Romine appeared to have a bright future

�� SUICIDE �� 14

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CITY NEWS

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Kyrene likely to reopen March 16 BY PAUL MARYNIAK Arizonan Executive Editor The Chandler Arizonan is published every Sunday and distributed free of charge to homes and in single-copy locations throughout Chandler. To ﬁnd out where you can pick up a free copy of The Chandler Arizonan, please visit www.ChandlerNews.com.

CONTACT INFORMATION Main number 480-898-6500 | Advertising 480-898-5624 Circulation service 480-898-5641 Chandler Arizonan 4301 N 75th St., Suite 201, Scottsdale, AZ 85251 Publisher: Steve T. Strickbine Vice President: Michael Hiatt

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Kyrene administrators last week told the Governing Board classrooms will reopen March 16, though they held out a slim possibility that kids might be back at their desks a bit earlier. In a lengthy presentation Feb. 9, Superintendent Dr. Laura Toenjes and several top aides laid out the district’s game plan for reopening classrooms that were closed after Thanksgiving. The presentation also included results from a survey of staff and parents on reopening that illustrated a continuing divide between staff and parents who want classrooms open and those who fear for their safety regardless of vaccinations and safety measures. And it included a look at how the district is preparing to address learning gaps resulting from online learning. Unlike learning gap presentations in Tempe Union and other districts, however, they provided no data on failure rates. Administrators said teachers will be trained to zero in on specific areas of learning deficiencies rather than reteach everything that had been covered in class and that the main focus will be on “major standards or skills.” Tempe Union earlier this month set a tentative reopening of its campuses for March 15. The Tempe Union Governing Board and administration appeared to favor four days in classrooms with a fifth day of online learning for all students, the issue was not entirely resolved at the board’s Feb. 3 meeting. However, at the Tempe Union board meeting last week, it was clear the district had settled on opening classrooms four days a week, with Wednesday an athome-learning day. The position taken by both Kyrene and Tempe Union officials on reopening classrooms differs markedly from that of the East Valley’s largest districts, which have had kids in classrooms for a month. Virus spread metrics in those districts – Mesa Public Schools, Gilbert Public Schools and Chandler Unified – have been higher than those in Tempe Union

and Kyrene. Toenjes said that Kyrene will be prepared to reopen classrooms earlier than March 16 if all three metrics released by the county health department every Thursday morning have dropped from the substantial to moderate level. Metrics released by the county last Thursday show that one metric – percentage of hospital visits with COVIDlike symptoms – has fallen to that moderate level, from 7 to 5 percent. The two other metrics also had trended downward, with one remaining in substantial spread and the other now in moderate. COVID-19 cases per 100,000 fell from 300 to 242 and the percentage of new positive test results dipped from 11.6 percent to 8.6 percent, an indication of moderate spread. Spring break in both Kyrene and Tempe Union begins in a week and a half . So, under Kyrene’s reopening plan, all three metrics would have had to have been in the moderate spread level when the county released its latest data Feb. 18, and on the following Thursday if its classrooms were to reopen before March 16. Kyrene administrators also said those metrics are not the only factor the district is taking into account in making a reopening decision. “We also consult directly with county doctors who have stressed that the metrics are just one factor to consider,” said Carrie Furedy, district executive director of school effectiveness. “We know that infectious disease is only one factor that impacts the overall health of a child, family and community,” she said. “The learning, emotional support and socialization that occurs in schools also weighs strongly in the equation. “We also know that the level of community transmission does not always reflect transmission within schools. When strong mitigation controls are in place and the school community supports those strategies, schools can be a safe haven for both students and staff even when COVID-19 is spreading outside of school.”

Furedy said vaccinations comprise “a significant new factor to consider in our decision-making to a safe return even if health metrics do not change as rapidly as we hope.” There was no information provided on how many teachers and other staff had received shots. Furedy noted that those who got them in the second half of January should be getting their second dose the last weekend in February. Furedy stated that because “the vaccine reaches its maximum efficacy one to two weeks after the second dose, this is a critical factor to consider in any timeline for a safe return to in-person learning.” Asked what other factors will figure in reopening, Furedy replied, that the “scientific guidance that comes from the Centers for Disease Control is one." Ironically, the CDC three days later released a lengthy report that stated, “K– 12 schools should be the last settings to close after all other mitigation measures in the community have been employed, and the first to reopen when they can do so safely.” The agency also said, “In-person learning for elementary schools is likely to have less risk of in-school transmission than for middle schools and high schools.” But the CDC said paramount to ensuring safety in schools were mandatory masks and that “physical distancing (at least 6 feet) should be maximized to the greatest extent possible.” Boardmember Michelle Fahy noted that social distancing “is not going to be a mitigation strategy we’re able to deploy at this time,” but had noted “there are other strategies we can use to support groups.” She was referring to the fact that classrooms aren’t large enough to accommodate the number of students who will be in them by spacing them 6 feet apart. Furedy said other factors Kyrene will consider include guidance from Maricopa County and Arizona health officials and “our operational capacity – things such as staffing levels and our ability to

see KYRENE page 6

CITY NEWS

SURVEY from page 1

the substantial spread category, but had fallen from the previous week with cases per 100,000 going from 578 to 403 and positive new test results falling from 19.3 to 14.9 percent. The survey showed 21 percent of respondents were dissatisfied with the virtual model that started the semester, while 60 percent were pleased with it. Another 2 percent of parents said they declined to have their child participate in the two-week virtual period -- a troubling statistic that might help explain why Arizona school districts have lost track of an estimated 30,000 to 40,000 students throughout the pandemic. Hundreds of parents have taken their children out of CUSD as the district repeatedly shifted from virtual to in-person learning during the current school year. Virtual learning differs from the Chandler Online Academy because it involves classroom teachers using video technology to transfer their in-person lessons to a digital format. Many parents wanted CUSD to continue a virtual option this semester, calling

THE CHANDLER ARIZONAN | WWW.CHANDLERNEWS.COM | FEBRUARY 21, 2021

8.7%

19.0%

72.3% Virtual Learning In-person learning My student attends the Chandler Online Academy the academy inadequate for honor students or those who require more oneon-one instruction. The survey shows 65 percent of parents were generally satisfied with the

academy while 19 percent felt the online school was not meeting their child’s needs. Parents of elementary students expressed more satisfaction with the acad-

emy than those of high school students but more high school students’ parents preferred virtual learning than parents of younger students. Overall, 44 percent of parents thought CUSD had been handling the pandemic better than other school districts. Twelve percent felt Chandler’s response was “much worse” and 27 percent thought CUSD reacted “about the same” as its peers. The survey was conducted between Jan. 26-31 and responses represented 16,400 of the district’s approximate 44,000 students. Amber Stouard, the district’s director of research, said CUSD tried its best to make the survey accessible to all parents without allowing outsiders a chance to hack it and manipulate the data. The district could have required respondents to submit more personal information in order to authenticate their responses, she said, but that could have created barriers for some parents to participate. “I think that’s something we’re going to have to continue to work on -- to find

see SURVEY page 6

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CITY NEWS

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Tempe Union prepares for in-class learning after the board meeting, showed cases per 100,000 went from 325 to 240, still within the significant spread category. But the percentage of positive new test results slipped from 13.3 percent to 10 percent – just on the threshold between significant and moderate spread levels. The percentage of hospital visits with COVID-like symptoms already is in the moderate spread level, having continued to slide from 7 to 5 percent. Superintendent Dr. Kevin Mendivil told the board that he had assembled “an educator think tank” that was to meet Feb. 19. It would comprise “14 of our best and brightest teachers out there who have a keen sense, a keen practicality of the use of technology within their various programs. “And we gathered those individuals along with content specialists and others to gather input from our teachers around a variety of things.” In addition, he said, surveys were going out to teachers their union representative met with Dr. Maja Aleksic, district

director of assessment accountability and research. That discussion was focused on “defining what it is that we want to know from our teachers that relates to the instruction and some of their needs and then looking at best practices for secondary schools.” That latter part related to virus-mitigation strategies. Assistant Superintendent Sean McDonald said social distance could be achieved in classrooms. But Mendivil noted the district still doesn’t know how many students overall will return – or what courses might draw more students than others. “Classes like choir or PE – there’s places on campus where those can be relocated,” he said. “If there’s content-specific classes that have more than we would expect...the sooner we know that, we can plan accordingly for alternative spaces.” Mendivil also stressed that while the district has spent over $1 million on technology aids for teachers, “students who elect going to class will have teacher-led instruction. They’ll have opportu-

nities for interventions and enrichment in their classrooms as they normally do.” Mendivil also said students would be referred as necessary to after-school social-emotional counseling and learning labs. But he warned that parents and students – and even teachers – will have to prepare for a transition. “You just don’t turn it on,” he said. “There are lots of transition pieces that need to happen with our students, with our families and with our teachers.” “I think what I need to emphasize is that’s it’s going to be different,” Mendivil said. “It’s going to be different in-person to some degree. It’s going to be different with virtual learning to some degree.” One big difference will be that classrooms have cameras and teachers will be wearing headsets cameras so that virtual learners can hear their classmates' questions and see the teachers moving around the room. But Mendivil also stressed he still did

KYRENE from page 3

1,182 staffers, about two thirds of whom work in classrooms. Parents who responded included 1,558 whose children are learning at home and 3,463 whose kids had been in classrooms prior to the district-wide shut-down. One survey question sought the respondents’ comfort level with returning to classrooms if staff had the opportunity to be fully vaccinated. Staff and

parents who had been in classrooms overwhelmingly favored a return while only about a third of those in the Kyrene Digital Academy or the flex model were comfortable with returning. That same divide appeared among respondents when asked to assess the risk of being in classrooms and in their confidence in the district’s safety measures for students on campus.

While board members applauded the administration’s presentation and overall plan to return to classrooms, that wasn’t the case among the 48 parents and staff that wrote statements to the board. The overwhelming majority of parents who emailed the board pleaded for open classrooms immediately and criticized the administration and board for keeping them closed.

SURVEY from page 4

ple of color across the country, she said, and it is impacting how those families are educating their children. “I’m just kind of wondering if that is a trend within our district where we’re losing families of color because of lack of trust,” Love said. Black families living in large cities have preferred keeping their children home during the pandemic at higher rates than white families, according to the New York Times. Last summer, a survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

found white families showed more support for reopening schools than their Black counterparts. Despite the positive support parents seem to have for Chandler’s current mode of instruction, the district is still having to track dozens of active COVID-19 cases across its 42 campuses. At least 1,100 employees and students have contracted the coronavirus while on campus over this last year and hundreds more have reported getting infected outside of school. CUSD has recently extended a sick-leave

policy that allows staff to miss up to 10 days of work for a COVID-related illness or to care for an infected family member. The federal government had been providing the extra sick time until legislation expired at the end of December. “We have had several employees who have contracted COVID-19 since January 1, 2021 and they have had to use their own sick leave days,” a district memo states. “We have also had other employees who had to go unpaid while they were out with COVID-19 because they did not have any sick leave days accrued.”

BY PAUL MARYNIAK Arizonan Executive Editor

s Tempe Union High School District plans to reopen campuses for four days a week on March 15, administrators are examining everything from what instruction will look like to how students will stay socially distant. Although some Governing Board members still fretted about opening classrooms, most of their three-hour meeting last week was spent being debriefed on logistics and related issues to welcoming students back. Most students – with the exception of some with special circumstances – have been in virtual learning since Thanksgiving and only in classrooms twice a week for nearly a year. The return to in-class instruction – with Wednesday being a day of learning at home for all – comes as COVID-19 spread indicators continue a downward trend in the district. Data released last Thursday, the day ensure that classrooms have qualified teachers and appropriate coverage – as well as the learning and social emotional needs of our students.” Assistant Superintendent Dr. Susie Ostmeyer also provided results from a survey of parents, teachers and other district staff between Jan. 26 and Feb. 3 that drew 6,782 responses – including

a way to authenticate in a true way and not keep families out,” Stouard added. Respondents were not broken down by race or socio-economic status, which some Governing Board members think would have been useful information to have. Board member Lindsay Love said she would like to know if the district’s racial or ethnic minorities have had a different experience interacting with CUSD during the pandemic. There seems to be a significant lack of trust between school districts and peo-

see UNION page 10

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CITY NEWS

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Chandler politicos in historic confrontation BY HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services

he chairman of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, whose district includes part of Ahwatukee, and his colleagues are at the epicenter of a historic confrontation with the State Senate over the Nov. 3 presidential election results. Board of Supervisors Chairman Jack Sellers, a former Chandler City Council member, and his four colleagues are at odds with his fellow Republicans in the Senate over lawmakers’ demand for access to voting machines and ballots from the last election. The Senate Republicans’ effort to hold Maricopa County supervisors in contempt – possibly exposing them to arrest – faltered two weeks ago after Glendale Republican Sen. Paul Boyer refused to go along. For his part, Sellers said Feb. 12 at a Chandler Chamber of Commerce that it was time Senate Republicans put the election in the rearview mirror. “I’m anxious to get back to the real work of the county,” he said, repeating his and his three Republican supervisor colleagues’ insistence that they have given senators everything they legally can provide. Boyer said that while he believes the Senate has the power to use its subpoena power to demand access to the voting machines and ballots, he believes that power should be used “sparingly and reluctantly.’’ Boyer said he believes the county is willing to conduct an additional audit of the results of the Nov. 3 election to answer questions about whether the reported results giving the edge to President Biden were accurate. What’s needed, he said, is a judge to issue an order clearing the way for the access that senators seek rather than a contempt citation. “I believe the board genuinely seeks the confidence and clarity of a court order to legally proceed,’’ Boyer said. And once that happens, he said, there will be no legal reason for the supervisors to claim that giving the Senate what it wants would violate the law. That drew derision from Gilbert Sen. Warren Petersen, who walked colleagues through a timeline of what he said has been an ever-changing stance

JD Mesnard

Jack Sellers

Paul Boyer

by the supervisors over whether there would or would not be an audit, who has access to the ballots and even some apparently conflicting arguments about whether courts have authority over the enforcement of legislative subpoenas. Petersen late last week took a new tack, sponsoring a measure that would change the law retroactively in a bid to eventually get their hands on voting equipment and ballots, even if it takes months. SB 1408 would spell out in statute that county election equipment, systems, records and other information “may not be deemed privileged information, confidential information or other information protected from disclosure.’’ The measure, approved on a party-line 5-3 vote by the Senate Judiciary Committee, declares that this information is “subject to subpoena and must be produced.’’ And it empowers the judge to compel production of the materials and records. Petersen, who chairs the panel, made it clear the legislation has one purpose: to force the hand of Maricopa County officials who have so far refused to comply with a subpoena the Senate has issued. They have produced various records. But the supervisors contend the county is precluded from surrendering access to voting machines and the actual ballots to senators or the auditors they hope to hire. And so far, the Senate’s ef-

forts to get a court ruling compelling disclosure have faltered. Chandler Sen. J.D. Mesnard said claims by the supervisors they want this resolved ring hollow, citing a filing which sought a court order to block the Senate from even voting on the contempt resolution. In that filing, board attorney John Doran told Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Joseph Mikitish the move was part of “politically charged paranoia’’ and a bid by the Senate to “press ahead with a false narrative belied by the actual facts and evidence.’’ “That is beyond outrageous,’’ Mesnard said. “Their actions show they are dripping with contempt.’’ Senate President Karen Fann, RPrescott, detailed for colleagues her own attempts to resolve the issue with the supervisors. In fact, Fann said she originally had planned a contempt vote for 2-1/2 weeks ago but held off in hopes it wouldn’t come to that. Yet every effort to get a resolution, she said, was met with objections from the board. “So I’m sorry to say, this is why we’re at where we’re at right now,’’ Fann said. Sellers has the full support of the board’s other three Republican members and the lone Democrat. In a Facebook post Feb. 5, Sellers castigated Fann, stating she “continues to

run from the fact that she has hired debunked conspiracy theorist utilized by Rudy Giuliani to conduct a Senate ‘audit’ suspiciously as an impeachment trial is set to begin in the United States Senate. He noted it is illegal for the board to give custody of ballots to anyone without a court order and that the county already has given the Senate “reams of data” and “everything in their subpoena that we are legally allowed to provide.” Sellers also noted the county is conducting two audits with the help of certified auditors from the U.S. Elections Assistance Commission. Supervisor Steve Gallardo, the lone Democrat on the board, was more blunt, stating in a release, “Arizona GOP senators have been complicit in a big lie about the election for three months now. This sham subpoena to get access to people’s private ballots is all in service of the big lie. The big lie has always been about a single issue on the ballot—the presidential race—and the ego of the former President…The November election was safe, secure, and accurate.” He also said a vote in favor of the contempt action is “expressing their contempt for the will of the majority of Maricopa County residents.” With the 30-member Senate having

see SELLERS page 10

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House panel OKs mandatory pledge for kids BY HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services

a day for students to “engage and quiet reflection and moral reasoning.’’ Fillmore said he wants that language rather than simply a moment of silence. “Sometimes the moment of silence is ‘shut up and keep quiet’ versus ‘think about what is good for society or yourself or your family, and for your parents and for your country and community,’ ‘’ he said. “Even if they only think about what they’re facing that day or the trials and tribulations in their little lives, I think (for) them to have that ability to have some kind of reasoning is a good thing.’’ Rep. Stephanie Stahl Hamilton, D-Tucson, pointed out that among some religious groups, the only pledge they are allowed to make is to God. Fillmore pointed out his measure does permit parents to excuse their children from the requirement. But that didn’t satisfy Rep. Athena Salman, D-Tempe. “The student as an individual has

rights,’’ Salman said. “And to force a student to have to rely on their parents in order for them to have their constitutional rights protected I think is a big loophole that could potentially violate the individual student’s religious beliefs that might digress from what the parents believe.’’ Tory Roberg, lobbyist for the Secular Coalition of Arizona, suggested anything that pressures students to recite the pledge, with its language about the county being “one nation under God,’’ could amount to illegal religious coercion. Rep. Kevin Payne, R-Peoria, said he was “amazed’’ at how many people had registered at the legislative web site as opposed to the measure. “We’re not talking about a prayer,’’ he said. “We’re talking about a pledge of allegiance to the flag.’’ Payne pointed out that lawmakers begin each session with the same pledge. “I just don’t get it,’’ he said. “I thought we were in America.’’

Salman countered that’s exactly the point. “What we’re talking about here is the Constitution of the United States of America,’’ she said. “What we’re talking about is the First Amendment.’’ In the only case addressing this, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1985 that an Alabama law mandating a moment of silence was unconstitutional. But much of that was based on the admission by the measure’s sponsor that it was designed to “return voluntary prayer to our public schools.’’ Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, in a concurring opinion, said she would have upheld the requirement if lawmakers had shown a true secular purpose. She said school-led moments of silence can be legal because, unlike school-led prayers, they are not inherently religious and do not coerce students into participating. The 7-6 vote sends the measure to the full House.

UNION from page 6

heard the governor announce earlier last week that grading of schools’ performance would be suspended for a year thought students wouldn’t get graded either. Moreover, his top aides indicated that AZMerit achievement tests would be administered this spring – and that stu-

dents must be on campus to take them. While the state is not issuing letter grades this year for schools, it will still be making some of its funding decisions on the basis of those AZMerit results. “We are required to give the assessments in ELA (English Learning Arts)

and in math and science and they have to be administered after school in person,” Mendivil said. “So, we need to have that time to have the discussions with teachers on what that looks like…I was hoping that they would postpone it but they’ve made that decision to not.”

SELLERS from page 8

election canvass, an envelope with the ballots is placed in a secure facility managed by the county treasurer “who shall keep it unopened and unaltered for 24 months for elections for a federal office.’’ Tully contends the only exception is when there is a legal challenge by a candidate or a recount, neither of which is at play here. Petersen said he doesn’t read the law as precluding the supervisors from allowing legislators -- or their designated agents -- from looking at the ballots. “We issued a subpoena and they have given us the finger,’’ Petersen said. He said that undermines the authority of lawmakers to issue subpoenas, presumably backed by the power to enforce them. “When we were given the authority un-

der the state constitution to be lawmakers, we need to be able to collect facts, we need to be able to investigate,’’ he said. “Otherwise, how are we going to know how to change the laws,’’ Petersen continued. “How are we going to know how to make a law to fix something if we can never know what to fix?’’ Fann said she’s not starting from that premise. But she said there are enough questions by constituents to require an inquiry. Sen. Kelly Townsend, R-Mesa, questioned why the supervisors are expending so much energy trying to deny that the Senate has absolute power to demand an audit and access to the equipment and ballots. Fann made it clear she would not have

brought the resolution up for a vote had Boyer told her ahead of time he would not balk. “I think all my bills are now dead,’’ Boyer told Capitol Media Services, as his GOP colleagues who control both the Senate and House won’t provide the votes. Townsend all but confirmed that. “If you say you’re going to vote along with your caucus and then you do not, your word is never going to be trusted again,’’ she said. Then there's the 2022 election. “I’m sure there will be political ramifications as well,’’ Boyer said. Arizonan staff contributed to this report. Fann said this isn’t about overturning the last election. But she said lawmakers have the power to review.

he way Rep. John Fillmore sees it, young children need to hear and say the Pledge of Allegiance every morning at school. So, he convinced Republican members of the House Government and Elections Committee last week to mandate it for anyone in kindergarten through fourth grade. The Apache Junction Republican said its components are important, ranging from the “I’’ declaration, which makes it personal, to pledging to “the United States, that’s all of the states.’’ “And I think that it’s important that we have the kids learn what these words mean and drummed into their heads,’’ he said. “America is a country where people are still dying to come to and they put their lives at risk to come here.’’ Students in grades 5-12 would have no pledge requirement. Instead, Fillmore’s HB 2060 would require at least a minute

not have all the details of what both inclass and at-home learning will be like. The discussion eventually drifted over to grades and learning assessment tests. Mendivil noted that some parents who

just 16 Republicans and the Democrats opposed, Boyer’s decision left the majority one vote short of what was needed to approve the contempt resolution. What happens next is unclear. Contempt citation or not, there is still a subpoena demanding access to the machines and the ballots. The county has a pending lawsuit asking a judge to void the subpoena as invalid, saying state law prohibits the county from surrendering access to them. But that lawsuit could be used to adjudicate the dispute about whether that also applies to the Legislature. Much of the dispute is over a section of state law which says that after the post-

CITY NEWS

THE CHANDLER ARIZONAN | WWW.CHANDLERNEWS.COM | FEBRUARY 21, 2021

Chandler to resume shutting off utilities by May BY KEVIN REAGAN Arizonan Staff Writer

he City of Chandler is planning to resume shutting off utilities for delinquent customers now that unpaid bills have swelled to nearly $1.5 million throughout the pandemic. Chandler had stopped shutoffs of water and wastewater services for delinquencies nearly a year ago after the pandemic started rupturing the local economy and Arizona’s unemployment rate started to escalate. The city wanted to ensure that residents had access to clean water as COVID-19 spread across the state. But city officials say they won’t be able to continue the moratorium for much longer and that cut-offs will begin by May. Chandler’s utilities debt has nearly tripled over the last six months, with the number of delinquent accounts up from 900 to 2,700. Jennifer Honea, a city spokesperson, said Chandler’s utilities fund is supposed to be self-sufficient and needs to

Assisted Living

Delinquent water accounts have steadily risen in Chandler since the pandemic as this chart, comparing this year with the last two ﬁscal years shows. (City of Chandler)

have a steady stream of revenue to maintain service across the city. The city had been attempting to connect residents with nonprofits that might be able to provide financial assistance or set up customers on a payment plan. “Unfortunately, some customers have not contacted us and we are unsure if they are aware of the assistance that may be available to them,” Honea said.

“By resuming normal operations, including disconnects, we are providing customers an opportunity to contact us.” Officials hope customers will start reaching out to them over the next couple months to resolve the delinquent balances before shut-offs go into effect. “Financial assistance is and continues to be available to customers needing help,” Honea said. “We chose May to resume nor-

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mal operations to allow time for customers to contact us and get the help they need.” Chandler is one of several Valley cities that have decided to resume its shut-off policy after allowing residents to forgo paying their utility bills for months. Gilbert and Mesa have begun enforcing penalties for delinquencies. Before the pandemic, Chandler disconnected water service for customers with a past-due balance of $400 or who were more than two weeks past due. When Chandler stopped shutoffs and late fees last March, unpaid bills totaled about $200,000. Less than a month later, the debt had grown to about $400,000 and continued rising for the rest of the summer. By October, the city initiated an outreach campaign that involved mailing out “soft notices” to customers with a debt of at least $150 and informed them how they could pay off the balance. The city said these notices additionally referred customers to local programs that might be able to offer subsidies for

see UTILITIES page 16

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CITY NEWS

THE CHANDLER ARIZONAN | WWW.CHANDLERNEWS.COM | FEBRUARY 21, 2021

Chandler nurse saluted during Super Bowl special BY KEVIN REAGAN Arizonan Staff Writer

Chandler nurse recently got a comforting surprise from one of her football heroes while taking a break from work in her hospital’s COVID-19 unit. Haley Bowser, a Chandler High graduate and Dignity Health nurse, was not expecting to meet a player from one of her favorite teams when she was approached to do a television interview a few days before the Super Bowl match between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. During a CBS special spot-lighting health care workers from across the country, Bowser’s interview was suddenly interrupted by a message from Arizona Cardinals safety Budda Baker. “I just wanted to thank you and appreciate all the things that you’ve done during this pandemic,” Baker told Bowser during their virtual chat. “You guys are the true heroes.”

Haley Bowser, a Dignity Health nurse, got a special surprise when she appeared on a Super Bowl CBS special: a virtual visit by Arizona Cardinals safety Budda Baker. (Special to The Chandler Arizonan)

Baker, who has been playing for the Cardinals since 2017, was one of sev-

eral National Football League players who partnered with CBS to pay tribute

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see NURSE page 18

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SUICIDE from page 1

ahead of him with a scholarship to Arizona State University, where he was a pre-med student. But Romine’s parents say the 17-yearold had been privately struggling with depression and had begun to secretly express his despair on Reddit, the online chat forum that’s home to 430 million users. One user allegedly instructed Romine in how to take his life over the course of several days and was still chatting with the teenager hours before his death. Romine died in the same manner explained to him by the Reddit user a few days before Mother’s Day in 2019. Paolla Jordan, Romine’s mother, said she has preserved nearly 300 screenshots of her son’s disturbing dialogue with the individual and believes they prove her son’s death was the result of the Reddit user’s influence. “This was a predator preying on my son and it will happen again,” she told the House Judiciary Committee on Feb. 3 as she urged lawmakers to give police the ability to go after adults who coax children into taking their own lives. Every agency claims their hands are tied in these situations, Jordan said, noting they claim to have no legal authority to investigate online manipulators who intend to harm others. “Our family will not get justice for Adrio,” Jordan added. “As Adrio’s parents we need to make an effort to do something for future generations to come.” After Romine’s death, his family contacted law enforcement agencies in Arizona and California – where the Reddit user is believed to have lived – and attempted to get them to file criminal charges. Kelly Jordan, the teenager’s stepfather, said the authorities in those two states wanted to open an investigation but couldn’t because there was no statute that could be applied to Romine’s case. “Even though everyone is willing, nobody has the ability to prosecute any of these cases,” he said. “And there’s nothing to try and stop anybody from doing this because there’s no law against it.” Manslaughter charges have traditionally been used in Arizona to prosecute killers who commit a homicide without premeditation. Fatal car accidents or domestic fights

that turned deadly have often been the types of cases that end in a manslaughter conviction. The law presently applies to defendants who supply the physical means for someone to die by suicide but does not account for someone who emotionally coerces another person to commit such an act. Manslaughter is currently classified as a Class 2 felony, meaning anyone found guilty under the legislation’s proposed amendments could be sentenced to several years in prison. Weninger, who attempted to get a similar bill passed last year, said he was motivated to introduce HB 2459 after reviewing some of the alarming messages sent to Romine on the Reddit thread. Romine was getting messages detailing the most effective angles for pointing a gun at his head, the lawmaker noted. “I just think that’s reprehensible and I want to make sure no parent has to go through this in the future,” Weninger said. The legislation must still pass through the State Senate before it could be signed by Gov. Doug Ducey. The legislation failed to pass last year after the COVID-19 pandemic thwarted the possibility of most bills getting to the House or Senate floors for a final vote. But several lawmakers signaled their support for Weninger’s bill early on and have been wishing to see it advance through the Legislature. State Rep. Jennifer Pawlik, D-Chandler, voted to move the bill through the Judiciary Committee last session despite some concerns she had about the legislation’s vague language. It is unclear how prosecutors can prove a defendant’s intent in cases like these, Pawlik said, yet it is clear parents need more support in patrolling the online activities of vulnerable children. “As a parent, I can attest that it would be impossible to monitor all of your child’s interactions on social media,” Pawlik said last year after voting in favor of Weninger’s bill. Pawlik and several other Chandler lawmakers have been introducing and supporting several pieces of legislation in recent years that attempt to curb the startling rate of teen suicides reported across the East Valley. Nearly 60 students from various East

see SUICIDE page 18

THE CHANDLER ARIZONAN | WWW.CHANDLERNEWS.COM | FEBRUARY 21, 2021

15 CITY NEWS

Chandler lawmaker’s gaming bill advances

“I truly think you’re going to see things where more people are going to games because it is exciting maybe to have a bet and maybe watching the game in person,’’ he said, “more people wanting to watch it in a group setting because maybe they have a $20 bet on the game.’’ The 9-1 vote followed testimony by

a parade of lobbyists for professional sports organizations. Several of them told of the financial woes they faced after the pandemic shortened the seasons. They see legal wagering – and the money generated – as a financial lifeline. The plan, if approved would generate anywhere from $20 million to $42 million a year for the state – lawmakers could use for new or expanded programs or even to grant tax cuts. Only Rep. Pamela Powers Hannley, DTucson, cast the dissenting vote, stating “Gambling is an addiction.’’ “People lose their homes and their livelihoods from gambling,’’ Powers Hannley continued. “We need to realize that we could have unintended consequences from expansion of gambling.’’ The Tucson lawmaker also said she’s not convinced that the private companies that will be hired by sports teams and franchises to run the operations will properly store and protect private information of those who place their bets online.

Powers Hannley said this could provide the opportunity for companies to “geotrack’’ the gamblers who make their wagers through their smart phones. But other lawmakers were more inclined to listen to the lobbyists who saw nothing but positive out of this. Rob Dallagher who represents the Arizona Cardinals, one of the teams that would get the right to establish its own online and in-stadium wagering facility where people could bet not just on Cardinals game and not just on football but on any professional or college sporting event anywhere in the country. “If I wanted to go today and make a sports bet, there is a way for me to do that,’’ Dallagher said. “What I’m not so certain about is, if I win, am I going to get paid, or is the person holding that bet for me using data that is legitimate to determine whether I won or lost that bet,’’ he continued. “And this bill covers both of those.’’

which hosts the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies on the Salt River Pima–Maricopa Indian Community near Scottsdale, said attendance and the 11,000-seat ballpark will be limited to 16 percent. The situation will be much the same in other Cactus League cities as well. “I think the public and everyone needs to understand that public safety will not be compromised in the name of baseball,’’ Mesa Mayor John Giles said. “There will be baseball, but there will be strict protection.’’ He said this year the Cactus League will join a long list of disappointments caused by COVID but that everyone will do their best to enjoy the season without endangering the public’s health. “We built stadiums and relationships with the teams because we are in it for the long game,’’ Giles said. “We will look forward to wall-to-wall people next year.’’ The Cactus League, which supported

Major League Baseball by requesting a delay in the season because of COVID-19, is now revving up for Opening Day Feb. 27 after the Major League Baseball Players Association rejected the proposal. Justin Piper, general manager of Mesa’s Sloan Park, said Cactus League parks will rely on MLB’s safety protocols that focus on masks and social distancing. He also said there will be small variations from park to park based upon their layouts. “We feel pretty confident in our plan and have received city and state approval,’’ Piper said. “It’s going to be a different experience than what people saw in the past. We want to make sure we provide a fun, exciting day in a safe way.’’ Salt River Fields has also released its safety protocols for fans, which include requiring face masks and prohibiting spitting of any kind, including with sunflower seeds. The field will also operate as a cashless facility – including in parking lots –

and players will not be available to sign autographs. Although the protocols represent a marked departure from the usual relaxed, intimate atmosphere at Cactus League games, at least fans who are willing to cooperate have an opportunity to watch live games in person for the first time since the 2020 Cactus League season was suddenly canceled about midway in March. The 2021 season will kick off on Feb. 27, when the World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers play the Cubs in the first game at Sloan Park, followed by a matchup between the Los Angeles Angels and San Francisco Giants in Scottsdale that afternoon. Bridget Binsbacher, the Cactus League’s executive director and a Peoria City Council member, said the league would have preferred to see the season’s debut delayed to reduce the potential spread of COVID-19, providing time for

BY HOWARD FISCHER Media Services

romoted by an aide to Gov. Doug Ducey and urged on by sports teams and Native American tribes, a vastly expanded legal gaming proposal for Arizona advanced by a Chandler lawmaker cleared its first hurdle last week. The far-reaching legislation approved by the House Commerce Committee would legalize the ability of Arizonans to wager on professional and college sports. Betting on fantasy sports also would become legal if HB 2772 becomes law. And all that could be done online through a smart phone. On top of that, off-track betting locations and service organizations would get the right to legally offer keno. That’s a form of lottery but with a new game and new numbers up to 15 times every hour. Chandler Rep. Jeff Weninger, who is sponsoring the House version of the offreservation gaming plan, said he sees a possible ripple effect.

Rep. Jeff Weninger

see GAMING page18

Cactus League starting on time – with far fewer fans ARIZONAN NEWS STAFF

he Cactus League will come back to the East Valley and the rest of Arizona on time next weekend – but fans will hardly recognize it. Don’t expect the usual capacity crowds or parents and children jockeying for space on the crowded left field lawn. These, and many other familiar scenes from Cactus League seasons past, will not be possible this year as officials try to strike a delicate balance between the return of spring training and preventing another disastrous spike in COVID-19. With safety paramount on everyone’s minds, fans can expect to see seating limited at Cactus League Stadiums to about 25 percent of capacity, “pods’ of small groups of people sitting at least six feet apart from each other, a mask requirement throughout the league and a prohibition against collecting autographs or watching routine workouts. A spokesperson for Salt River Fields,

see CACTUS page 18

CITY NEWS

THE CHANDLER ARIZONAN | WWW.CHANDLERNEWS.COM | FEBRUARY 21, 2021

Man gets 18 years for killing Air Force vet ARIZONAN NEWS STAFF

man will spend 18 years in prison for killing a 76-year-old military veteran during a carjacking incident outside a Chandler gas station. Jordan Sullivan, 22, pleading guilty to the second-degree murder of Wesley Cook, a retired Air Force sergeant who died last April 19. Cook was discovered lying on the ground outside a Circle K near Arizona Avenue and Riggs Road shortly after midnight on April 9. He told Chandler police officers he had been assaulted while filling up his gas tank and the attacker had taken off in his vehicle. Chandler Police later spotted Cook’s vehicle driving down the road by Sullivan

UTILITIES from page 11

utility assistance. AZCEND is one nonprofit that’s been attempting to offer as many utility subsidies as possible throughout the pandemic to Chandler and Gilbert residents.

Jordan Sullivan Over the last six months, AZCEND has spent about $1.3 million to help hundreds of Chandler residents pay water or electric bills. The nonprofit has also disbursed another $3.8 million to help pay rent or mortgages. AZCEND CEO Trinity Donovan said de-

and attempted to stop him, then chased him onto the Gila River Indian Community reservation until Sullivan crashed the vehicle and rolled several times. The fugitive fled on foot but a police dog chased Sullivan and subdued him. He later told Chandler Police he stole Cook’s car to see his family and didn’t intend to hurt the elderly man, court documents show. Cook was a retired aviation industry employee who had worked at Boeing in Mesa in its helicopter division. The prosecution advocated for a lengthy prison sentence, stating Cook likely suffered during the days leading up to his death. Emily Spangenberg-Cook, the victim’s widow, said she barely got to spend any time with her husband before he died due

mand for utility assistance has remained consistent during the pandemic and that she doesn’t expect demand to wane anytime soon. The city says returning to its shut-off policy will hopefully get its utility fund back to

to the hospital’s COVID-19 restrictions. “I never got to see Wes again while he was conscious,” she wrote in a statement to the court. “I was not allowed in the hospital until the last hours before they moved him to hospice.” She said her husband had served more than 20 years in the Air Force and spent two tours in Vietnam during the war. Cook’s car was the first he ever bought brand new. It was totaled after the accident and couldn’t be repaired by his family. “Now I will never get to sit in the car in order to feel closer to Wesley,” his widow added. “It too is gone forever.” Superior Court Judge Annielaurie Van Wie ordered Sullivan to pay $3,800 in restitution to Cook’s family for the victim’s funeral expenses.

a manageable position without disrupting service for customers who are struggling. “It is important that the city make good decisions and do our due diligence to address this issue while looking at all aspects of the situation,” Honea said.

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NURSE from page 12

is famous,” she said. Bowser grew up watching football games with her father and always kept track of how the Cardinals were performing each season. The team’s players have often embedded themselves in the Arizona community, she said, and have made a positive impact on people who grew up around here. Bowser has been a nurse the last five years and had been assigned to a unit specializing in patients recovering from

GAMING from page 15

Amilyn Pierce, vice president of the Arizona Diamondbacks, said teams elsewhere have brought in new cash because their home states have given the go-ahead for sports wagering since the U.S. Supreme Court in 2018 voided a federal law banning such gambling. “In the years since the ruling, we have watched as other states have significantly implemented sports betting and what it has done to the financial health

SUICIDE from page 14

Valley schools have died by suicide over the last four years, prompting parents and teenagers to demand for more resources from their local school districts to address students’ social-emotional needs. Lawmakers have been trying to address the troubling trend by presenting bills that would provide more school counselors, require mental health instruction in schools and allow pupils to miss school for a mental health problem. Yet those other bills don’t approach the issue from a criminal justice standpoint quite like HB 2459, which attempts to prevent suicides by criminalizing the behavior of those who knew the deceased

CACTUS from page 15

more fans to get vaccinated. Although the league never demanded a certain length of delay, East Valley officials and numerous media reports said the ideal scenario would have been to wait about a month. MLB eventually offered to pay players in for a 154-game regular season schedule, instead of the usual 162-game season, and using the designated hitter in both leagues, as was the case in last

THE CHANDLER ARIZONAN | WWW.CHANDLERNEWS.COM | FEBRUARY 21, 2021

heart attacks. When the coronavirus began spreading last March, her unit at Dignity Health Gilbert Medical Center quickly transformed into the hospital’s COVID-19 treatment center. There was certainly a learning curve at the beginning of the pandemic, Bowser recalled, but the hospital’s nurses and doctors quickly adjusted to all the new protocols and guidelines they needed to follow. “We’ve learned so much throughout the last year in how to take care of these

of the teams who have been able to participate,’’ she told lawmakers. “We cannot let Arizona fall behind, putting our sports teams at a significant disadvantage in a competitive market.’’ What’s in HB 2772 and a mirror bill in the Senate of SB 1797 are half of a deal that Ducey cut with tribes as they are renegotiating the gaming compacts first approved in 2002. In essence, the tribes would get opportunities for additional locations for casi-

was contemplating suicide and urged them to follow through with it. The legislation is similar to the criminal case of Michelle Carter, a young Massachusetts woman who was convicted of involuntary manslaughter after her boyfriend died by suicide in 2014. Carter encouraged her boyfriend to kill himself through several phone calls and text messages exchanged in the days leading up to his death. Though Carter’s attorneys argued the state had no authority to prosecute, the courts ruled the defendant’s messages showed she had criminal intent to harm her boyfriend. Carter’s case set a precedent that some legal experts felt opened the door

year’s abbreviated 60-game season. But the powerful Major League Baseball Players Association quickly crushed that proposal. Players worried that more double-headers during the shortened season would result in more injuries and said the offer came too late, after they had rented homes in Arizona and Florida for spring training, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported. “We will be ready for any opportunity that presents itself,’’ Binsbacher said. “We’re concerned about health. It’s at

patients,” she said. It has been exhausting at times to be working on the frontlines of a global health crisis, Bowser said, yet she hasn’t lost her drive to keep doing a job she’s always wanted to do. “I take every shift as they come,” she said. “Some days are a little easier, but I come in ready to work every day.” More than 14,000 Arizonans have succumbed to the coronavirus over the last year and hundreds of new cases are still getting reported to the state Depart-

nos and the right to operate new games like craps and roulette. They, too, will be able to take in sports bets. All the terms of that, however, have not been made public. Anni Foster, the governor’s legal counsel, said her boss is entitled to approve new terms without the approval of lawmakers. What does require legislative ratification is what the tribes are giving the state in return: the right to operate new forms of off-reservation gaming that were pro-

for prosecutors to violate an individual’s First Amendment right to freedom of speech. But supporters of HB 2459 don’t think Arizona is encroaching upon the constitutional liberties of its residents by passing the legislation. Shane Watson, a suicide prevention specialist, said the legislation is not trying to suppress someone’s controversial opinion on suicide, it’s trying to stop someone who intends to do harm. “It’s about protecting our most vulnerable and ensuring our future,” he said. Watson, a spokesman for Not My Kid, a nonprofit specializing in mental health resources, said Romine’s case illustrates the gaps that exist in society where a

the forefront of everything.’’ She said the league would work cooperatively with MLB on using the best safety protocols. Fans are advised to go to the Cactus League website at cactusleague.com/#navigation-locations for ticket details and protocols for attendees at individual ballparks. “All of us are studying what everyone has done to have fans and how it works,’’ said Jerry Hall, manager of Diablo Stadium. “That might be a bonus, if we have fans. I think if people come to the games,

ment of Health Services on a daily basis. As Arizona continues distributing COVID-19 vaccines, Bowser said she’s hopeful the pandemic will soon start to subside and her unit will return to regular operations. But locals need to remain vigilant about wearing masks and washing their hands, she added, because the community could be getting close to finally averting this calamity. “We can see that light at the end of the tunnel within this next year,” Bowser said.

hibited in the original 2002 deal. But the whole package is tied together: The tribes don’t get expanded gaming if lawmakers don’t OK the new off-reservation games. And sports betting is permitted only if the tribes in the Phoenix and Tucson areas approve the final deal. The measure now goes to the full House following a review of its constitutionality. No date has been set to hear the Senate version sponsored by Sen. T.J. Shope, R-Coolidge.

young person can secretly be influenced by a stranger online without anyone else knowing. “This was not a matter of someone failing to help or flippantly saying ‘kill yourself’,” Watson added. “This is a grown adult who knowingly, intentionally, continuously coached this young man to do this.” Romine’s family plans to get other states to introduce legislation similar to HB 2459 and hope to eventually get the laws changed nationwide. In the meantime, the family will continue operating the Laloboy Foundation, which aims to provide counseling services for children and internet safety workshops for parents.

they will follow the rules.’’ He said the Cactus League needs a uniform policy, so that the same rules are used in all stadiums and fans don’t insist they were allowed to not wear masks in another ballpark. “All of us will have the same protocols. We will all be on the same page,’’ Hall said. Despite the limitations, Hall said, “the fan experience will actually be quite nice. You can still sit with your family. You can still watch Major League Baseball.”

REAL ESTATE

THE CHANDLER ARIZONAN | WWW.CHANDLERNEWS.COM | FEBRUARY 21, 2021

From Uptown to Downtown, we cover Chandler like the sun

Housing crunch pushing Valley boundaries farther out BY PAUL MARYNIAK Arizonan Executive Editor

he inventory of homes for sale in the Valley has reached the lowest levels in modern history, real estate experts say. That means that while the few homes on the market are drawing multiple offers – sometimes scores of them for one house – anxious buyers may soon have to cast their search far from the center of the Phoenix Metro. During Land Advisors Organization’s annual assessment of the state of the Phoenix real estate scene, two experts said they see no end to the home buying frenzy or the spiraling upward trend in

prices. Jeff Palacios Jr., director of research for John Burns Real Estate Consulting, and Land Advisors CEO Greg Vogel, indicated homebuyers may have to look as far away as Casa Grande, the Lake Pleasant area and Florence. The Cromford Report, which also closely watches housing trends in the Valley, earlier this month observed, “The supply situation is the worst we have ever recorded.” “It is difficult to describe the state of the housing market in Greater Phoenix these days,” it said. “Just quoting the raw facts makes many people feel you are exaggerating wildly. There are those who seem to believe it cannot really be

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true when so many people are struggling with their daily lives, battling the worst pandemic we have seen for many decades.” “Variations in demand are almost insignificant,” it continued. “This is because the supply of re-sale homes is so poor it crashes below all-time record lows almost every week.” Cromford said the ratio between homes under contract and those for sale is so out of whack that “we have never before had to invent a description” for it. It noted that as of Feb. 1 and compared to a year ago, listings were down 67 percent, the median sales price had jumped nearly 17 percent and the average price per square foot climbed over 19 percent. That will be good news for those who do own a home. Cromford said, “The annual appreciation rate has already surpassed 19 percent and could easily reach 30 percent by the time we are well into the second quarter.” “New homebuilders are trying as hard as they can to create more supply, but there are many physical, financial and legal limits to how quickly they can do this,” Cromford said. “These additional homes are sure to be priced well above the current level.” Palacios said “the ridiculously strong” housing market in the Valley is evi-

denced by the fact that home sales in 2020 were 80 percent higher than the norm for the years 2014-2019. He advised homebuilders that sales were so strong that “it is going to be tough to get your growth this year” and said any overall sales growth, primarily for new homes, will not occur until the second half of 2021. Palacios said that prices and demand not only will be driven by a seemingly no early end to “crazy cheap money” in the form of low mortgage rates but also by the unrelenting influx of out-of-state residents and the growing trend toward working at home. “I’ve talked a lot about work from home,” he said. “It is triggering a massive catalyst for housing demand. …So, affordability will get stretched beyond what you think is the norm.” Vogel said it’s not just home sales that have entered a new territory but land sales as well, saying he sees the market going “from a chronic shortage that we were experiencing for several years into a panic that’s leading to rapid appreciation.” “Even when we look at the 500,000-$2-million price range, we’ve gone from 283 days down by 90 to 26

see MARKET page 20

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REAL ESTATE

THE CHANDLER ARIZONAN | WWW.CHANDLERNEWS.COM | FEBRUARY 21, 2021

The chart on the left essentially is a history of housaing market growth in the Valley while the one on the right shows the big hot spots for development over the next few years, shaded in red. (Land Advisors Organization)

MARKET from page 19

days,” he said of the time houses stay on the market before coming under contract. “We have outsized appreciation,” Vogel said. “I think this is too much. We are going to have a real hard time adding enough supply to curtail this but this can get quickly unaffordable.” Vogel noted that the number of building permits soared last year in the West Valley and Pinal County, largely because

available land in the East Valley has all but vanished except for huge tracts of State Trust Land in far east Mesa. He noted that the current inventory of finished lots in the Phoenix Metro market totals about 13,000 after 28,700 building permits were issued in 2020. “It’s a little bit frightening related to the supply that is being burned off,” he said. “The builders bought 21,000 lots this past year. Some of those are larger

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supplies that will last several years, but there’s clearly a deep shortage and the shortage is not only looming but growing.” He said builders and developers “have to buy land differently than they did in the years prior, where they were able to buy morsels or be able to digest 60 lots

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and have an option on another 60. “They need to buy big platforms and we’re seeing that occur very often at this point. It is not unusual for a builder to come in and buy 300 to 600 units. That was not occurring even just pre-COVID,” Vogel said.

Chandler lawyer and his partner have made a Valley magazine’s list of the Top 100 Lawyers in Arizona regardless of their specialty. Ben Gottlieb and Patrick MacQueen of Ahwatukee, founders of a practice that bears both their names, were in the list published by AZBusiness. “The prestigious group is chosen by AZBusiness magazine’s editorial team in collaboration with industry experts,” said the magazine. “The attorneys were selected from a pool of more than 2,000 of the state’s most talented and successful attorneys. Selections are based on each lawyer’s professional success and ratings, impact on his or her law firm, impact on the communities she or he serves and impact on the legal profession.” The magazine chooses the winners

from a pool of 2,000 attorneys; that list is culled from the approximately 18,500 attorneys in Arizona. This is the second consecutive year AZ Business has tabbed both MacQueen and Gottlieb as among the top 100 attorneys in Arizona and the third consecutive year MacQueen has made the list – a designation that is given regardless of practice area. The rankings are based on evaluations of the staff of the magazine and their knowledge of the industry around the state, and place both attorneys in the top one-half of one percent of all attorneys in Arizona. “We are very grateful to be recognized by the people in the community we serve as being at the top of our field,” MacQueen said. “We strive to provide our clients with great legal representation and do it in an atmosphere that is enjoyable for both

see LAWYER page 25

REAL ESTATE

THE CHANDLER ARIZONAN | WWW.CHANDLERNEWS.COM | FEBRUARY 21, 2021

Eviction ban no panacea for delinquent tenants BY BEN GOTTLIEB Arizonan Guest Writer

he courageous investors who plunged into the deep end of the stock market swimming pool in March of 2020 have basked in delight and euphoria these past 10 months as their household net worth rose dramatically due to a rising stock market. This is also especially true for those affiliated or invested with companies like Zoom, Peloton, Big Tech, Netflix – to name just a few – that were uniquely positioned to benefit from the post-COVID-19 economy. Others are not so fortunate, however. The past 10 months have wrought significant and ongoing emotional and financial distress – waiting precariously for the next executive order or stimulus check to arrive just to get by and meet monthly expenses or avoid being dispossessed from the home in which they reside. Experts refer to this phenomenon as a

“K-Shaped Recovery,” which has gripped the post-COVID-19 economy, significantly exacerbating economic disparity among different divisions, sectors, and demographics of the U.S. economy. This phenomenon is on full display in the real estate market, where thanks in part to record low interest rates many households are benefitting from purchasing their first home, upgrading their home or refinancing their existing mortgage. Others are unemployed and are at risk of being removed from their home to eviction or foreclosure. The numbers are too large to ignore. Recent data produced by Zillow reveals that millions of renters in the U.S. are not employed and are at risk of losing their homes once the federal eviction moratorium expires. In the Phoenix metro area, numerous renters cannot afford rent even with stimulus checks and unemployment payments. This presents a unique problem both for the unemployed tenants as well as the landlords renting out the property. From the tenant perspective, if the fed-

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eral eviction moratorium expires at the end of March 2021 and is not extended – an unlikely scenario based on recent history – you can count on an avalanche of eviction lawyers lining up in lockstep on the courthouse steps on April 1. If the moratorium is not extended, these tenants won’t be honoring or celebrating April Fool’s Day. Instead, the joke will be on them as they will be focusing on finding replacement housing. On its face, the federal eviction moratorium appears to protect landlords who are not getting paid by tenants because the order does not relieve any obligation that a tenant owes under the lease. In reality, however, real estate experts are leery of a landlord’s ability to collect on a significant judgment against a tenant who has not paid rent in several months. If a tenant qualifies under the federal eviction moratorium, the reason is that the tenant cannot afford to pay rent due to a loss or reduction in income. If a tenant cannot afford to pay rent, it is unlikely that same tenant can satisfy a large court judgment.

Thus, if and when the federal eviction moratorium expires, not only will many tenants be forced to move, but landlords will be forced to reckon with the reality that they may never be made whole on the months no rent was paid. It is also important to note that the federal eviction moratorium does not protect all renters. The tenant must sign a declaration, which can be found on the CDC website. The declaration form provides that the tenant cannot afford rent, has sought governmental assistance, and is likely to be deemed homeless if evicted. Many landlords are still proceeding with eviction lawsuits, raising arguments about the truthfulness of the declaration signed by the tenant. In other cases, landlords are proceeding with eviction actions for cases that do not relate to non-payment of rent – i.e., the tenant damaged the property or engaged in criminal activity. Ben Gottlieb is a partner in MacQueen & Gottlieb, PLC, the state’s leading real estate law firm. Information: 602-533-2840.

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THE CHANDLER ARIZONAN | WWW.CHANDLERNEWS.COM | FEBRUARY 21, 2021

23 REAL ESTATE

Competing short-term rental bills advance BY KEVIN REAGAN Arizonan Staff Writer and HOWARD FISCHER' Capitol Media Services

ommittees in the state House and Senate have given their approval to two competing bills that would give cities more power to regulate shortterm rental properties. Some Valley cities have come out in opposition to Chandler Sen. J.D. Mesnard’s SB 1379, which tries to prevent those rentals from turning into rowdy party houses by allowing local governments to set occupancy limits and insurance requirements on the owners who lease out their homes through websites like Airbnb and VRBO. But Scottsdale Rep. John Kavanagh’s bill would go much further, restoring much of the authority that previous legislatures and Gov. Doug Ducey stripped away in recent years. Houses rented through the digital applications have been the source of several complaints in recent years by neighbors who don’t appreciate seeing residential properties turned into de facto hotels. One such rental was the site of a homicide in Chandler a couple years ago after a deadly fight broke out during a house party. Airbnb and VRBO, which have more than 500 rental listings spread out across Chandler, claim many of their hosts are conscientious residents simply trying to earn some extra income by leasing out empty rooms. Lawmakers have been trying to appease the conflicting interests between municipalities and rental owners ever since Ducey prevented local governments from banning short-term rentals. Mesnard said he intentionally wrote his bill to specifically target rentals that become a revolving door for boisterous revelers by letting cities decide whether to restrict the number of tenants who can occupy them. The bill allows the revocation of homeowners’ tax license if they violate local regulations at least three times within a one-year period. But the Arizona League of Cities and

Towns, which represents the interests of most East Valley communities, said Mesnard’s bill does not go far enough to resolve the issues brought up by local governments. Nick Ponder, the League’s legislative

law that was passed in 2016 requires cities and towns to treat short-term rentals exactly the same as we treat long-term residential rentals,” Ponder said. Ryan Peters, Chandler’s government relations manager, said Chandler oppos-

The prominent issue here is that the law that was “passed in 2016 requires cities and towns to treat short-term rentals exactly the same as we treat long-term residential rentals.

”

– Nick Ponder

director, said SB 1379 doesn’t make enough substantive changes to the state’s current laws that are favorable to municipalities. The League is not advocating for outlawing short-term rentals, he added, but cities and towns want more autonomy over how to control these properties. “The prominent issue here is that the

es the bill for similar reasons to the ones expressed by other cities. Mesnard’s bill caps civil penalties at the amount of daily rent advertised by the short-term rental where a violation occurred. SB 1379 additionally requires a municipality to wait 30 days before imposing a civil penalty to a rental owner who

fails to provide their contact information to the city. On Feb. 3, the Senate Commerce Committee voted unanimously to pass Mesnard’s bill to the Rules Committee for further review. Despite the bipartisan support for Mesnard’s bill, representatives from the cities of Scottsdale, Surprise, Casa Grande and Fountain Hills have come out in opposition to the legislation. Paradise Valley Mayor Jerry Bien-Willner said his town opposes SB 1379 because it doesn’t go far enough to restore the rights of ordinary citizens who feel their neighborhoods have been impacted by short-term rentals. “Our state’s predicament will, I think, get worse if we don’t take action here,” the mayor said. “We want real reform.” Mesnard said he is not interested in overregulating the rental industry, stating, “I know there are other proposals out there that would like to go broader. I

see RENTAL page 25

REAL ESTATE

THE CHANDLER ARIZONAN | WWW.CHANDLERNEWS.COM | FEBRUARY 21, 2021

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tarry-eyed first-time home buyers are getting a rude awakening to the realities of today’s high-stakes home-buying market, Realtor.com reports. “The coronavirus pandemic supercharged the housing market, as buyers urgently seeking more space flooded the market, lured by low mortgage rates,” it said last week. “That’s on top of the usual dynamics of household expansion: Many millennials hit 30 and wanted homes that could accommodate a growing family,” it continued. “Amid a historic shortage of properties for sale, the result has been bidding wars and record-high prices. It’s enough to make a first-time buyer’s head spin.” Just under half of first-time buyers and more than a third of prospective buyers were either outbid on their dream home or discovered they couldn’t afford it, according to a recent realtor.com housing survey. Roughly a fifth of these buyers made

five or more offers on different properties before having one accepted. “The market has been extremely competitive,” said realtor.com Senior Economist George Ratiu. “There is a critical shortage of homes for sale, which has caused multiple bids to become the norm across the country.” “For first-time buyers, especially, this environment means having your financing and budgeting together is paramount,” he added. But it’s not all bad news. About 47 percent of first-time buyers found their budgets were larger than they had thought, according to the survey. That’s largely due to mortgage rates, which averaged just 2.73 percent for a 30-year fixed-rate loan in the week ending Jan. 28, according to Freddie Mac. However, 21 percent of first-time buyers learned their money wouldn’t stretch as far as they had hoped. Even those in a better financial position still had to compromise on what they wanted in a home – and where it’s

located. About a fifth were forced to look in cheaper neighborhoods. Another fifth had to spend more than they had originally planned, and nearly the same number had to forgo some of the home features on their wish lists. These included things like a garage, a big backyard, a finished basement and a pool. To save up for a down payment, many also had to make sacrifices. Half of recent first-time homeowners saved up in less than three years by setting aside a portion of their paycheck each month, cutting out discretionary spending on the fun stuff, and depositing windfalls like tax refunds and bonuses in the bank. Just over half also turned to their family and friends for help. “First-time buyers tend to be younger. This generation has higher student debt than any prior generation,” said Ratiu. “Not surprisingly, family help with providing down payment assistance plays a big role in today’s market.”

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RENTAL from page 23

will not be on board with those.” Meanwhile, a House panel last week voted 8-5 to allow city and town councils to impose limits on how many people can be in a short-term rental based on the number of bedrooms. Potentially more significant, Kavanagh said his legislation would permit cities to enact zoning restrictions that could limit the number of these short-term rentals in any one neighborhood – or entirely within the community’s borders. The 2016 law “was sold as the elderly couple, empty nesters with the extra

bedroom, who could make a few extra bucks renting out their room to tourists or whatever,’’ Kavanagh said. “That seemed benign,’’ he said, what with the owners on the premises to control any problems. “But in reality, short-term rentals are such that an investor can make far more money buying a house and renting it out as a hotel -- as a horizontal, decentralized hotel -- than renting the house out for long-term rental,’’ he said. Kavanagh said it has created problems in places like Sedona, where he said 40 percent of the available rental units are now vacation properties, “driving up the prices

of all rentals and making it impossible for city employees or even business employees, store employees, to live in the town.’’ Rep. Jake Hoffman, R-Queen Creek, said the whole concept is offensive. “Property and the ability to use one’s property to its fullest extent, and to the fullest enjoyment, is your right,’’ he said, contending there are enough ordinances already in place to deal with “bad apples.’’ Kavanagh said that Hoffman is wrong. “There is not an absolute right to do whatever you want with your property,’’ he said. “If there’s a vacant lot in a residential neighborhood, maybe next to your house, and somebody buys it, they shouldn’t

be allowed to open up a McDonald’s,’’ Kavanagh continued. “When you invest your life savings in home in a residential neighborhood, you have a right to make sure that it stays residential.’’ Kavanagh said his legislation would have no effect on individuals who are owneroccupants and rent out rooms in their own homes. He said they are not the problem. And he promised to amend his legislation when it goes to the House floor to “grandfather’’ in any existing short-term rentals so they could continue to operate if and when his measure becomes law. Capitol Media Services contributed to this report.

fers in three days. One factors that contributes to this are historically low-interest rates, which increases buying power. My lender partners are also reporting very high amounts of refinancing going on with rates being at record lows. Supply and demand are the keys to a healthy real estate market, but there are around 80,000 to 100,000 people moving to the valley each year. And this trend is predicted to continue. It has been reported that around 900,000 people have moved to Arizona in the past 10 years. Therefore, demand

is currently far exceeding supply. Did you know that there were more homes listed for sale in 2020 vs. 2019? But the driving force behind home appreciation is the very high demand we are experiencing. COVID-19 has also accelerated this demand since about April 2020. More people staying home, which equals many wanting a bigger home, or a more affordable home in an outer town vs. more expensive downtown area. A contributing factor to this trend is that most office employees can now work from home. No more commuting to city centers. So, what is it going to take for our real

estate market to change direction? I believe we will need to see a decrease in population, a big swing in mortgage rates increase to above 6 percent and residential building permits increasing at the rate of 6-7 percent a year for the next four years (currently at 1.5 percent). Any one of these items probably won’t change our market dramatically. But if any three or four of them happen, and stays that way for an extended period of time, it will turn our market around to buyer’s market again. Henry Wang is a Chandler Realtor. Reach him at realtorhenry.com.

Inventory moved opposite of where it needs to BY HENRY WANG Arizonan Guest Writer

Another month passed and housing inventory did not improve for buyers. It has moved in the opposite direction to the record low. As of Feb. 11, we had 4,606 listings available on the MLS and out of that, only 3,256 were single-family homes. Currently, we are estimating over 30,000 buyers on are the market to purchase their next home or investment property. There was a listing in Gilbert a few weekends ago; they received 43 of-

LAWYER from page 20

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Gottlieb that the differences between M&G and other law firms do not end with the firm’s culture. “When Patrick and I formed the firm, we wanted to do a couple of things,” Gottlieb said. “We wanted to provide the best possible legal representation in

the Valley, and we really wanted to do things differently from other firms. Our team has a tremendous diversity of experience across all elements of real estate law, and our collaborative approach gives our clients access to a broad spectrum of ideas and strategies that help us

generate tremendous results.” M&G handles a variety of real estate matters, specifically litigation, transactional law, business law and estate planning in both the commercial and residential areas. Information MandGLawGroup.com.

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THE CHANDLER ARIZONAN | WWW.CHANDLERNEWS.COM | FEBRUARY 21, 2021

27 COMMUNITY

Phoenix Children’s a lifesaver for Chandler man BY KATY SPRINGER Arizonan Contributor

dam Smith didn’t know much about his heart defects until recently. He knew he was born a “blue baby” and underwent multiple heart surgeries in his first few weeks of life, but his parents didn’t talk much about it. The topic was simply too painful. Even today – and even though their son is a healthy and happy 35-year-old man – they struggle to look back at that scary and painful time. “I always knew there was a problem with my heart, but I didn’t know the specifics. I just knew I had to be careful,” said Smith. “With my parents’ help, I enjoyed a pretty normal childhood, even if I did have to take extra precautions in sports and visited the doctor’s office a lot more often than my friends.”

Phoenix Children’s Hospital has been a lifesaver for both Chandler resident Adam Smith and his 5-year-old daughter Lilly. (Special to the Arizonan)

When Smith was born in June 1985, he was diagnosed with pulmonary atresia, a rare and life-threatening birth defect in which the blood vessel that controls blood flow from the heart to the lungs is absent. This led to a dangerously low oxygen level in his bloodstream. As a result, at 1 day old, he underwent his first openheart surgery to place a shunt from a blood vessel off his aorta to his left pulmonary artery. This life-saving operation worked initially, but a week later the shunt clotted off and his oxygen stared to drop again. He was rushed back into surgery for another shunt, this time to the right pulmonary artery. The procedure was successful. Once he recovered, his circulation improved enough that he could go home with his

see ADAM page 30

2 Chandler artists in restaurant’s new show

wo Chandler artists are showing their work at Twist Bistro & Gallery in Scottsdale through early May. Painter and photographer Lauri Koo of The Springs in Chandler and Laurie Fagen of Fox Crossings, who is a fiber and polymer clay artist, have pieces in the “Spring is On the Way” themed art show at the Mediterranean-American restaurant and gallery. Koo’s “Peaceful Peacock” acrylic on gallery-wrapped canvas painting measuring 24”x36” is on display, as is her acrylic “Mystic Rose,” which is 12”x 12” in floater frame. Koo, also an accomplished nature photographer, also is exhibiting her “Star of the Show” photo, a 12”x12” gem printed on metal. Koo said she is deeply inspired by nature, and the healing ability it carries in her soul.

“I enjoy getting lost in nature’s spirit and have a passion for sharing that beauty and how it captures my mood and ex-

Koo’s paintings have been part of several Sonoran Arts League shows, and her work can be seen at LauriKoo.com. Fagen’s pieces in the show include a fiber art piece, “AZ Sunset & Florals,” which is 26”x22” and Chandler artist Laurie Fagen, left, works in fiber and includes compolymer clay. Above is a piece by her fellow artist, mercial fabrics Lauri Koo, also of Chandler. (Special to the Arizonan) and silk flowers. She also is expression,” she explained. “My hibiting a 6”x6” mixed media polymer art is my peace offering, the clay, tile and charm piece titled “Under way I contribute a oneness the Sea.” and appreciation to Mother Earth that is uplifting and enjoyable.”

see ARTISTS page 30

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ADAM from page 27

my heart.” Those five surgeries saved Smith’s life, but he experienced different struggles as an adult. Indeed, while Smith is an expert with his own health problems, he has struggled to find doctors with expertise in caring for grown ups with heart defects. That’s because most adult cardiologists are trained to treat acquired heart disease, which is caused by high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol and smoking. Care for these patients is dramatically different from treatment of congenital issues like pulmonary atresia, which are birth defects in the architecture of the heart. “Patients like Adam get lost in the system,” said Wayne J. Franklin, MD, FACC, co-director of Phoenix Children’s Heart Center and associate director of Adult Congenital Heart Disease at Phoenix Children’s. “Adults with CHD are a growing

When Pam was offered a job at Phoenix Children’s, they moved to Arizona. She met Franklin while at work. “It was serendipitous,” said Adam. “My health issues have been a considerable source of stress for us. Finding Dr. Franklin reinforced that Phoenix was the right place for our Adam and Pam Smith, along with their family.” daughter Lilly, are grateful for Phoenix Chil“It is such an honor to take dren’s Hospital and Dr. Wayne J. Franklin. care of ACHD patients,” said (Special to the Arizonan) Dr. Franklin. “The accreditation process was rigorous population, but there just and lengthy, but patients like Adam make aren’t enough cardiologists it absolutely worthwhile.” with the right training and Franklin began working toward acexpertise to treat them.” creditation when he moved to Phoenix The Adult Congenital from Texas in late 2018. Criteria include Heart Association reports expertise in adult CHD heart surgery, there are more than two cardiac critical care, pregnancy and remillion adults living with productive health, heart failure, and CHD. That means there adult CHD nursing as well as written are more adults than chilpolicies that direct patient care and prodren with heart defects. vider education. To raise the standard Phoenix Children’s Adult CHD proof care for these patients, gram sees more than 1,000 adult paACHA created an accreditation program tients each year and performs more than that requires high-quality care for health 50 adult CHD heart surgeries annually. systems that serve adults with CHD. The program is part of Phoenix ChilLate last year, Phoenix Children’s was dren’s Heart Center, recognized by U.S. the first health system in Arizona – and News & World Report as a nationally one of just a handful in the Southwest – ranked specialty program, which offers to earn ACHA’s accreditation, which dis- the full array of cardiac care for patients tinguishes the Heart Center and its clini- – from fetal life through adulthood. cians as leading experts in the treatment While Pam builds her career as a peof adult CHD. diatric endocrinologist, Adam works as Patients like Smith are thrilled to have the volunteer manager for the Ronald access to this level of care. McDonald House. The two have a daugh“When I met Dr. Franklin, I was filled ter, 5-year-old Lilly, who also receives with relief,” he said. “My wife and I had care at Phoenix Children’s for osteogenmoved around a lot for school and work, esis imperfecta, also known as brittle and I was so anxious to find a doctor who bone disease. understood what I’d been through and “It’s pretty cool that we all have the knew how to help me stay healthy.” same hospital to call home,” said Smith. Smith met his wife, Pam, when she was “We’re just so grateful.” a medical student studying to become a To learn more about Phoenix Chilpediatric endocrinologist. They bounced dren’s adult CHD program, visit phoefrom Pennsylvania to Georgia to Missouri. nixchildrens.org.

Fagen has shown her jewelry and fiber work in galleries and shops including in Arizona, Washington, D.C., Illinois, Nevada, North Carolina and Iowa and welcomes commissions that are highly

personalized in nature. Samples of her work can be found at Sibley’s West in downtown Chandler, Sonoran Arts League Center for the Arts Gallery and FagenDesigns.com.

mom and dad, who would need to monitor him every minute of every day. Despite their meticulous care, his parents received more bad news shortly after his first birthday. Their baby’s oxygen was dropping again and another operation would be needed. At 14 months – and at barely 10 pounds – he had grown enough for surgeons to perform an open-heart operation to close the large hole in the bottom chambers and put in a durable pulmonary valve to normalize his oxygen levels.

Adults with CHD are a “growing population, but

there just aren’t enough cardiologists with the right training and expertise to treat them.

”

– Wayne J. Franklin, MD, FACC

The best news: this repair should last him through childhood. His parents were incredibly relieved. Thanks to his talented surgeons, their son could finally move past his “blue baby” syndrome. “Even though my parents struggled to talk about it, they were painstaking in their records,” he said. “As an adult, I look through the albums and read my mother’s inscriptions, and I just can’t imagine what it was like for them. My first year of life truly was touch-and-go. They didn’t know whether I would live through it.” Smith doesn’t remember those days, but his memory of his fifth open-heart surgery – at age 26 – is sharp as ever. “I had to get an artificial pulmonic valve implanted,” said Smith. “I have a long and complicated medical history. I can’t believe I know what all of these procedures mean, but I’ve become something of an expert when it comes to

ARTISTS from page 27

“I’ve been enjoying working on more sculptural pieces in polymer clay, and my new piece has clay seaweed, fish and shells along with actual shells, sand and coral and charms,” said Fagen.

The exhibit runs through May 2 at Twist Bistro & Gallery, located in The Summit Plaza, 32409 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale. Information: twist-bistro. com or 480-912-1459.

THE CHANDLER ARIZONAN | WWW.CHANDLERNEWS.COM | FEBRUARY 21, 2021

31 COMMUNITY

Chandler school benefits from trio’s laptop donation ARIZONAN NEWS STAFF

right Beginnings School students and teachers recently received 30 new Microsoft Surface Laptop Go computers from a trio of donors. The laptops and charging cart were donated to the school, at 400 N. Andersen Blvd., Chandler, by the Garth Brooks’ Teammates for Kids Foundation, Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald’s First Down Fund and the Microsoft Store. The three organizations share a commitment to support educators and students and “a belief that effective use of technology in schools can transform teaching and learning,” Microsoft said in a recent blog. “Helping develop digital literacy in students is crucial to setting them up for success in school and beyond, and we are proud to be a part of this effort to level the playing field for all students,” the company added, praising the foundation and Fitzgerald’s organization for participating in its Digital Skills All-Star Program. “This donation will have a huge impact on BBS, our students and our teach-

Bright Beginnings students and teachers are benefitting from new computers, including, from left, Charlie Workman, Bhavika Yadav, teacher Zeinab Hassan and Naiya Nickel. (Courtesy of Bright Beginnings)

ers,” said Principal Amanda Patrie. “BBS has always prided itself on providing a unique, personalized learning experience. This infusion of new technology allows us to take our student experience to the next level. BBS and our students are honored to be beneficiaries of this

outstanding program.” The donated devices “open up a world of new connectivity and creativity for students, including greater access to research, videos and presentation tools,” said school spokeswoman Tonya Marks,

noting that teachers will have a greater ability to personalize learning through online platforms and digital assignments. “Consistent technology in the classroom allows for more differentiated learning experiences and improved collaboration for our students,” said fourth grade teacher Amy Bates. “We can continue to do what we are known for – teaching creativity, compassion, communication and collaboration – while ensuring our students are prepared to compete and thrive in an increasingly digital world,” Bates added. Fitzgerald told Microsoft he was inspired by the chance to help others and give welldeserving kids a better start, getting them one step closer to achieving their dreams. “It matches my priorities to partner up as teammates and try to level that playing field for these students by working with Microsoft and Garth Brooks’ foundation… to make sure that these students have every opportunity to succeed in school and in life,” he said. Bright Beginnings is a K-8 school. Information: bbschl.com.

Watch Mayor Kevin Hartke’s annual STATE OF THE CITY at chandleraz.gov/StateOfTheCity to celebrate how we’ve come together through a year like no other. Stay connected and learn about Chandler’s key accomplishments at chandleraz.gov/2020AnnualReport.

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THE CHANDLER ARIZONAN | WWW.CHANDLERNEWS.COM | FEBRUARY 21, 2021

New Chandler foundation looking for students

WE BLANKET THE AREA.

What’s more comforting than having one of the best children’s hospitals in the nation nearby? Knowing Phoenix Children’s is close to where you live, blanketing the area with a network of more than 1,100 expert primary care doctors and specialists in over two dozen convenient locations. So if you’re looking for top-notch care right in your community, you can rest easy.

Visit us at phoenixchildrens.org or call 602-933-KIDS (5437)

BY KEVIN REAGAN Arizonan Staff Writer

new Chandler-based foundation is looking for high school graduates to apply for college scholarships and join its growing network of mentors. The Copper Forge Foundation hopes to award its first round of scholarships this spring to a couple of college-bound students planning to attend an accredited university in the fall. Applicants must have a grade point average of at least 3.0, live in Arizona and demonstrate some level of financial need. Jared Totolo, the foundation’s founder, said he’s specifically looking for students who may not be the first choice to receive more competitive scholarships. The applicants don’t have to be the top student in their class, the best athlete, nor live below the poverty line, he said. “The goal is to look for the students who fall through the cracks,” Totolo added. The foundation wants to find hardworking students from the East Valley area who are looking for a little extra help to start their college career, he said. Recipients will be awarded a $500 check during their first four semesters -resulting in a scholarship valued at $2,000. Recipients must maintain a full-time course load and decent grades in order to receive each installment of the award. Recipients will additionally be mentored by a professional with knowledge and expertise in career paths they’re interested in pursuing. Mentors will regularly meet with scholarship winners and attempt to help them get summer jobs or internships in an industry that compliments their college major. Totolo said the mentorship component was particularly important to Copper Forger because many young people don’t have much guidance after they graduate from high school. When the father of three first relocated to Arizona from Chicago in the 1990s, Totolo wished he would have had a mentor to help him navigate the common

pitfalls felt by most college students. He first came to Arizona State University with the dream of becoming a physical therapist, though he didn’t have much insight into what career like that fully involved. By the time Totolo realized he probably should have changed his major, it was already too late and he had to finish his degree. Totolo said his college experience could have been much different if a mentor had been available to help steer him in another direction. “I fumbled and floundered a lot,“ he recalled. “I could have benefited from something like this when I came so far from home.” Named in reference to Arizona’s favorite chemical element, Copper Forge began as a passion project for Totolo at a time when he felt compelled to start giving back to his community. Totolo launched the foundation in 2019 after observing how his mother ran a similar scholarship program in his hometown. She spent years raising funds for single mothers looking to finish their degree and enhance their career opportunities, Totolo said. Copper Forge wants to eventually expand its applicant pool to include a more diverse range of non-traditional students attempting to get their degree. “The long-term goal is to add multiple scholarships underneath,” Totolo said. Beyond the financial incentives being offered by Copper Forge’s scholarships, the foundation’s overarching goal is to help students feel better supported during a pivotal transitional phase of their lives. “If we can kind of help shorten the learning curve for some of these kids graduating high school in a bunch of different areas, that’s what we’d like to do,” Totolo said. Applications for the foundation’s first batch of scholarships must be submitted by April 15 and awards will be announced by this summer. Local residents interested in joining Copper Forge’s mentorship network can fill out an application at copperforgefoundation.com.

THE CHANDLER ARIZONAN | WWW.CHANDLERNEWS.COM | FEBRUARY 21, 2021

33 BUSINESS

Chandler store houses whole wine-making operation BY PAUL MARYNIAK Executive Editor

ou won’t find grapevines or even grapes around Basil and Colleen Kaspar’s Chandler store, but inside you’ll find all the makings for the small-batch, home-made wines they make, bottle and sell there. What started as a hobby for Basil 18 years ago has evolved into Down Time Wines at 393 W. Warner Road – a store, a boutique restaurant-special events venue and a growing distribution center owned by Colleen, a former bank teller supervisor, and her husband, a vice president for IT at Bank of America. Some social discomfort started all this. “He always told people he was embarrassed to go some place and take a bottle

Along with making the wine at Down Time Wines in Chander, co-owner Basil Kaspar stocks the store's shelves with some 30 varieties. (Pablo Robles/Arizonan Staff Photographer)

of Mogen,” Colleen explained. “He wanted to make his own.” So, he started doing just that. He gets juices from various vineyards and experiments with various ingredients – whipping up wines like a peach chardonnay, three varieties of a Tuscan red and even a coffee wine. He also has a Christmas line which he puts out around Thanksgiving – and sells out of well before Dec. 25. At most times, the store’s shelves are loaded with 30 to 40 different varieties of Basil’s wine creations priced between $12 to $18 generally. His entire operation is housed at the store – a welcome change for Colleen from where he used to make his wine.

see WINE page 34

Chandler apparel company expands size, services ARIZONAN NEWS STAFF

Chandler clothing apparel company has expanded its line and its location. State Forty Eight, which started in the city nearly eight years ago, has launched screen printing and embroidery services. And it has taken over the suite next door to its retail location at 3245 N. Arizona Ave., near Elliot Road, to accommodate its expanding services and line. “The decision to expand our space and our services was simply the natural progression of where our business is headed,” said State Forty Eight cofounder and CEO, Michael Spangenberg. “The goal is to bring as much as we can in-house in order to improve productivity and expenses.” The expansion will add a total of 5,500-square-feet to the company’s facilities and includes more offices, a boardroom seating up to 12 people, a dedicated creative space for the design

State Forty-Eight was founded by CEO Michael Spangenburg and brothers Stephen and Nicholas Polando. (Arizonan file photo)

team and any photo or video production, and a warehouse dedicated to screenprinting and embroidery services. State Forty Eight announced its screen

printing and embroidery services late last year and a spokeswoman said, “They have been working with clients who are interested in creating their own

merchandise without the standard State Forty Eight branding that the collaboration T-shirts the company is known for, typically call for.” The options range from T-shirts and hats to masks, outerwear, tote bags and more. “SFE screen printing and embroidery is a local solution for individuals and businesses looking for a unique way to: market a cause or an event, commemorate an occasion, create new team uniforms or even as gifts for employees or team members,” the spokeswoman said. “All that interested parties need to do is provide the project details and then SFE will take care of the rest.” Spangenberg said State Forty Eight’s long-term goal is to become “a one-stop shop for Arizona’s merchandising needs from manufacturing, design and branding to retail and fulfillment.” “State Forty Eight has been an incred-

see SHIRT page 34

BUSINESS

WINE from page 33

THE CHANDLER ARIZONAN | WWW.CHANDLERNEWS.COM | FEBRUARY 21, 2021

Back then, Basil’s hobby occupied “my dining room and my kitchen” she recalled until “I finally said, ‘OK, this is enough.’” Colleen quit her job as a bank teller supervisor four years ago to run the store while Basil splits his time between his job as a vice president of IT operations for a bank and orchestrating the whole fermentation, flavoring and bottling operation at the store. Basil executes the whole fermentation process at the store, using plastic barrels because they are easier to sanitize. “We bottle it, cork it, label it – everything all right here,” Colleen said. “We’ve got barrels that hold up to 150 bottles.” “I keep a schedule of what needs to be done each day – this needs to be mixed, this needs to be racked, this needs to be started, whatever,” she added. “We might not have anything and other days we might have three or four to work on.” The wine also has no nitrates or preservatives, opening the Kaspars’ product to an entirely new demographic. “Many people who can’t normally drink wine because it causes them to break out, get headaches or have other

weekend and people kept saying ‘you got to name your boat, it’s not good luck to have a boat without a name.’ So Basil finally came up with the name ‘Down Time’ because we’d go to the lake for downtime.” They had to sell the boat when they started the store – and that was probably all for the better since they do more than make, bottle and sell wine at the establishment. Down Time Wines' storefront can accommodate The front of the store can around 30 people for lunch, dinner and various social seat 30 people and before events. (Pablo Robles/Arizonan Staff Photographer ) the pandemic struck, Down Time Wines hosted comedy adverse reactions have come to find they nights the third Friday of the month. can drink our wine with no problems,” They also host paint parties, where an Colleen explained. artist comes in with table top easels so The home-made labels – and their patrons can sip and create; “Fine Farkle brand name – have a sentimental attachNights,” when patrons can play a popular ment for the couple. dice game and relax with a glass; “Wine “It’s got a picture of Canyon Lake – that’s Wednesday” and “Fantastic Friday” for kind of part of the story of where I started. wine tastings all day from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. We had a boat at Canyon Lake and we love They also host birthday and other Canyon Lake and our boat didn’t have a kinds of parties and a monthly dinnername on it when we bought it. We had it and-wine event, featuring fare like in a slip out there and we’d go out every prime rib and Italian specialties from

restaurants that carry their wine. Though they still hold the dice game nights – Colleen calls the game “like Yahtzee but more fun” – they have been holding off on many of those larger gatherings because of the pandemic. Still, the pandemic hasn’t stopped them from offering memberships in their wine club, which patrons can join to have wine delivered or ready for pick-up at the store. Aside from catered dinners once a month, they also have a daily menu of $5 croissant sandwiches, other kinds of sandwiches, chips, pizza and salads. “The pizza we get from Nicatoni’s in Gilbert,” Colleen said. “He carries our wine and we carry his 10-inch pizza here. We’ve got three kinds and he makes them for us and then he partially bakes them and then we get them frozen and then we continue the baking process.” They even have a gift shop with “winethemed items” such as glasses, tumblers, towels. And they even personalize their labels for special occasions and events. “Those make special gifts for private celebrations and even for businesses that want to give their customers a token of their appreciation,” Colleen noted. Information: downtimewines.com.

ible partner not only for the City of Chandler, but for organizations across the state,” said Chandler Mayor Kevin Hartke. “This expansion will allow their impact to be even greater, and I am thrilled that Chandler will continue to be part of their story.” The spokeswoman said the expansion will enhance the “customer experience at the Chandler retail location” as its new adjacent headquarters is finished. “Customers can look forward to more retail space and a dedicated fulfillment area, giving customers access to more products,” she said. State Forty Eight was founded by Spangenberg and Stephen and Nicholas Polando, who utilitzed their brand to show their appreciation of Arizona. It boasts of being more than an apparel company, representing “a lifestyle, a sense of community and is an expression of pride” for sports fans and outdoor lovers. Spangenberg and his partners were honored in 2019 with the Spirit of Enterprise Award by the Economic Club of

Phoenix, part of the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University that is given annually to a business that exemplifies excellence and ethics in entrepreneurship. During an awards luncheon, Spangenberg talked about how he and the Polando brothers grew their business from a side hustle to a brand that sells $4 million in clothing and hats a year. Spangenberg always loved clothing and was huge fan of all the Arizona sports teams. “My favorite thing was back-to-school shopping,” he said. “It drove me nuts that I never saw anything that represented Arizona in a positive way.” He always wanted to have his own clothing line, even as he was working in the hotel industry. “I was probably writing down names in a book for two years, but no clothing line ever made sense,” he said. It was 2012 and he was roommates with Stephen Polando, a childhood friend. “Stephen was brushing his teeth and he came out and he said, ‘State Forty Eight.’ It was an ‘aha’ moment,” Spangen-

berg said. Nicholas Polando, a self-taught graphic designer, then came up with some logo ideas. “He proposed three and two were bad,” Spangenberg said. So the three became equal business partners, gathered together $1,500 to trademark their logo and launched State Forty Eight in 2013 — all while keeping their full-time day jobs. Spangenber said that State Forty Eight is about “inspiring others to rise up and stand for something they believe in.” “The first two years, we didn’t earn a dollar,” he said at the 2019 award luncheon. “We were selling T-shirts at launch parties on Mill Avenue and at First Friday when First Friday wasn’t even cool.” They built their own website and ran their own social media. They scoured Craigslist for a thermal heat press and when they collected enough profits, they would make a new batch of T-shirts. “I’m not the most handy guy and I made shirts backwards and upside down,” he said. “We were hustling.”

A turning point came in 2016 when they scraped together $1,500 to join the Phoenix Fashion Week’s emerging designer boot camp. “The thing that stood out from that was learning how to sustain the business,” he said. “It wasn’t just a glamor runway show.” They started networking, and found a connection to Bruce Arians, then the coach of the Arizona Cardinals. That led to the now-famous State Forty Eight Tshirt that featured Arians’ likeness with his trademark flat-top cap and game-day headset. Sales of the shirt benefited the Arians Family Foundation, which fights child abuse. “We couldn’t keep the shirts in stock and we raised a ton of money for the foundation,” Spangenberg said. “And it was an example of how we were laying the foundation to be doing more than just selling T-shirts and hats.” That success led to partnerships with the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Phoenix Mercury and the Phoenix Suns, as well as fundraising collaborations with other

SHIRT from page 33

see SHIRT page 35

BUSINESS

THE CHANDLER ARIZONAN | WWW.CHANDLERNEWS.COM | FEBRUARY 21, 2021

SHIRT from page 34

organizations including Phoenix Children’s Hospital, the Arizona Humane Society and the W. P. Carey School of Business. But as the company grew, there were challenges too. “We have three equal business partners and that’s a huge blessing because you see different perspectives, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say we had disagreements,” Spangenberg said. “And when you’re young, there’s a lot of pride involved and you have to put that aside.” The three were able to pour all the revenues back into the company before finally leaving their day jobs to become full-time State Forty Eight employees, which the two brothers did before Spangenberg. “I wanted to be there full time and that’s where those communication barriers came into play. I would try to catch up after work and they’d be tired of me texting at midnight,” he said. “The sexy thing to do is to go for it but that’s not the real world. It’s OK to have a side hustle until it’s a full-time hustle. It allowed us to grow.” The company now has 15 employees,

State Forty Eight is expanding its space, promising a fuller retail experience while it also makes room for new services. (Courtesy State Forty Eight) with seven full time. And they’re still learning how to run a business efficiently. “It’s hard to have those honest conversations but now we have weekly meet-

ings on Tuesdays that we don’t miss,” said Spangenberg, who still personally runs the State Forty Eight social media accounts. “When you don’t have meetings, things

build up and then you talk over text and that’s how things get misperceived. It seems simple but it’s been a huge help.” The collaborations have doubled State Forty Eight’s online revenue and now the company sells other branded merchandise, including stickers, glassware, bags and socks. It recently launched a co-branded credit card and set up two retail locations, in Gilbert and at the Churchill in downtown Phoenix. In the future, Spangenberg would like to see a State Forty Eight license plate and maybe a sports travel group. “Twenty years from now, everyone at the Diamondbacks games will be a Diamondbacks fan and be proud of where they’re from,” he said. “And we want to be the face of Arizona.” Last year it also established the State Forty Eight Foundation with the goal of organizing fundraising and volunteer events for community causes, offering mentorship and workshops for young people which teaching them practical skills and offering start-ups entrepreneurial education and access to resources by partnering with incubator organizations. Information: statefortyeight.com

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GET OUT 37

Macayo’s spicing things up for 75th anniversary BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI GetOut Editor

ava Singam has been in the restaurant business for most of his life. But when he purchased the Macayo’s Mexican Food brand two years ago, he continued the chain’s love affair with the Valley. “It’s a legacy brand to me,” Singam said. “You don’t see very many restaurants that have been around for 50, 75 years. This brand will really carry a lot of history down the line. Even 40 or 50 years down the line, somebody is going to look back it and try to trace its roots back to Phoenix when it opened.” The seven-restaurant chain is celebrating its 75th anniversary on Sept. 26. However, it’s celebrating throughout 2021 by introducing new specials the 26th of each month.

Nava Singham purchased the Macayo’s Mexican Food brand two years ago and has never looked back. (Pablo Robles/Staff Photograpgher)

“We’re honored and grateful to have been a part of families’ traditions and celebrations every day and on special occasions for 75 years,” said Singam, who owns Kind Hospitality. “We aim to continue to be the place where people come to enjoy a traditional Mexican meal and a great experience and to provide the delicious food that people bring into their own homes for many more years to come.” Macayo’s kicked off the milestone year with specials such as 75-cent crispy tacos. It continues with 75-cent cheese enchiladas Feb. 26, and 75-cent cheese crisps March 26. Those are three of the many appetizers, entrees and desserts Singam kept on the menu when he acquired the brand. The changes were more organic, he said.

see MACAYO’S page 38

78 Pasta-bilities gives guests creative opportunities BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI GetOut Editor

osmo Magliozzi was schooled at Café Roma Ristorante, the Italian eatery owned by his father, Antonio Magliozzi, on Main Street in Mesa. But the son’s dream was to open a create-your-own pasta eatery. He realized it with Chandler’s Pasta78, which offers seven types of pasta (fettucine, fusilli, parpadelle, rigatoni, spaghetti chitarra, strozzapreti and gluten free) and six sauces (Bolognese, diavola, lobster cream, marinara, pesto and tre fromaggi). There’s a sauce of the month as well. February’s is a vodka cream. The base is $8.99, and meatballs, sausage or chicken can be added for $1.99. Veggies, a primavera blend of zucchini, yellow squash and broccoli, is $1.50. All pasta bowls are topped with fresh basil

Pasta78 in Chandler is a pasta lover’s delight that gives patrons a chance to build their own dish from a selection of seven different types of pasta and six sauces. There also is a sauce of the month and this month it’s a vodka cream. (Pablo Robles/Staff Photographer)

and Pasta78’s cheese blend. Kids, 12 and younger, eat free with the purchase of one adult bowl on Thursdays. “We have three short, three long noodles,” he said. “Eventually, we’re going to add more noodle choices as we go along. The sauces were inspired by my father’s sauces. We have our version of the Alfredo (tre fromaggi). We make our own cheese blend, which is a secret recipe. We have our diavola sauce, which is our devil sauce. It’s a spinoff of my dad’s recipe. He helped me perfect it. It’s got a kick to it with the chiles. It also has chopped green olives, minced garlic and capers.” The Bolognese, inspired by Magliozzi’s father’s recipe, is Pasta78’s No. 1 sauce. Salads—caprese ($4.99), Italian tuna ($7.50) or mixed greens ($4.99)—are

see PASTA page 38

GET OUT

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Chandler Library adds graphic novel discussion group ARIZONAN NEWS STAFF

eople who love comics, graphic novels and storytelling through sequential art can join other fans online through the new Graphic Novel Book Club presented by the Chandler Public Library. This group will meet online on the third Wednesday of each month from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Participants will be sent login information upon registration through the events calendar at chandlerlibrary.org. This month’s discussion focused on “Black,” by Kwanza Osajyefo. Copies of the book are available to put on hold through the library catalogue at chandler.polarislibrary.com/polaris/view. aspx?ISBN=9781628751864. Graphic novels are a trending format as public awareness increases. They of-

PASTA from page 37

available with either house vinaigrette or Italian. Desserts include sfogliatelle ($2.99) or torta della nonna ($3.99). The torta della nonna, similar to a slice of pie, has pine nuts, lemon, icing sugar, egg yolks and flour, and comes from Italy. The cannoli, filled in-house, is offered on occasion. Born in Italy and raised in California after the age of 10, Magliozzi worked

MACAYO’S from page 37

“We’re not trying to change the brand,” Singam said. “The brand was around for 73 years when we picked it up. There was no need to change it. “What we need to do is make sure that the newer generation understands what Macayo’s is all about. That’s what we’re trying to gravitate to. The menu is the same. The recipes are the same. In fact, when we bought the brand, we took everybody on our team.” The portions were just as important to Singam. He wanted to serve enough food for guests to have leftovers. “That’s No. 1,” he said with a smile. “When you think of Macayo’s, you think of big meals. We want to make sure they’re getting value. We made sure the

The new graphic novel club at Chandler Public Library looked at “Black” this month. (File photo) ten include representation for BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and women within the comics

with his father since junior high, learning to make pasta and the sauces from scratch. It laid the foundation for one of Magliozzi’s careers. He also works in banking. Pasta78’s concept is one thing that wasn’t totally inspired by his dad. The idea came from Fettuccine Freeway, a tiny restaurant with a walk-up window on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. “That’s where Sylvester Stallone actually used to get his pasta,” Magliozzi

plating was correct. We revisited the training manuals. We visited our stores and retrained everybody, so the service levels would be the same.” Besides its service, Macayo’s is known for its chimichanga, which the restaurant will celebrate on September 26, National Chimichanga Day. The Chimi de Macayo ($13.99) comes with shredded beef, chicken or carnitas, and relleno sauce, crispy flour tortilla, sour cream and rice or refried beans. Singam is planning to expand the brand this year to meet the demand for food at Macayo’s. He’s already inked a deal for a restaurant at Pima Crossing in Scottsdale. Singam is committed to opening a Macayo’s at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport. He’s also considering Queen Creek, Gilbert/Chandler and Buckeye. A pandemicera expansion is a bold move.

community. “They are a good medium to tell stories in a different format that might otherwise not get told, read or ‘listened to,’” a library spokesman said. “Graphic novels are also a great way to boost learning and literacy for reluctant readers, those who struggle to read, or those who prefer to learn and read visually. “The stories can give clues within the panels that help people understand the context of the plot and characters, as well as new words.” Jami Thompson, a librarian at the Chandler Downtown Library, has experience with this genre from working with teens and she will share her expertise with the club members. “We hope to create a book club that speaks to those in our community who might not think of themselves as ‘book

said. “And then he closed down and then Sylvester Stallone started going to my dad’s place—one of his restaurants—in Beverly Hills.” Magliozzi, who recently penned a philosophy book, makes his own noodles at Pasta78 with a machine from Italy. When the COVID-19 pandemic subsides, Magliozzi will have a condiment center with spices. Soon, he’ll share some of his recipes

Expansion wasn’t his primary concern, however. “The biggest concern for us was safety,” Singam said. “Once everybody knew that we were really being cautious about how we delivered the food and how we control the restaurant’s environment, I think folks really gravitated to us. “I’m thankful that we had the 6,000-square-foot dining rooms because when we cut to 50% occupancy, that’s still quite a number of customers. That’s really been helping us.” Macayo’s was helping others, too. The staff took food to hospitals, first responders and grocery stores every day. “Everyone appreciated what we did,” he said. Every Macayo’s delivered food for up to 20 people. I think the community has blessed us back for coming and visiting us. So, I think pivoting in so

club joiners,’ but who do have a lot to say about graphic novels and the culture surrounding them,” Thompson said. The program is supported by the Arizona State Library, Archives, & Public Records, a division of the Arizona Secretary of State, with funds from the Federal Institute of Museums and Library Services. To register for this book discussion group or other online programs currently offered by the Chandler Public Library, go to chandlerlibrary.org and click on the “Events” calendar, or call 480-782-2800. COVID-19 precautions remain in place at all four Chandler Public Library locations. Face masks are required inside and capacity is reduced for social distancing; a registration process is in place for 45-minute sessions allotted for some services, such as computer access.

with the public as he’s writing a cookbook. “It’s going to have traditional recipes of my hometown,” he said. “They’re not going to be only pasta dishes and things that we normally make here. It’s going to be fun.”

Pasta78

2780 W. Chandler Blvd., Chandler 480-855-1794, pasta78.com many ways was critical. But I think we pivoted toward humanistic values more than anything.” Singam is looking forward to the September 26 anniversary. He hopes patrons will, too. “We hope we’re going to be around for the next 75 years,” he said. “We’re just appreciating everything that our customers have done throughout the last 75 years.”

Macayo’s locations

• 12637 S. 48th St., Ahwatukee 480.598.5101 • 650 N. Scottsdale Road, Temp 480.967.2552 • 1920 S. Dobson Road, Mesa 480.820.0237 • 6538 E. Superstition Springs Blvd., Mesa 480.807.1846

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Obituaries Donna Maria Dorris (Hamilton)

A resident of Gold Canyon, AZ died in a local hospital on February 2,2021. Donna was born in Cuyahoga County, Ohio on June 9,1946. Her surviving children are son Isaac Demetrius and daughter Hope Laverne.

Patricia "Pat" Moulton Fulks

Age 90, passed away Dec 15, 2020 in Chandler AZ. Born in Montana to Norman D. and Anna (Brend) Moulton. The family moved to Glendale AZ in 1944. Pat graduated from Glendale High School, married, started a family then attended Arizona State University, graduating with honors. A teacher for several years, in 1969 she changed careers and went to work for Bashas' Markets as an insurance clerk, ultimately retiring as the Vice President of Labor Relations. Upon retirement, she enjoyed traveling and went around the US, Europe and Australia to visit her far-flung children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, extended family and friends. But, she best loved Arizona, her cabin at Christopher Creek and her home and farm in Chandler Heights. Survived by her children, Larry Fulks, Paula (Fulks) Dickinson, Brenda (Fulks) Dossey, three grandchildren, four great-grandchildren. Also survived by her sister, Sharon Adams (Ken) and brother Bill Moulton (Ann). Pre-deceased by sisters Beverly McGaffic, Sandra Hilbink and brothers Walt and Dan Moulton. Pat will be remembered as a trusted, loyal and generous friend, big sister, loving parent and grandparent and 'Aunt Pat' to so many nieces, nephews, extended family and multitude of friends. No funeral, she donated her body to the University of Arizona School of Medicine. The family hopes to be able to have a memorial later in the spring Memorial contributions may be made to a charity of the donor's choosing.

Obituaries - Death NOtices iN MeMOriaM We are here to make this difficult time easier for you. Our 24 hour online service is easy to use and will walk you through the steps of placing a paid obituary in the East Valley Tribune or a free death notice online. Visit: obituaries.EastValleyTribune.com

Obituaries James Patrick Geraghty On Thursday, February 11th, 2021, loving husband and father, James (Jim) Patrick Geraghty, passed away at the age of 78. Jim was born on August 4th, 1942 in Fairbury, NE to Merrill and Edna (Trotter) Geraghty. He received his teaching degree from Arizona State University in 1964 and Masters of Education in 1978. He joined the United States Air Force in September of 1964 to August 1968. He was a radio operator stationed in Okinawa, and while there, participated on the Air Force Track &amp; Field team where he was nicknamed “Go Go Geraghty.” In 1974, he married Loreen Ann McCue and together they resided in Arizona and raised one daughter, Patricia Kelly Geraghty. He was preceded in death by his parents, Merrill and Edna, and brother Tom, who died in Vietnam in 1968. He is survived by his wife Loreen, daughter Trish and her partner Kristen, grandson Scott, brothers Dennis, Dan, and Mike, and sister Sandra and nephew Chris. Jim had a passion for teaching high school and coaching track and football, which he did for 34 years. He loved history and sharing that knowledge with others and was an avid reader and book collector. He liked backyard projects including woodworking, gardening, and home repairs, and enjoyed hiking and playing tennis. He loved animals and adored his pets, although his greatest passion in life was his daughter Trish, who he was so very proud of. He always said he was looking forward to being reunited with his beloved dogs one day, and we know they welcomed him home on Thursday. In lieu of flowers, please make a charitable donation to Marcos de Niza High School where he taught and coached for 30 years, or the Arizona Humane Society.

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NTY 5-YEAR WARRA

480.654.5600 azirrigation.com Cutting Edge LLC • ROC 281671

Not a licensed contractor

TREE

TRIMMING

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

25 Years exp (480) 720-3840

Insured/Bonded Free Estimates

ALL Pro S E R V I C E

L L C

Prepare for Spring Season! LANDSCAPING, TREES & MAINTENANCE

Repairs • Modifications • Installs

Juan Hernandez

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

We Are State Licensed and Reliable!

T R E E

Sprinkler & Drip Systems

Pool Service / Repair

Juan Hernandez

SPRINKLER Drip/Install/Repair & Tune ups!

Painting

Tree Trimming • Tree Removal Stump Grinding Storm Damage • Bushes/Shrubs Yard Clean-up Commercial and Residential PMB 435 • 2733 N. Power Rd. • Suite 102 • Mesa dennis@allprotrees.com

480-354-5802

Your Ad can go ONLINE ANY Day! Call to place your ad online!! Classifieds 480-898-6465

Free Estimates • Senior Discounts

480-338-4011

ROC#309706

PAINTING OF ALL TYPES SPECIALIZING IN: Wood & Stucco Repairs • Deck Restoration Roofing, Shingles & Metal • Exterior/Interior Painting Elastometric & Clear Coats • Power Washing Leaf Guards (20yr No Clog) New 6" Seamless Gutters (Gutter Art Available)

Pavers • Concrete • Water Features • Sprinkler Repair

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

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

Call Juan at

480-720-3840 Not a licensed contractor.

Roofing

480-532-2525 • Residential / Commercial

ROC 296559 • Licensed, Bonded & insured

ADD COLOR TO YOUR AD!

Ask Us. Call Classifieds Today!

480.898.6465 CLASS@TIMESPUBLICATIONS.COM

Over 30 yrs. Experience

480-706-1453

Licensed/Bonded/Insured • ROC #236099

Window Cleaning

APPEARANCE Professional service since 1995

• 20 Years Experience • 6 Year Warranty

480.345.1800 Landscape/Maintenance

Irrigation Repair Services Inc.

$110 - One Story $150 - Two Story

Plumbing

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

10% OFF

Licensed • Bonded • Insured Technician

We Beat Competitors Prices & Quality

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

Free Estimates! Home of the 10-Year Warranty!

Call Lance White

480.721.4146 www.irsaz.com

ROC# 256752

480-688-4770

www.eastvalleypainters.com Family Owned & Operated Bonded/Insured • ROC#153131

Now Accepting all major credit cards

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

Includes in & out up to 30 Panes Sun Screens Cleaned $3 each Attention to detail and tidy in your home.

(480) 584-1643

Bonded & Insured

Oooh, MORE ads online! Check Our Online Classifieds Too!

Bonded/Insured • ROC #223709

480-405-7099 ItsJustPlumbSmart.com

LLC

ROC 304267 • Licensed & Bonded

Window Cleaning

East Valley PAINTERS

COUNTS

Painting

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

ChandlerNews.com

THE CHANDLER ARIZONAN | WWW.CHANDLERNEWS.COM | FEBRUARY 21, 2021 43

HAPPY HOUR

Every Day 2pm-6pm and 10pm-CLOSE • $5 Chips, Salsa, Guacamole • $4 House Wine • $8 Nachos, Load ‘Em Fries or chips • $2 Well Drinks • $8 Chicken Poppers • $4 Titos, Bacardi, Tanqueray, • $2 OFF ALL Draft Beer Herradura Silver, Jack Daniels

ALL DAY SPECIALS

MONDAY $10 Burgers WEDNESDAY $10 Wraps

FRIDAY $9 Fish & Chips and Fishy Wrap

TUESDAY 1/2 OFF ALL APPETIZERS

SATURDAY Kids Eat Free SUNDAY $10 Pastas

THURSDAY BUY ONE, GET ONE WINGS

The location is formerly Majerle’s Sports Grill at Fashion Center in Chandler

3095 W Chandler Blvd Chandler AZ 85226 www.howlerssportsbar.com

480-899-7999

REGULAR HOURS DAILY 11AM - 12AM

THE CHANDLER ARIZONAN | WWW.CHANDLERNEWS.COM | FEBRUARY 21, 2021

palmabrisa.com

NOW SELLING

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

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

• Homes from 1,700 sq. ft. to 4,000 sq. ft. from the $500’s

ERIC WILLIAMS

480-641-1800

TERRY LENTS

© Copyright 2021 Blandford Homes, LLC. No offer to sell or lease may be made prior to issuance of Final Arizona Subdivision Public Report. Offer, terms, and availability subject to change without prior notice. Renderings are artist’s conceptions and remain subject to modification without notice.