Scottsdale Progress 12-18-22

No dice, mayor tells Rio Verde Foothills

BY J. GRABER Progress Staff Writer

Scottsdale Mayor David Ortega said he will not be ruled by compassion for approximately 700 Rio Verde Foothills households that are likely to lose their water source Jan. 1, when the city shuts the stand pipe servicing the community.

“There is no Santa Claus,” Ortega said in a written statement released Dec. 9. “The mega-drought tells us all – water is not a compassion game.”

He also admonished Councilwoman Linda Milhaven and Maricopa County Supervisor Thomas Galvin for trying to keep the stand pipe open, claiming they are working with “special interests.”

Milhaven had tried to call a special council meeting for Dec. 13 to consider a plan by private utility EPCOR.

EPCOR proposed paying the city to treat water it provides and allow it to be distributed through the stand pipe. When Milhaven informally approached

Valiant effort

SUSD schools score high in state grades

BY J. GRABER Progress Staff Writer

Scottsdale’s district and charter schools for the most part are thriving, according to letter grades handed out by the Arizona Department of Education.

The Scottsdale Unified School District had 17 schools earn an “A,” 10 schools earned a “B” and two schools got a “C.” No district schools got a “D” or an “F.”

Of the city’s two charter schools, Scottsdale Country Day School got an “A” and BASIS Scottsdale earned a “B.”

While federal and state law requires the grades be assigned, they haven’t been for

the last two years because of pandemic disruptions to school schedules.

But the new round of results is nearly identical to the grades handed out for the 2018-19 school year.

That year, SUSD schools scored 16 “A,” 11 “B,” one "C” and one “D.” Scottsdale Country Day School and Scottsdale-Basis both earned "As.”

Of the more than 1,700 public district and charter schools across Arizona that received preliminary grades, about 27% were given “A;” 42% got “B;” 23% C; 5% D and 2% failed. Statewide, public school districts outper-

see RVF page 6 see GRADES page 10

Saguaro

Basha Dec. 10

Basha for the Open Division state

but fell short when the Bears stopped the Sabercats on the fourth down with seconds remaining. Dampier ran for two touchdowns in the loss. Meanwhile, Saguaro head coach Jason Mohns, who led the team to seven state championship victories in 11 years, stepped down to take a position with the Arizona State University football team. See the story on page 28.

(David

McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park triumphed over staff shortages. FOOD

YC’s Mongolian Grill owner opens Scottsdale eatery.

BEST OF SCOTTSDALE

Quarterback Devon Dampler led a valiant effort at a comeback against

against

crown,

Minton/Progress Staff Photographer)

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Hotels gear up for Fiesta Bowl players, fans

BY ALEX GALLAGHER Progress Staff Writer

Not long after the Dec. 4 announcement that No. 2 Michigan and No. 3 TCU would be squaring off in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, phones began ringing off the hook for Scottsdale hotels and rates were adjusted.

Though there was already high anticipation surrounding the New Year’s Eve game – whose winner will advance to the College Football National Championship Game Jan. 9 – the fact that it features two well-traveled teams upped the pricing for hotel stays.

“When the teams were announced, we made our adjustments on pricing just because we knew if Michigan came here that they would probably travel pretty well,” said Jesse Thompson, Hotel Valley Ho and Mountain Shadows director of sales and marketing.

“We work off a revenue management system where we set ceilings and floors, and the software will basically see how much compression and demand is coming into the area and adjust itself throughout that band that we set,” Thompson said.

“We comfortably were pushing mid $600 rates at Hotel Valley Ho over that weekend and we were in the low $800 rates at Mountain Shadows.”

Although rates were raised at Mountain Shadows and Hotel Valley Ho, rates remained steady at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess.

“Our rates have remained steady throughout the season, just based on overall demand in the marketplace, not solely based on one game,” said Fairmont Scottsdale Princess spokesman John Glynn.

“Our pricing strategy takes a little bit more into account than that. If we were to try to increase rates, we could price ourselves out of the market and end up with unused inventory and that’s something we never want to do.”

the overall economic impact and the benefit to the tourism and hospitality industry as a whole are tremendous. Events such as the Fiesta Bowl are critically important to our cities and our state.”

Among those flocking into Scottsdale resorts include marching bands, family members, fans, alumni, and members of the teams themselves as part of an agreement made 17 years ago between Experience Scottsdale and the Fiesta Bowl.

“As a part of that agreement, the teams, bands, alumni, and media that come for the Fiesta Bowl and the Guaranteed Rate Bowl stay in Scottsdale and Paradise Valley hotels and resorts,” said Stephanie Pressler. Experience Scottsdale director of community and government affairs.

“Because of this partnership, it means we get to fill thousands of hotel rooms at a time that they might otherwise be vacant this time of year.”

our revenue management meetings is the length of stay,” Thompson said. “Typically, we assign a two-night minimum stay over a weekend like that.

“However, since New Year's does fall on a Saturday this year, it helps us so most people are coming in on Thursday or Friday and then parting on Sunday.”

Hotels hosting teams like the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess are also taking extra precautions to ensure the safety of the players during their stay in Scottsdale.

“Safety, comfort, and security of our guests is our top priority,” Glynn said. “Our director of security will work directly with whichever team stays with us and the NCAA to ensure that everyone's safe and enjoys their time while they're with us so that they can play the best football they can play.”

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The Fiesta Bowl is projected to attract northwards of 3,000 people to Scottsdale hotels, causing sellouts at Mountain Shadows, The Westin Kierland, and the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess. Hotel Valley Ho had limited availability late last week.

“We are in fact already sold out for the date of the Fiesta Bowl,” said Liz Franzese, Westin Kierland director of sales and marketing. “I think you can suffice it to say that

The Fairmont Scottsdale Princess will be filled by players from one Fiesta Bowl team, though the resort could not disclose which.

Mountain Shadows will be opening its doors for the Alumni Association of TCU along with several other fans and alumni of the university and The Westin Kierland saw reservations made by fans of both schools.

Because of this, the resorts have also set standards for the duration of a stay during this time.

“Another thing that we manipulate in

Because of this, most resorts had the same message to those flocking into town for the big game – which is hosting fans for the first time in two years.

“We look forward to welcoming our guests, we're pleased that they chose to stay with us and we can't wait to show them some great hospitality and have them enjoy the destination,” Glynn said.

“Scottsdale is a great place, especially this time of year and we love the enthusiasm around the hotel especially when we have a team on property.”

The Fairmont Scottsdale Princess saw strong reservations and will be the home to one of the teams playing in the Fiesta Bowl. (Special to the Progress)

her colleagues, she said she had enough support to do it. However, when City Clerk Ben Lane took a formal poll, there was not enough interest to schedule a session.

The council can meet with four hours’ notice and Milhaven is still hoping to pull together a last-minute meeting with the help of City Manager Jim Thompson.

But Ortega ripped the departing councilwoman, calling her “an ally of special interests and scattered residents” and “the insider pulling for EPCOR to exploit Scottsdale water facilities.”

“Rather than EPCOR pulling water from their (Chaparral Water Improvement District) CAP pump facility, which already serves the county, Ms. Millhaven advocates that EPCOR exploit the upstream Scottsdale Water facilities, allowing diesel truckers to trample Scottsdale roads.”

Milhaven retorted, “I have no idea what the mayor is talking about or what he is referring to. It sounds like a political sound bite without any foun-

dation.”

She said helping Rio Verde Foothills residents is the right thing to do.

“We are their only option,” she said.

“No Scottsdale water allocation would be used. There’s no expense to Scottsdale in the proposal and these people will continue to have water in their

homes.

“If we don’t do this, they have no water. Their homes would become uninhabitable. It’s a public health issue. Even though they are not Scottsdale residents, I think we have a responsibility to be good neighbors and help them.”

Ortega also implied Galvin, an attorney in his private career, is financially benefiting from trying to get the city to agree to EPCOR’s proposal.

“It is no secret that attorney Tom Galvin works for the Rose Law Group, which represents EPCOR,” Ortega wrote.

Galvin called the allegation untrue.

“Rose Law Group does not represent EPCOR,” Galvin said in a written statement. “In fact, Rose Law Group's utility law practice consists of opposing utilities, and it often represents clients that are opposing EPCOR.

“My law firm has already contacted at least one news outlet that published these accusations without seeking confirmation, calling on them to remove the damaging and false information. The outlet has removed the erroneous press release. The mayor’s claims are without merit and are irresponsible.”

Galvin added, “I think it’s unfortunate that Mayor Ortega issued a partisan attack regarding an issue that has required bipartisan cooperation among several agencies and jurisdictions.

“I’ve only been a supervisor for one

year, but I have worked every day to find a solution to a problem that has been festering and languishing for years. I have worked closely with the residents of the Rio Verde Foothills under this looming deadline.”

It was largely based on Galvin’s recommendation that the county Board of Supervisors unanimously decided in August not to allow the creation of a domestic water improvement district to help Rio Verde Foothills.

That would have avoided the crisis the community is now facing, although many homeowners opposed a water district for various reasons.

Instead, Galvin urged the city to keep the water flowing to the stand pipe until EPCOR could buy water rights and build the infrastructure to serve the community – which could take two to three years.

“I hope and expect that the City of Scottsdale will take note of what we’ve done here, what has been done and continued to be done and how we continue to work with the community to provide access to their stand pipe until a brandnew stand pipe is operational,” Galvin said at the time. His district includes Rio Verde Foothills.

Ortega said Galvin in January asked him “to let the matter slide.”

“I told him that ‘deadlines are good. Deadlines matter. It is a Hard No.’ I made it very clear that ‘we’ had no intention of reversing Scottsdale water

David Ortega

Thomas Galvin

Linda Milhaven

or supporting ‘wildcat subdivisions’ which drain our water. I was not ambiguous and a follow up email is of record.”

“As mayor, I will continue to keep moneyed interests out of our Scottsdale water facilities,” Ortega wrote.

What it all means is that the three water hauling companies that service the community are going to have to go farther to draw water for Rio Verde Foothills – which likely will drive up customers’ rates.

John Hornewer, owner of Rio Verde Water, said he he is going to have to travel up to twice the distance to find stand pipes and that might force him to double his rates.

Even then, the water haulers are going to struggle to bring in enough water to service the community, he said.

“I think there’s going to have to be further cutbacks,” Hornewer said. “It will be very challenging to maintain that kind of draw.”

Homeowner Meredith Deangelis, who relies solely on hauled water, said she plans to top off her 5,000-gallon tank on New Year’s Eve.

“That will last me two months,” she said. “I plan on showering at our health club to make it last longer.”

She noted that while her home is technically outside of Scottsdale, she does all of her shopping there, works there and her daughter goes to school there.

“It is terrifying and it is frustrating,” Deangelis said. The situation is made possible because of “wildcat subdivisions” that do not require lots to have a 100-year water supply before they are developed.

State law allows a landowner to

split land into as many as five lots without being subject to certain regulations on size, infrastructure and amenities.

The city decided to turn off its stand pipe as part of the first phase of its Drought Management Plan, which became effective when the federal Bureau of Land Management’ began rationing Colorado River water to the seven Basin States and assorted tribes.

Galvin’s predecessor, Steve Chucri, had been working to solve the problem as far back as 2014, creating a water committee to look into the issue.

In 2016, that committee met with the Arizona Department of Water Resources, which suggested a domestic water improvement district.

Residents then penned a draft petition to create it in 2019 and submitted it for approval to the county before they could collect signatures. The

county finally approved it at the end of 2020 so signatures could start being collected.

Supporters have approximately 550 signatures.

Galvin recommended against a water district for several reasons, saying liens would be filed against homeowners, “subjecting them to substantial obligations and liabilities” if the district wasn’t run properly.

Noting that many homeowners opposed it, he added, “I have concerns about the long-term viability of the DWID and its board.”

“In contrast, a private water utility corporation can address these water needs and has greater support from the community,” he said.

Two Rio Verde Foothills residents have appealed the supervisors’ decision in court but the case is winding its way through the judicial process.

Council approves 2 building code changes

BY J. GRABER Progress Staff Writer

New single-family homes, multifamily complexes and commercial buildings in Scottsdale will soon have a higher construction standard to meet.

City Council voted 6-1 to mandate builders follow the 2021 International green Construction Code, International Residential Code and the International Energy Conservation Code.

The city is the first in the state to pass the codes and one of a handful in the country to do so.

The move is expected to bring an energy cost saving of 10.6% and reduce greenhouse gas emissions 10.2%. That translates to $138 billion in energy costs and 900 million metric tons of avoided CO2 emissions.

Under the changes, builders are required to include a conduit to accommodate charging stations for electric vehicles and thicker insulation to improve the energy efficiency of buildings going

up.

While supporting the codes’ adoption, Councilwoman Tammy Caputi objected to mandating both EV capability for single-family homes and the increased insulation requirements. She felt they would unnecessarily add red tape and increase construction costs.

“The market is going to provide it when people ask for it,” she said. “Builders will make sure that it happens.”

Furthermore, technology is changing so quickly that EVs requiring a plug may soon be obsolete, she said.

“So, we’re going to force everyone to pay for things they may not actually end up using, which I can’t support that,” Caputi said.

The city’s Building Advisory Board of Appeals recommended the code without mandating single-family homes be made EV-ready but the Scottsdale Environmental Advisory Commission recommended doing so.

Mayor David Ortega disagreed with Caputi on both issues.

Exceptional care Breakthrough caring

“The worst tax we can experience in life is poor insulation, poor windows, under insulated places where we live, where we work,” he said. “That is the worst continuing tax that is addressed by these provisions whether they deal with electrical, plumbing or insulation. It is our job to look at public benefit.”

Ortega noted that when the council voted to mandate sprinkler systems in new homes, “I heard this argument back in the early days, back in ’86.”

Councilwoman Linda Milhaven noted that a higher insulation standard would conflict with other codes.

Councilwoman Solange Whitehead described insulation as “one of the most mundane and effective tools we have to lower people’s utility bills, lower urban heat.”

She added, “Having a spot for a breaker … is an insignificant cost for the (electric vehicle) in the houses.”

Councilwoman Kathy Littlefield supported Councilwoman Betty Janik’s motion to go with both code changes.

Caputi then responded to Ortega’s comments.

“We certainly should be mandating code requirements that help take care of health and safety and life,” she said. “That’s absolutely what we should be doing. I’m simply saying we should question the mandating of extra goodies.”

Vice Mayor Tom Durham then moved to adopt the EV requirement but not the new insulation standard.

“I don’t think anybody’s arguing about whether we should insulate houses,” he said. “The issue is how much insulation do we need and I haven’t heard any evidence that would suggest that the benefits of this added insulation outweigh the costs.”

Milhaven seconded the motion but it ultimately failed.

Ten members of the public from various organizations, such as the Scottsdale Area Association of Realtors, encour-

Scottsdaleareaschoolsgettheirgrades

TheArizonaStateBoardofEducation releasedthe2021-2022lettergradesforall schoolsonNov.2.Schoolshavetherightto appealbeforeafinalgradeisissued.Here aretheinitialgradesforScottsdaleUnified SchoolDistrictschools:

QCUnifiedschool Charterschool

GRADES

AAnasaziElementary,ArcadiaHigh,ChaparralHighSchool,Cheyenne Traditional,CochiseElementary,CocopahMiddle,DesertCanyonElementary, DesertMountainHigh,EchoCanyonK-8,HopiElementary,PuebloElementary, RedfieldElementary,SaguaroHigh, ScottsdaleCountryDay,Sequoya Elementary,TavanElementary,YavapaiElementary

BASISScottsdale,CherokeeElementary,CoronadoHigh,DesertCanyon Middle,HohokamElementary,InglesideMiddle,KivaElementary,Laguna Elementary,MohaveMiddle,MountainsideMiddle,NavajoElementary,Pima Elementary

CopperRidgeSchool,ScottsdaleOnlineLearning,TonaleaK-8

���� PAGE 1

formed charter schools in many of the main categories. Districts had only 1% getting an “F” while 3% of charters flunked.

And 28% of district schools earned an “A” while 27% of charters got that grade. However, charters did better when it came to overall totals for a “B” grade. Among charters, 47% got a “B” compared to 42% of district schools.

This year, the state made some changes to its models, giving schools more credit if their students show a lot of growth in kindergarten-through-eighth grade schools.

The letter grades are based on five quantifiable factors – academic growth from year to year, proficiency on the statewide assessment, English language proficiency and growth, high school graduation rates and indicators showing if a student is accelerating and ready for success at the next level.

An “A” grade means excellent; “B,” highly performing; “C,” performing; “D,”

minimally performing and “F,” failing.

Grading schools is more complicated than scoring a multiple-choice test.

Depending on whether a school serves kindergarten through eighth grade, high school or both, either four or five measures assigned different weights go into each school’s grade.

Kindergarten through eighth-grade schools are rated according to four factors, and high schools and K-12 schools are rated according to five factors.

For K-8 schools, 50% of the grade is based on “growth,” or how much individual student’s math and language performances improved between 2019 and 2022.

Another 30% of a school’s grade comes from performance on standard tests, and the rest of the assessment comes from “Acceleration/Readiness” and English Learner growth and proficiency.

For high school and K-12 schools, the most heavily weighted factor is standardized test scores, which is 30%. Student growth, graduation rate and College and

Career Readiness Indicator are each 20%.

Each year the State Board of Education decides the numeric cutoffs for each letter grade.

So, the state board knows ahead of time how many schools will get each grade any given year, and the state Board of Education factors that knowledge into its cutoff decisions.

Along with the grades, the state also releases the various scores that went into the grades, giving parents a chance to dig into the data to see where exactly schools performed better or worse. That data can be found at azsbe.az.gov/f-school-letter-grades.

“The Arizona model of issuing school letter grades is largely based on measuring students’ learning growth/gains towards mastery of standards at all grade levels,” said district Associate Superintendent Dr. Karen Benson.

“Decades of research continues to show that teachers make the biggest impact on

State panel urges 23 measures to help kids’ mental health

BY PAUL MARYNIAK Progress Executive Editor

Stating that “in Arizona, suicide is the leading cause of death for ages 10-14 and ages 15-25,” a special Arizona House task force has signed off on 23 recommendations to address the problem.

But Rep. Travis Grantham, R-Gilbert, co- chair of the House Ad Hoc Committee on Teen Mental Health, told panel members those recommendations may not be adopted as quickly as they hope.

Telling his colleagues their work over the last three months “is not for nothing,” Grantham said: “Everybody now is going to have to be patient and be happy with any victories we get out of these recommendations. I'm going to just tell you we're a divided chamber here and across the yard. We have a new governor.

“There's going to be a period of time and as we come down here in January and February, where we have to get our feet under ourselves and figure out what's possible. And the lobbyists will come out. The special interest will come out. The representatives who have disagreements or agreements will come out and that's my business. That's what I volunteered for.

“And I'll do my best to put as much of this forward as I can with other members’ help because I can't do it all by myself. And I just want you all to know that your work here matters and even something in here is the most important thing to you or this group doesn't happen this year, it might very well happen next.

“These things take time,” he said, telling panel members to “be patient, pray, watch, encourage” and speak on behalf of whatever measures do come before lawmakers.

The recommendations represent

the culmination of hours of hearings by the panel, which comprised educators, a variety of medical and behavioral experts, social workers and others.

Since September, the panel heard from a wide range of experts as well as from teenagers who either attempted suicide or know teens who completed it. It also heard from parents who lost or nearly lost children to suicide or other self-harm, including drug overdoses.

According to the 2022 report by the Arizona Child Fatality Review Team, 44 of the 863 deaths of people under 18 in Arizona in 2021 were suicides. It said warning signs existed in 68% of those suicides and the majority involved children 15 to 17 years old.

Various experts told the panel that suicides aside, more Arizona youngsters and teens face a variety of pressures –and substance abuse dangers – that have imperiled their mental and emotional well-being.

Pandemic-driven disruptions of their school life the last two years only intensified those pressures, according to a report issued in May by the U.S. Department of Education.

“Many children and students struggle with mental health challenges that impact their full access to and participation in learning, and these challenges are often misunderstood and can lead to behaviors that are inconsistent with school or program expectations,” it said.

“The COVID-19 global pandemic intensified these challenges, accelerating the need to provide school-based mental health support and leverage our accumulated knowledge about how to provide nurturing educational environments to meet the needs of our nation’s youth.”

The House panel was created by outgoing House Speaker Rusty Bowers of Mesa, who asked it to return in Decem-

State Rep. Travis Grantham,. R-Gilbert, co-chaired a special House committee on teens mental health and warned panel members it may take time for its recommendations to be adopted. (YouTube)

Mesa, AZ – When it comes to chronic pain and/ or neuropathy, the most common doctor-prescribed treatment is drugs like Gabapentin, Lyrica, Cymbalta, and Neurontin. The problem with antidepressants or anti-seizure medications like these is that they offer purely symptomatic relief, as opposed to targeting and treating the root of the problem. Worse, these drugs often trigger an onset of uncomfortable, painful, and sometimes harmful side effects.

The only way to effectively treat chronic pain and/or peripheral neuropathy is by targeting the source, which is the result of nerve damage owing to inadequate blood flow to the nerves in the hands and feet. This often causes weakness, numbness, balance problems. A lack of nutrients causes the nerves degenerate – an insidious

cannot survive, and thus, slowly die. This leads to those painful and frustrating consequences we were talking about earlier, like weakness, numbness, tingling, balance issues, and perhaps even a burning sensation.

The drugs your doctor might prescribe will temporarily conceal the problems, putting a “Band-Aid” over a situation that will only continue to deteriorate without further action.

Thankfully, Mesa is the birthplace of a brandnew facility that sheds new light on this pressing problem of peripheral neuropathy and chronic pain. The company is trailblazing the medical industry by replacing outdated drugs and symptomatic reprieves with an advanced machine that targets the root of the problem at hand.

1. Finding the underlying cause

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Aspen Medical in Mesa, AZ uses a state-of-the-art electric cell signaling systems worth $100,000.00.

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The treatment works by delivering energy to the affected area(s) at varying wavelengths, from low- to middle-frequency signals, while also using Amplitude Modulated (AM) and Frequency Modulated (FM) signaling

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The number of treatments required varies from patient to patient, and can only be determined following an in-depth neurological and vascular examination. As long as you have less than 95% nerve damage, there is hope!

Aspen Medical begins by analyzing the extent of the nerve damage –a complimentary service for your friends and family. Each exam comprises a detailed sensory evaluation, extensive peripheral vascular testing, and comprehensive analysis of neuropathy findings.

Aspen Medical will be offering this free chronic pain and neuropathy severity evaluation will be available until December31st 2022. Call (480) 274-3157 to make an appointment.

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As displayed in figure 1 above, the nerves are surrounded by diseased, withered blood vessels. A lack of sufficient nutrients means the nerves

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ber with potential solutions and recommendations to public and private agencies that address teen mental health issues.

Some of its recommendations involve unspecified amounts of additional funding for a state-run Teen Mental Health Grant Program that supported school districts and nonprofits “for mental health first aid training, youth resiliency training, substance misuse awareness training” for adults and kids.

It also asked the Legislature to work with the Attorney General’s office to ensure that the millions Arizona will be getting for settlements of opioid-related lawsuits “are utilized appropriately for these specified purposes.”

It also urged the creation of a “community hub of information and support” that would address access to care,

depression and mental illness; bullying and social media; and family support and substance abuse.

Some experts who testified before the panel earlier had urged such a hub, but also warned “it is not an easy lift” because it required coordination among a number of websites and social media platforms.

Among other information, the hub would address “different types of bullying, cyberbullying, social media impact and bullying behaviors for parents and students as well as strategies for students to mitigate incidents and timely reporting to school officials.” It also would provide an array of other information related to prevention, treatment and support.

The panel also called for increased financial support for crisis and inpatient services for kids, higher reimbursement rates from insurance companies and the state Medicaid pro-

gram for providers because of their specialized training and their need to have longer children’s appointments because parents have to be involved at some point.

It also called for more financial incentives that would encourage more college-bound students to consider careers in mental health programs serving children’s social and mental wellness.

It said school districts should obtain or create an app that assists in threat assessments and enables students to report safety issues or reach out for help on a 24/7 anonymous basis.

It also urged tax credit deductions for inpatient and outpatient substance abuse treatment programs “to relieve financial burden for families: and state funding for districts to have at least one staff member who would “work with local coalitions and nonprofits to coordinate youth resiliency and pri-

mary prevention lessons and training.”

Co-chair and outgoing Rep. Joanne Osborne, R-Goodyear, conceded that the problem the committee had been tasked to address “isn’t a one-size fits-all situation.”

“This is an all-hands-on-deck,” Osborne said, and that finding solutions needs the involvement of parents, medical experts and educators, law enforcement and teens themselves.

She pointed to the 400-page report the committee is issuing and ticked off a variety of actions that need to be taken not just on a governmental level but in homes and schools as well as by businesses.

“Those kids need to know you’re back there,” she said, adding:

“Those are the things that we need to be doing. There’s so many great people that are doing it but we need more of them to do it.”

SUSD not pushing spending cap panic button yet

BY J. GRABER Progress Staff Writer

Arizona’s infamous Aggregate Expenditure Limit doesn’t have Scottsdale Unified School District officials pushing the panic button quite yet.

State law makers have until March 1 to waive the cap, which holds school districts to a 1980-level plus 10% adjusted for inflation even though they have millions more int eh bank ready to spend.

The limit, which was approved by voters, sets a spending cap for K-12 schools that lawmakers could override with a simple vote.

But Gov. Doug Ducey refuses to call a special legislative session to consider a waiver unless lawmakers agree to consider other items – including allocating more money for the private school voucher program. It takes two thirds of each chamber to approve the waiver.

Without that waiver, schools around Arizona won’t be able to spend much of

the total $1.2 billion budgetary bump lawmakers gave districts collectively this year.

For Scottsdale Unified, that comes to about $28.4 million that would have to be cut in the last two months of the school year. That represents six and a half weeks of staff salaries.

Although officials in other districts have said they would be forced to lay off scores of teachers and other personnel, Scottsdale Unified officials are not yet planning exactly how those cuts would be made.

“We do not have proposed budget cuts,” district spokeswoman Kristine Harrington said. “We will be incredibly thoughtful in our review and work with the governing board to determine what, if anything, needs to be done.

“We continue to hope the Governor and the Legislature will act swiftly to allow public school districts, all across the state, to spend the budget already appropriated by the state.”

Outgoing state Rep. Michelle Udall, R-Mesa, who chaired the House Education Committee, said earlier she had the votes for a special session but Gov. Doug Ducey wants any session to consider more items than the spending cap for public school districts – including more money for the private school voucher program. (Capitol Media Services)

Coronado seniors can get 2 years free college

PROGRESS NEWS STAFF

Community organizations and leaders have come together to offer graduating seniors in the Coronado High Class of 2023 two years of free college via the Coronado Promise.

The scholarship awards up to $5,000 over a two-year period to students who enroll at one of the 10 Maricopa Community Colleges or at an Arizona certificategranting, regionally accredited technical training/trade school.

The Coronado Promise rose from the ef-

SUSD ���� PAGE 15

C.J. Karamargin, a spokesman for Gov. Ducey’s office, said in October that the governor is waiting for an assurance that a waiver of the expenditure limit would pass in the Legislature before calling a special session and that has yet to materialize.

“We are continuing to work with lawmakers on this topic,” Karamargin said Dec. 12.

forts of the Scottsdale Charros, Coronado Foundation for the Future, Scottsdale Unified School District, and Scottsdale Community College to encourage students in the Coronado Learning Community to attend Coronado High School and pursue higher education upon graduation.

Coronado High School alumnus John Flick pledged $1 million to support the program through the Flick Family Foundation. It funded 27 graduates in 2022 and plans to offer a similar number of scholarships in 2023.

Applications are now available at

Rep. John Kavanagh, R-Fountain Hills, said in October he expected the issue to be dealt with in January.

However, Kavanagh speculated the delay is caused by a lack of support in the Legislature to waive the expenditure limit as many legislators are still upset with the Save Our Schools’ failed effort to kill or at least postpone the implementation of the universal voucher program.

CoronadoPromise.com and in the Gear

Up office at Coronado High School and are due March 6.

Students are encouraged to inquire early for assistance in completing the application. Translators are available.

Coronado High School has long served predominantly low-income students who will become the first in their family to attend a higher learning institution.

Coronado Promise advocates hope the scholarship will support and encourage students’ ambition and help ease their path, removing some of the obstacles in-

This exact same situation reached crisis stage last year, leaving the district to get down to brass tacks on figuring out how to compensate for a possible $27 million cut until lawmakers passed a waiver in February.

In the coming session, the legislative landscape might be less inclined toward a waiver. The GOP majority in the Senate is led by Senate President

hibiting their success.

"Education plays a significant role in helping end the cycle of poverty by providing students with improved opportunities for the future,” said Charros Executive Director Dennis Robbins. “More education is associated with higher lifetime incomes, better job prospects, a longer life, increased community involvement, and better physical and mental health."

Each scholarship recipient gets a mentor and a support system to help guide them in transitioning to college.

Warren Petersen, R.-Gilbert, who voted against a waiver for the 2021-22 school year.

Rep. Ben Toma, the new House Speaker, isn’t recorded as voting on the waiver in February.

Both legislators are replacing Republican legislative leaders who supported a waiver and were able to muster the votes needed to pass it.

Construction job growth doesn’t skip a beat in Arizona

BY HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services

Interest rates may be rising, driving up the cost of mortgages.

But a new report from the state Office of Economic Opportunity shows the state's construction industry continues to add jobs.

And the reason appears to be that developers are finding new opportunities, shifting their focus to multi-family homes as various factors, including rising mortgage rates, put the dream of a single-family home beyond reach for many.

Doug Walls, the agency's labor market information director, pointed out that as recently as February of this year fewer than one out of every five permits for new private housing were for buildings

with five or more units.

Now that figure is up to 48%.

The trend closely matches the series of sharp increases in interest rates, with the federal funds rate – which influences all other lending – rising from less than 1 percent at the beginning of the year to 3.9%.

Walls said that the average monthly mortgage payments has increased, not only in Arizona but across the nation, as a result of the actions of the Federal Reserve Board.

At the same time, he noted, the prices of homes themselves have been going up. That has caused other ripple effects.

Walls said the median listing price of existing homes decreased in November to $462,500 from a peak earlier this year of $520,950.

The addition of 800 new workers

in construction in the past month, far higher than the average in the past decade, is indicative of what appears to be a healthy economy despite the fact that the seatonally adjusted unemployment rate for November hit 4.1%, two-tenths of a percentage point above October and the highest since September 2021.

Overall, Arizona added 26,200 private sector jobs in November and 102,200 in the past year.

Employment in retail trade is up 2.1% in the month as seasonal shopping begins, with particularly strong monthover-month gains in hiring by department stores and in shops specializing in clothing and accessories.

Bars and restaurants added another 1,300 workers in November, bringing total employment up by nearly 11,000

over a year earlier. But hiring at hotels and resorts was weak in November, with that sector shedding 400 jobs from the prior month.

Manufacturing employment continued to grow, though only adding 100 jobs this past month. But overall hiring remains strong, with employment up 8.3% over the same time a year earlier.

And one of the strongest sectors of the economy is health care, with doctors' offices and clinics hiring another 4,000 people in November.

Conversely, there was only lackluster growth in parts of the financial sector likely from those rising interest rates.

But employment by firms handling real estate rental and leasing rose another 1.2% in November.

aged the council to adopt the codes.

In other business, the council also

made appointments to the Protect and Preserve Scottsdale Task Force, which is designed to research whether the city should continue a .2% sales tax to

pay for maintenance of the McDowell Sonoran Preserve, the Indian Bend Greenbelt and other parks. Those appointments were: John Zikias, Cynthia

Wenstrom, Jace McKieghan, James Eaneman, Nicholas Hartman, Daniel Schweiker, Carla Carla, Mark Winkleman, and Raoul Zubia.

GREENCODE

students’ learning,” she said. “There is no question quality teachers/teaching and strong instructional leadership on the part of our principals significantly impact our schools’ performance.”

Noting that “other factors impact our students’ performance, too,” Benson said the district “continues to be intentional in its support of continuous improvement plans that include resources to support teaching and learning …and that support students’ mental health and well-being.”

The district can use the information to work on specific areas that could be improved, Benson said.

“We know we need to continue to improve students’ mastery of standards across all grade levels,” she said. “Middle-level math scores and overall science scores are areas of need that we are being intentional about addressing.

“We want our students to learn and demonstrate their understanding in all tested areas, as well as have opportunities to apply what they’ve learned in the real world. In conjunction with our strategic planning, we have identified a host

of key performance indicators we use as our ‘compass’ to guide our continuous improvement efforts,” she said.

The results are an excellent piece of the “public relations pie” to draw more students to the district, said governing board member Jann-Michael Greenburg.

He said the grades “show Arizona’s families and families that may be moving from other states or countries too that (Scottsdale Unified) has a robust education system,” he said.

“Their children will receive a high quality, future focused education if they attend here.”

The most notable difference between this year’s grades and 2018/19’s is the district’s Yavapai Elementary School improved from a “D” to an “A.”

“The dynamics of Hohokam earning a ‘B’ label and Yavapai an ‘A’ provide an important example to understand the complexity of school letter grades,” Benson said.

“Hohokam and Yavapai students attended the same classrooms with the same teachers but because the baseline indicators of each of the schools differed last year – the letter grade results differed this fall, too,” she said.

“Hohokam has consistently performed well as a Title I school in SUSD, attributed in part to a veteran principal and staff that have designed a well-established RTI system to identify students and provide interventions early and consistently.”

Hohokam Principal Chuck Rantala, who also served as Yavapai’s principal last year, said, “The growth for Yavapai reinforces the positive impact of our collaborative work in grade-level teams and the culture that all staff contribute to the success of students.”

A Title I school is one in which at least 40% of the students are from low-income families and receive federal money to pay for programs that boost the performance of the lowest achieving students.

Rebecca Beebe, director of government affairs for Arizona School Administrators, told the state board before the Oct. 17 vote setting the cutoffs that school letter grades can be demoralizing for staff.

Arguing against an “arbitrary” 70/80/90 model for determining school grades, which the board rejected, Beebe said low grades could be “a huge blow to our educators who have consistently gone above and beyond to serve Arizona students.”

“That’s the last thing we need in a time like this – and it does not reflect the reality which is that schools are coming out of the COVID years and improving,” she said.

State board member Dr. Jacqui Clay echoed this sentiment.

“Regardless of what form of accountability we select, we will not and should not hold our schools hostage by data that does not take into consideration the whole-child approach,” Clay said.

“My concern is we have so many people who are not educators who are on the outside dictating and not really sitting down, listening, empathizing and understanding what’s going on in the schools.”

The State Board of Education encourages parents “to have letter grade conversations with their student’s school administrator and staff members,” and cautioned that “qualitative measures, which will vary in importance from family to family, should also be considered.

“Some students thrive in a small school, while others seek the wide range of options a larger school offers,” it said.

State falls in rank for defense spending

BY TRISTAN RICHARDS Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – Pentagon spending in Arizona fell sharply in fiscal 2021, part of an overall decline in expenditures nationally that bumped the state from seventh place among states to 13th, according to new Defense Department data.

Military spending overall in the state fell from $20.2 billion in fiscal 2020 to $14.6 billion in fiscal 2021. That was a sharper drop than the 5.6% decline in spending nationwide during the same period, when combined spending on contracts and military personnel fell from $593.9 billion to $559 billion.

But analysts said that while Arizona may have slipped in its standing among states, the drop is not cause for concern. The defense industry remains a pillar of the state’s economy, they said, and will likely continue to be so for the foreseeable future.

“In terms of a good environment and a welcoming environment, Arizona is positioned very well to continue that growth in this industry,” said Todd Sanders, president and CEO of the Greater Phoenix Area Chamber of Commerce.

The Pentagon spent $398.7 billion nationally on contracts in fiscal 2021 – a drop from $439.4 billion a year before – but that was partially offset by an increase in spending on personnel employed by the Defense Department, which went from $154.6 billion to $160.3 billion in the same period.

Military contracts have long been a staple of the Arizona economy, which includes multinational defense manufacturers such as Boeing, Raytheon and Northrop Grumman, among others. But contract spending took a hit in fiscal 2021 both nationally and in Arizona, with contracts in the state falling from $15.7 billion to $12.3 billion, according to the Pentagon report for 2021.

Boeing saw its contracts in Arizona fall from $2.2 billion to $1.2 billion over the year. But Kathleen Jolivette, vice president of Boeing Mesa’s attack helicopter program, said in a prepared statement that she looks forward to the future, noting the “solid and stable defense demand” in the U.S. Jolivette said Boeing in Arizona has been

focused on delivering a continued supply of Apache helicopters, working to deliver “the best capability to the warfighter today while innovating for the future.”

Despite the Army lowering its orders for Apache helicopters from 49 in fiscal 2021 to 30 in fiscal 2022, Jolivette said that “strong international sales make up the gaps.”

“Our portfolio is well positioned and our future franchise programs have a long runway ahead,” Jolivette said.

The fiscal 2021 numbers nationwide do not reflect billions in spending this year on military assistance to Ukraine in its war with Russia.

Over the past decade, Arizona has been as low as 13th among states for defense spending – in fiscal years 2016, 2017 and now 2021 – and as high as seventh place in fiscal 2020.

“Clearly, this spending is important for Arizona,” Sanders said. “We looked at the stats for 2021 and as you look at the rest of the economy, you saw a similar drop in revenues or spending with the rest of

Ground crews check an F-35 at Luke Air Force Base in this photo from 2018, when total Defense Department spending in the state was $15.2 billion, 10th-most in the nation. Pentagon spending in Arizona fell to $14.6 billion in fiscal 2021, and the state fell out of the top 10, but economists and business officials say the long-term picture is still strong. (File photo by

Neri/Cronkite News)

the economy as a result of COVID.”

Sanders said the slowdown in defense spending was a “delayed effect of the economic slowdown from COVID.”

But he expects the slowdown is temporary and reiterated the importance of defense to Arizona, where 56,500 have aerospace or defense jobs.

Nicole

Marijuana sales steadily increasing in Arizona

BY RYAN KNAPPENBERGER Cronkite News

Sales of marijuana in Arizona soared to $1.6 billion in 2021, just one year after recreational pot was legalized in the state, making Arizona second only to California for retail sales that year, according to an industry research group. But while retail sales of cannabis are strong, the crop is far from being added to the traditional “5 C’s” of Arizona’s economy, experts say, as production still trails far behind other states.

They say cannabis could become a strong part of the state’s economy in the next few years, but the industry will first have to overcome barriers to growth nationwide that include limited trade and restrictions on financing for a crop that is still illegal on the federal level.

“We don’t see SWAT teams busting in the doors of dispensaries,” said Aaron Smith, CEO of the National Cannabis Industry Association. “But we do have problems with not being able to take tax deductions like a normal industry, or being able to have interstate commerce, which really creates a barrier to entry for a lot of folks.”

But for now, at least, the industry appears to be growing in Arizona.

Marijuana sales brought in $221.3 million in taxes in 2021, according to the Arizona Department of Revenue, and sales in 2022 were on pace to eclipse that number, with $196.4 million in taxes in the first nine months of the year. That’s an average of just under $22 million in excise taxes a month for 2022.

Cultivation and production of cannabis as a crop, however, are not about to rival the 5 C’s: cattle, cotton, copper, citrus and climate.

Alexis Villacis Aveiga, an assistant professor at the Morrison School of Agribusiness at Arizona State University, said that in order for cannabis to rival the rest of the 5 C’s, the state would need to see a much larger expansion of agricultural production.

But Arizona’s climate makes it difficult to grow cannabis, he said, and while greenhouses can help address that issue, Arizona has a lot of catching up to do with other states.

“For example, we have 35,000 square feet of indoors cannabis and hemp,” Avei-

ga said. “In California there are over 4 million square feet, Colorado has over 2 million and Kentucky has around 200,000.

“So Arizona is pretty small compared to other states,” he said.

Dave DeWalt, the Arizona statistician for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, said in an email that the state had about 129,000 acres of cotton in production in 2021, worth about $156 million, and that cattle brought in $754 million that year. There were 10,031 acres of citrus in the state in 2017, the most recent year for which USDA has data available.

Acreage for cannabis production was not readily available, but the Arizona Department of Agriculture measures the production of hemp – a type of cannabis plant that contains 0.3% or less of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the psychoactive component of the plant that gives users a high.

Hemp cannot be used to get high, but can be used to create things like rope, paper, paint, beer, medicine and more.

The department said Arizona had 155. 5 acres of industrial hemp growing in fields at the end of 2021, and 11,558 square feet planted indoors.

Aveiga said current state regulations make hemp less attractive as a crop, since farmers can only sell their harvest if it is below the 0.3% limit for THC. Otherwise, it counts as marijuana, which requires a separate license to grow and sell.

Smith, of the NCIA, said it’s not just farmers: Businesses trying to sell medical and recreational marijuana face legal hurdles that other businesses don’t.

He said regulations for cannabis make it difficult for small businesses to deduct expenses and find banks to work with. That means some operators cannot take credit cards for purchases and in some cases cannot place cash in checking accounts.

“It just serves nobody’s interest to have the industry operate in cash or you do not have access to these services,” Smith said.

Despite all the current hurdles, Smith said Arizona has been a pioneering purple state in terms of cannabis regulation and has shown just how popular legalization can be.

“Cannabis is used across demographics, boomers and millennials and Gen Z, people over 21 are using responsibly

and we’re glad to see that,” Smith said. “Arizona law is by and large working well.”

A vendor makes change for cannabis sale at a Los Angeles marketplace in this photo from 2020, when Arizona voters legalized recreational use of marijuana. Since then, cannabis sales in Arizona have surged to an estimated $1.6 billion, second only to California, but production in the state still lags. (Richard Vogel/AP/Shutterstock)

Feds sue Ducey over border shipping containers

BY HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services

The Biden administration is asking a federal judge to let it remove the hundreds of double-stacked storage containers Gov. Doug Ducey has placed along the border and then bill the state for the costs.

The Department of Justice said the state, under an executive order from the governor, is occupying lands owned by the federal government without obtaining required permits or authorization. Those containers, the lawsuit says, "damage federal lands, threaten public safety, and impede the ability of federal agencies and officials, including law enforcement personnel, to perform their official duties.''

The lawsuit says the containers actually compromise law enforcement, blocking the ability of officers to see threats on the other side.

"The shipping containers can feasibly

be entered on the ends or by cutting access points into the containers, allowing for the concealment of individuals, weapons, or contraband, effectively creating a fortified bunker that would post a grave threat to unsuspecting Forest Service personnel and the public,'' wrote Assistant Attorney General Andrew Smith.

And all that, Smith said, is not only dangerous but "inconsistent'' with the decision by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1907 – before Arizona even became a state – to declare a 60-foot wide strip along the border the property of the federal government to keep the area "free from obstruction as a protection against the smuggling of goods between the United States and Mexico.''

"Not only has Arizona refused to halt its trespasses and remove the shipping containers from federal lands, but it has indicated that it will continue to trespass on federal lands and install additional shipping containers,'' he told U.S. District Court Judge Susan Brnovich. Smith said that in installing the ship-

The Biden administration wants Gov. Doug Ducey to remove shipping containers placed as border barriers. (Cronkite News)

ping containers on National Forest lands in Cochise County, the state had widened roads and cleared lands for staging areas.

"In doing so, Arizona has cut down or removed scores of trees, clogged drainages, and degraded the habitat of species listed under the Endangered Species Act,'' he told the judge, adding the containers are blocking about 30 ephemeral streams which interrupt natural drainage patters, erode soil and damage vegetation and forage.

He also said the lands are now being "occupied by armed security guards,'' re hired by the contractor doing the storage container installation for the state, and are interfering with the ability of the Forest Service to carry out its duties.

Ducey press aide C.J. Karamargin cited a letter his boss sent to the Department of Justice urging them not to sue. The governor rejected any contention that the containers, filling a 3,820-foot gap near Yuma and a nearly 10-mile wall of them going up south of Sierra Vista, harm public safety and the environment.

"The number one public safety risk and environmental harm has come from

inaction by the federal government to secure our border,'' the Republican governor wrote, repeating claims he has made since Biden halted further work on a wall being built by the Trump administration.

"When the federal government abruptly halted border wall construction, our forests and public lands in Arizona quickly became strewn with abandoned clothing and property, and an ever-increasing number of migrants who continue to flow into the state,'' Ducey wrote.

"This influx has resulted in fields of agricultural produce being contaminated, hospitals overflowing and U.S. citizens not being able to enjoy their homes or property due to trespassers.''

Ducey also said that the Department of Homeland Security has been making promises for a year that it would fill gaps that remain in the border wall after construction stopped.

He said that efforts since then to get specifics have been unsuccessful. And that, the governor said, left the state with no real choice but to begin installing the storage containers.

"Arizona's border barrier was always intended to be a temporary solution until

the federal government erects a permanent solution,'' Ducey told federal officials.

The governor also disputes the claim that the containers interfere with the ability of federal agencies to do their jobs. He contends that both federal and local law enforcement officers have "lauded the installation of the temporary barrier.''

"John Moldin, chief of the Border Patrol's Tucson Sector, explained that closing these gaps is a helpful strategy because 'if Yuma has 10 gaps and people were crossing all 10 gaps, it's much more difficult for us to deal with than if Yuma has one or two gaps and the majority of traffic is crossing through those gaps,' '' Ducey said.

Smith told Brnovich it comes down to a simple question of law: The property is owned by the federal government and the state is trespassing despite being told the actions are illegal.

Ducey, for his part, is not conceding that question of ownership.

In October he asked a different federal judge to rule that President Roosevelt had no legal right to declare that strip of land, known as the "Roosevelt Reservation,'' to be the property of the federal government.

"Article II of the U.S. Constitution does

not explicitly provide for the president to exercise his executive power to secure land or property without congressional approval,'' wrote Brett Johnson, a private attorney who Ducey has repeatedly hired in his legal battles with Washington. And Johnson said nothing changes simply because Roosevelt declared his act to be for the benefit of "public welfare.''

Johnson said the claim "conflicts with the state's sovereignty of that land.''

Ownership aside, Johnson contends that Ducey has a constitutional right to protect the state from what amounts to an "invasion,'' allowing him to "take immediate temporary steps ... to stem the imminent danger of criminal and humanitarian crises related to the Arizona border.''

Federal officials are likely to get at least part of what they want next month when Katie Hobbs becomes governor.

She has told Capitol Media Services she will halt further work, saying the land does not belong to the state and calling Ducey's actions "a political stunt'' and "a waste of taxpayer dollars.''

But Hobbs said she has made no decision on removing the containers already there.

Beloved Scottsdale horseman Ed Grandon remembered

a month, the couple managed to buy two Palomino quarter horses that they rode bareback all over town and that eventually led Mr. Grandon to his equestrian career.

After graduating from Arizona State University, he started working for Western American Mortgage and soon after that, the couple had their two children.

The Grandons eventually discovered a 7.5-acre parcel of land off 120th Street and Shea Boulevard and in 1975 purchased it and a double-wide trailer, which they called home for about three years.

“We couldn’t afford to buy the land, build a barn and build a home so we put a double-wide mobile home on the land – which was nice on the inside but on the outside, it still looked like a trailer,” Lynn said with a laugh.

“The Collinses had two beautiful studs that we bred and had gorgeous babies,” Lynn recalled. “From then on, we were interested in buying and keeping them.”

Mr. Grandon eventually quit his job to pursue breeding and selling horses full-time. He would spend most of his year scouring the country for the finest steeds to condition and sell.

“Once Ed got into the Arabian Horse Association of Arizona and we began doing auctions, it kept us busy here fulltime,” Lynn said.

When the Grandons hosted horse auctions, they ensured they did it in style with catered events accented by extravagant ice sculptures.

to host the famed horse show.

“Because Bell Road was continuing to grow with all the houses, it needed to find a new venue,” his son Jason recalled. “Since it was called the Scottsdale show, they needed to keep it in Scottsdale. So WestWorld of Scottsdale seemed like a perfect location right there since it had vacant land being developed.”

Mr. Grandon became president of the Arizona Arabian Horse Association of Arizona in 1990 and continued in that position until 1998.

Following his tenure with the association, he returned to boarding horses on his property and enjoying his grandchildren.

BY ALEX GALLAGHER Progress Staff Writer

Ed Grandon, the owner of Grandon’s Equestrian and former president of the Arabian Horse Association, passed away on Nov. 8. He was 78.

He is survived by his wife Lynn, children Jason and Stacey, and grandchildren Jaden and Kalen.

A native of Pennsylvania until he joined the Air Force, Mr. Grandon met his wife Lynn while he was stationed at Luke Air Force Base in 1964.

“He was very quiet but very pleasant to be around,” Lynn recalled as her �irst impression of the man she married after two years of dating on Feb. 12, 1966. Although his Air Force salary was $85

Though the property was �illed with jumping cacti, the Grandons cleared the land by hand to make room for their planned house and stables.

As their plans slowly became reality, they met Helen Collins, who was head of hospitality for the Arabian Horse Show.

Collins took the Grandons back to her property to show off her Arabians and from there, they fell in love again – this time with the bright white, dark-eyed horses that look like something out of a fantasy.

The Grandons and the Collinses began breeding horses together, spurring a new business for Ed, who had become vice president of Western American Mortgage.

The auctions eventually attracted celebrities like the late actor Patrick Swayze, singers Shakira, Wayne Newton, Kenny Rogers, Lynn Anderson, Tanya Tucker, and former Mexican President Vincente Fox Quesada.

However, it was a horse from Poland named Bushman that the Grandons purchased during the 1980s that became the star.

At the time of his purchase, “Bushman” was the most expensive horse ever imported and became so popular that he has been immortalized in the bronze statue just outside WestWorld Road.

At their peak, the Grandons were selling 800 horses a year and boarding as many as 300.

Near the end of the 1980s , the Arabian Horse Show began looking for a new venue because Paradise Park II was closing.

Mr. Grandon thought of a better venue

The Grandons sold their storied home and equestrian facility in March to Jeff Vance, a member of the Scottsdale Charros who plans to continue using the property to board horses.

The Grandons leased back the property for a few months and had plans to travel, as the two had not taken a vacation in over three decades.

Unfortunately, those plans never materialized as Mr. Grandon became ill.

Mr. Grandon was laid to rest at the National Memorial Cemetery in Cave Creek.

“When people talk about Scottsdale and especially the horse industry in Scottsdale, I think he's one of the top people that come up,” Jason said.

“A lot of people remarked about how he devoted his whole life to the horse industry and the city of Scottsdale,” added Lynn. “He made sure that when he did the show, he hired Scottsdale police and just did everything that involved Scottsdale.” that

Ed Grandon passed away age 78. (Special to the Progress)

Ford/Robert Black Agency marks 35th anniversary

BY ALEX GALLAGHER Progress Staff Writer

Ever since she was a little girl, Sheree Hartwell said, her dream was to own a modeling agency, though she admits that she had no clue how much work it would involve.

The South Dakota native, who moved to Scottsdale when she was 5, attended Navajo Elementary, Mohave Middle School and Saguaro High before making the trek up the hill to attend Northern Arizona University to study fashion.

But at age 12, she got an opportunity that would change her life.

Hartwell had been dancing five days a week throughout her childhood at the former Studio 46 dance studio in Phoenix before moving on to Plum Performing Arts Center in the Scottsdale Airpark – where her daughters dance to this day.

She entered a tap dance competition in which the grand prize was a meeting with Robert Black.

Hartwell won the competition and traveled with her mother to greet the modeling management mastermind at his Scottsdale Airpark office, where it remains today.

Hartwell admits that she felt starstruck during the initial meeting.

“He was so iconic,” Hartwell said. “He was the model agent, manager, and owner of the agency.”

She also was surprised by his kind nature.

“He's extremely kind and loving and a genuine guy. He was not as intimidating as I thought he was going to be,” Hartwell said with a laugh.

Hartwell had aspired of being a model herself and had decorated her room with images of some of the biggest names in modeling at the time like Claudia Schiffer, Kate Moss, and Christy Turlington and she told Black about her

interest in the industry.

“I kind of felt like it was in my blood in this business growing up in it,” Hartwell said.

Around this time, Robert Black was able to further expand his business by inking a partnership with Ford Models, which has a wide presence with agencies in Paris, Los Angeles, Miami and Chicago and gave his brand a plethora of talent to work with.

And as Hartwell grew older, she felt more enlightened by the business side of the modeling industry.

“As I got older, I realized I kind of like the business side of it and I found that I liked it way more than being on the

modeling side,” she said.

During the first semester of her senior year of College at Northern Arizona University, Hartwell learned that she needed an internship to graduate and called on Black to intern for him.

“It was always reiterated to me that this is a people business and you may not like everybody but, ultimately, you're dealing with people, we are selling people and we are promoting people,” Hartwell said.

This is advice Hartwell carried with her after college when she worked at another modeling agency in San Francisco before returning to Scottsdale in 2004.

Hartwell recalled asking Black for a job, which he obliged.

Six months after taking on her role, Hartwell learned Black was selling his business and she decided her time had come.

She bought his agency, which was rebranded the Ford/Robert Black Agency.

“It was a really big undertaking stepping into somebody's shoes such as his,” Hartwell said. “He's a very iconic guy in our industry – still is – but also extremely involved in the community, very philanthropic.”

She quickly learned the ropes and got to work scouring the state for talent.

“There are the typical standard things that we look for, like photogenic, having a symmetrical face and body shape and those types of things,” she said. “But one of the nice compliments that we get a lot is that our talent, they're actually like, nice people.

We've gotten to this place now where we want to work with people that we like to and that are kind people that show up, are on time, and are respectful.”

For over a decade, Hartwell used to host an hour-long open call once a week. Then the pandemic put a halt to those congregations.

Since then, Hartwell has had to take a more modern approach to finding models.

“Social media has been an incredible way to scout people,” she said. “We’ve been finding people through Instagram and Tik Tok and People can also directly submit photos on our website and we review those.”

Not only has the methods of finding models changed, but the types of models have also as well.

The Ford/Robert Black Agency owner Sheree Hartwell is flanked by, from left, agent Sheena Adams, CFO Andrea Farrer, print director Matt Englehart and Madison Mercer, a junior agent who handles new faces for the agency. (Special to the Progress)

“Up until five years ago, the industry hadn’t changed and now, we’ve all seen what we see in advertising today where we see bodies looking like what we see and we see real-life people who have differences in appearances,” Hartwell said.

“For us, as an agency, it's been really fun as we represent people today that we wouldn't have represented five to 10 years ago, solely because the industry standards were as such.”

On-camera/commercial print director Matt Englehart, who recently celebrated 25 years with the company, added:

“One of the bigger things that I've seen over the years has been all these biracial people, or (racially) ambiguous have really had a hard time being booked because producers and casting directors looked too closely at those things and now those people are wanted, so that's a big shift. It's the business becoming more inclusive.”

Because of this, Hartwell admits that she is working tirelessly to stay ahead of

the curve by conversing with colleagues in the industry.

“We're very connected with the agencies in the major markets,” Hartwell said. “I am talking to agents in New York, Los Angeles, London, Milan and Paris on a daily and or weekly basis since a lot of those trends start in those major markets and in Arizona, we tend to be the trickle-down.”

“It's important that I talk to those people and I network on my own as a leader and as somebody who wants to stay extremely relevant.”

Hartwell remains confident her business can sustain another 35 years of bringing models out of the desert and onto international runways, television screens and pages of magazines around the world.

“We continue to bring in the younger generation and they are helping us to stay current, helping us to evolve and stay on the cusp of things,” Hartwell said. “I need that youth and I need that kind of edge and direction to continue to take the company forward.”

Information: fordrba.com

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Saguaro coach Jason Mohns joining ASU coaching staff

BY ZACH ALVIRA

Jason Mohns, who led Saguaro to seven state championship victories as head coach in 11 years, stepped down as head coach of the football program Monday morning. Mohns spoke to his team shortly before 8 a.m. and announced his departure. He also shared a lengthy post to social media addressing fans, players, his assistants on staff and Saguaro administration.

While Mohns didn’t speci�ically announce his next move, rumors have swirled for weeks that he would be joining head coach Kenny Dillingham’s staff

at Arizona State. Saguaro Athletic Director Matt Harris took to Twitter to congratulate Mohns and con�irmed he had accepted a position on the ASU staff.

“It has truly been one of the greatest sources of pride in my life to lead this tradition rich program,” Mohns wrote in the post. “Now it’s time for me to turn the page on this amazing chapter of my life and pass the ‘torch’ to the next lucky coach who will have the greatest privilege of leading the Saguaro Football Program.”

The decision to leave Saguaro comes on the heels of the Sabercats’ 28-21 Open Division state championship loss to Basha Saturday night at Sun Devil Sta-

dium. Saguaro was a play away from potentially tying the game or going for the win, but quarterback Devon Dampier’s pass fell incomplete on fourth down.

The championship appearance was the ninth for the Saguaro program under Mohns as head coach. He spent 16 years total with the program, working his way up under Mike Reardon and John Sanders before he was handed over the reins – or “torch” as he described it in his letter Monday – to the program.

Since the creation of the Open Division, his team had competed for the state championship in all but one season, 2020. The Sabercats were forced out of the tournament due to a COVID-19 outbreak within the program.

“What Jason has done here at Saguaro as a high school coach, in my opinion, is unmatched anywhere else,” Harris said. “The program was successful before he got here but he’s taken it to a completely different level with national prominence. "

An ASU alum, Mohns founded the Scottsdale Argos youth football team. It was there he and Dillingham �irst began to connect as coached for the program.

When Dillingham, a Scottsdale native, was announced as the next head football coach for the Sun Devils, rumors began to swirl as to who he would bring in to complete his staff. Shortly after he was hired, he hired Charlie Ragle, who gave Dillingham his �irst shot at coaching when the two were at Chaparral.

Mohns is yet another piece to the ASU coaching staff puzzle that aims to bring in those who know and love Arizona.

Mohns has had college coaching opportunities in the past. Every year a new rumor about him coaching elsewhere was stirred up. But Harris said Mohns always had the desire to coach at his alma mater.

Harris now is tasked with �inding a replacement for Mohns. He said they aim

Saguaro coach Jason Mohns announced Monday morning to his team that he was stepping down to join the Arizona State coaching staff under new coach and longtime friend, Kenny Dillingham. Mohns won seven state titles as head coach at Saguaro, including last year’s Open Division state championship.

(Dave Minton/Staff Photographer)

to hopefully have someone in place by the start of next semester in January. For now, Frank Ruben has been given the interim head coach tag. He’s been with the program for more than 20 years and will help facilitate visits from college coaches on campus at Saguaro.

Harris believes there will be some internal candidates for the position, as well as externals from across the country who have the desire to coach a program with as much national prominence as Saguaro.

But one thing is for certain. There’s no replacing Mohns. But Harris believes he and the committee of former players, alumni parents and administration will �ind someone Mohns would approve of.

“My new role is making sure Saguaro is in good hands and we have the right person taking over the program,” Harris said. “This is a Saguaro football family decision.”

Railroad park chugs along despite staff shortage

BY ALEX GALLAGHER Progress Staff Writer

Getting the McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park was no walk in the park when it came to converting it first to a spooky space for Halloween and then to a holiday wonderland.

When the order couldn’t grow much taller, the park was dealt the blow of low staffing.

“The initial challenge we faced was staffing because we're not at our full stack capacity, as most places still aren't,” said Joseph Alexis, McCormick Stillman Railroad park events specialist.

This became a big issue for the Railroad Park in early November, just when the park began ripping down its Halloween decorations and began preparing for one of its largest events of the year. Its holiday lights display attracts as many

as 1,300 people a night split across two entry times that grant 650 people entry at a time and features thousands of lights.

“We have some tunnels that we put up and those take at least eight hours just because there's a certain way we have to go about installing them for safety reasons,” Alexis said. “We also have lights that we put up in the tunnel and that takes at least two days just to set up unless you have five people on it.”

However, early in the process, there weren’t enough workers to assemble the displays.

So park supervisors had to call on employees from the City of Scottsdale's aquatics team, which was, fortunately, looking for projects to work on during its off-season.

“They don't really have a lot of hours

‘Die Hard’ puppet show becoming holiday fare

BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI Progress Staff Writer

“A

Christmas Story,” “It’s a Wonderful Life” and “A Christmas Carol” are standards for the holidays.

As the owner/artistic director of the All Puppet Players, Shaun Michael McNamara is proving that “Die Hard” belongs there, too.

For the seventh year, his troupe is presenting “Die Hard: A Christmas Story,” a profane and mischievous program starring puppets. Complete with caroling, gun fights, F-bombs and puppet anarchy, “Die Hard: A Christmas Story” tells the tale of John McClane trying to save the day from master criminal Hans Gruber during a holiday party.

“Nothing is safe and no holiday mem-

ory unsoiled while the puppets wreak havoc on Christmas and bring a mischievous holiday spirit to all good little boys and girls,” McNamara says.

The production was born out of McNamara’s hatred of “A Christmas Carol” and “It’s a Wonderful Life.” He respects companies that put them on, but it’s the same old, same old.

“What I did with ‘Die Hard,’ in a cheeky way, I threw Clarence (from ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’) and the three spirits in, so it’s part ‘Die Hard,’ part ‘A Christmas Carol,’ part ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ and part insanity.”

Seven years ago marked McNamara’s first foray into holiday shows. He says it was fun to lampoon Christmas.

“Finding songs was fun,” he added. “I

Shaun Michael McNamara, owner/artistic director of the All Puppet Players, is proving that “Die Hard” belongs there, too, with a unique show. (Courtesy All Puppet Players)

McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park is greeting visitors right now with a festive display of holiday lights. (Progress file photo)

P.O.D. shows give audiences myriad emotions

mix in soulful tunes to appease its faithful fanbase.

“We get that not everybody just wants a heavy set and they like the flavor that we put into the soulful stuff that we do, so we try to mix it up,” Sandoval said.

Among those selections is the anti-gun violence anthem “Youth of the Nation” –a tune that Sandoval admits remains too relevant.

“We were hoping that things would have changed and over the past 21 years, but it still resonates with people. When we hear the stories every night about ‘I remember this, and I remember that,’ it's still heartbreaking.”

Though the tune prompts heartbreaking memories and stories for the band and its fans, Sandoval said he believes it reminds people of the violence still afflicting the nation.

people's eyes.”

Though “Youth of the Nation” is often a somber moment in an otherwise energetic setlist, Sandoval said it will perform “Boom,” which is usually the band’s opening track.

“We have so many other fun songs that people know ‘Boom’ which has been in movies, video games and was even played during the World Series,” Sandoval said emphatically. “I guess it just comes from being around so long. Your music gets heard one way or another.”

Though the setlist generally begins with “Boom” and reaches an energetic nadir with “Youth of the Nation” in the middle, the rest of the show has dynamic tunes like the new song “Drop.”

It will appear on a new album set for release early next year by P.O.D., which stands for “payable on death. “

BY ALEX GALLAGHER Progress Staff Writer

Veteran San Diego nu-metal pioneers P.O.D. are bringing the boom on their tour with Jinjer by breaking out some of the heavier jams, according to vocalist Sonny Sandoval.

“We can play with the heaviest bands tonight and then tomorrow

we can play with a reggae band or a Dave Matthews Band cover band since we don't just have heavy songs and we love all kinds of music,” Sandoval said. “Since we’re out with Jinjer, we thought ‘maybe we should do our heaviest set.’”

Though most of the band’s setlist so far on the jaunt has been culled from the riff-heavy tunes on its breakthrough album, 2001’s “Satellite,” P.O.D. plans to

“We play it as more of a reminder that this is still going on,” he said. “We still have gun issues to deal with, we still have violence and we still have mental illnesses and that's why we started this thing in music.

“We wanted to make people think and to make people feel things. So, that song always gets a crazy reaction. This tour has been more of a vibe where we’ve just started playing it and then the music alone causes a reaction that I can see in

“It's heavy and it's been getting a great response,” Sandoval said. “It's always cool to play the new stuff and if it was up to us, we'd be playing a few of those songs. But we only get 50 minutes.”

While the show changes nightly, but the closing number is the same.

“About 99.9% of the time, we are going to end the set with ‘Alive’ because it just it leaves people feeling they went through a journey, we had fun together

Zoppe Family Circus now at Bell Bank Park in Mesa

PROGRESS NEWS STAFF

The Zoppe Family Circus has left Chandler with its annual holiday show and moved to Bell Bank Park, 1 Legacy Drive, Mesa.

The one-ring circus that honors the history of the old-world Italian circus tradition and runs through Jan. 1.

Liberta Zoppe welcomes guests into an intimate, 500-seat tent for a show that will star Nino the Clown and a circus that is propelled by a central story, as opposed to individual acts.

The circus features acrobatic feats, equestrian showmanship, canine capers, clowning and plenty of audience

participation.

Tickets are on sale at BellBankPark. com, with general admission starting at $25, and VIP tickets at $45. For more information on the Zoppe Family visit www.Zoppe.net.

Show dates are: today, Dec. 18, at 1 p.m., 4 p.m., & 7 p.m.; 6 p.m. Dec. 21 and 23, 4 p.m. Dec. 24; 6 p.m. Dec. 26-30; 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. Dec. 31 and 1 p.m., 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. Jan. 1.

Meanwhile, Bell Bank Park also is hosting the Pratt Brothers Christmas Spectacular 6-10 p.m. through Jan. 1.

The display features more than six million lights and unique attractions.

Previous contestants of The Great

Christmas Light Fight on ABC Television, brothers Sammy and Kyle Pratt have devoted their life’s work to construct a magical Christmas Town delivering an experience for all the senses.

The immersive visit delivers attractions for all ages, with twinkling Christmas lights, three-story gingerbread house, magical snowfall and thousands of bubbles, featuring the ultimate Santa Experience, Mrs. Claus Cookie Decorating, dazzling 360-degree light show with show-stopping pyrotechnics, and a Miracle Market filled with simply merry gifts to bring home holiday cheer.

Nino the Clown is one of the stars

the Zoppe Family Circus. (Special to the Progress)

Veteran nu-metal act P.O.D. will be coming to the Valley Dec. 20, and plan to break out some of their heavier jams. (Special to the Progress)

at

RAILROAD ���� PAGE 30

during this time of year and so there's no way for them to get it,” Alexis said, “If the aquatics team did not come when they did, we probably would have been a few days behind.”

The railroad park additionally called upon members of its maintenance team to hang lights and construct decorations during that time and the teams wound up pulling eight to ten-hour days to get the park ready for its Nov. 25 opening date.

Then the team was dealt a blow by COVID-19 as some workers were sidelined after testing positive for the virus.

Despite the long hours of preparation, the teams meshed and converted the park into a scene out of a Christmas movie.

So far it has been met with raves as several nights have sold out.

“Opening night, we had to close down

PUPPETS ���� PAGE 30

thought a new Christmas tradition could be born out of what we’re doing. It’s becoming that R-rated family tradition.

“The fact that I don’t like kids is always going to make it R-rated. I don’t like catering to them. I have no interest in it. If there are kids, people are less likely to laugh at something rude. They’ll say, ‘I can’t believe they just said that, and I can’t believe that kid heard it.’”

The former Goodyear resident who now lives in Surprise, McNamara founded the All Puppet Players in Fullerton, California. He moved to the Valley with his wife for her job.

“My goal was to stay here for a year and then go back,” McNamara says.

entries at 7:30 because we had sold out completely,” Alexis said. “We've been getting some really good turnout.

“We get a lot of people this year, whose parents used to bring them here, and now they’re bringing their kids here and it's becoming a family tradition.”

Not only has Alexis noticed that coming to the railroad has become a tradition, but he has also witnessed attendees come dressed for the occasion.

“I’ve seen a lot of people decked out in their holiday attire. I've been seeing a lot of families coming in with all their ugly Christmas sweaters that they give each other,” Alexis said.

“I also see a lot of people who just want to be around Christmas and this is probably as close to a family feeling that they're going to get even though they're not with their family.”

Although the park has attracted a mix

“Once I started pitching our shows to theaters around the Valley, it took off — not quickly, mind you. It took a long time to get where we are. There was enough of an interest that I didn’t need to leave.”

The All Puppet Players gives McNamara an excuse to share his love of the 1980s. He adores everything about the decade.

“I’m an ’80s kid,” he says. “Puppets have always been in my life. I love The Muppets. I worshipped ‘The Dark Crystal.’ I was hooked on ‘ALF’ and ‘Explorers.’ You name it. If it had a puppet, I loved it.

“I think there was a part of me that was angry with my career trajectory. I wanted to be the next Jim Carrey.”

That didn’t pan out, but he’s doing well

of various ages, Alexis says that almost all visitors have gravitated towards the park's carousel, perhaps to feel a sense of holiday nostalgia.

“The thing I see the kids run to the most this season has ironically been the carousel,” Alexis said. “We still don't know what it is. We don't know what makes the carousel so popular among the kids, but they will run to the carousel before they run to the train.”

Alexis is also bracing for a busy final week as the park is expecting to have Santa and The Grinch on hand for photos and interactions this week leading up to Christmas Day.

“The next couple of days leading up to Christmas, our biggest thing we want to push is having Santa Claus and the Grinch there simultaneously,” Alexis said.

Whether guests come to see the characters, ride the train or carousel or par-

with the All Puppet Players.

“I looked to puppets with desperation, wanting to write my own thing and it turned into lampooning theater,” he says with a laugh. “It was a bit of a radical, throw a fit and see if anybody cares. It happened to work.”

He’s watched audiences get sucked in, not noticing the puppeteers after a while. The future sees movie nights, “try-me shows,” puppet karaoke, sketch and larger stage shows for McNamara.

“We’re going to do ‘Attack of the Video Store,’ where it’s 2010 and our puppets run a video store,” McNamara says. “They get sucked into all of our favorite movies. I get to play with fun scenes and not have to do the whole show. Like with ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark,’ I can do just

take in an annual tradition, Alexis is excited to close out the holiday season that almost saw severe delays a month ago.

“If anyone is looking to have a wonderful holiday time, I think the Railroad Park would be the best place for you and if you have any family coming into town, I think that we should be one of the first stops,” he said.

If You Go:

Christmas Lights at McCormickStillman Railroad Park

When: 6 p.m. now through Dec. 30

Where: McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park, 15525 N. Thompson Peak Parkway, Scottsdale Cost: $15 Info: therailroadpark.com/event/ holiday-lights

the boulder scene — which I’ve always wanted to do.

“But this show (‘Die Hard’) is just bonkers. It’s a bonkers, bonkers show. It’s the one show that I can almost guarantee will sell out. Plus, it’s Christmastime.

‘Die Hard’ is a Christmas film. I don’t even know why there’s a debate.”

If You Go:

"Die Hard: A Christmas Story" When: 7:30 p.m. various days through Dec. 30

Where: Playhouse on the Park Theater, 1850 N. Central Avenue, Phoenix Cost: Tickets start at $42 Info: allpuppetplayers.com

through the ups and downs, and now we're going to end it off with just gratefulness and excitement with each other,” he said.

Jinjer

When: 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 20

YC’s de�ies challenges to open new store

BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI Progress Staff Writer

The pandemic was tough for restaurants, and Geoff Stanisic can attest to that.

The owner of build-your-own stir-fry concept YC’s Mongolian Grill said he is grateful that the industry has returned to some semblance of normalcy.

“We’re just very grateful,” Stanisic said.

“A lot of establishments didn’t make it out of COVID. We had some minor setbacks, but we circled the wagons and we’re growing again.”

His “minor setback” was the bankrupt-

cy of the Scottsdale Pavilions location near Salt River Fields. His other restaurants survived Gov. Doug Ducey’s pandemic-dictated closure of restaurants and buffet restaurants.

In October, he brought his �lavorful bowls back to Scottsdale, when he opened a new store at 14850 N. 87th St., near Raintree Drive and Loop 101.

“People’s dining habits changed,” he said. “In Tempe, there were no students. In Chandler, there were no movie theater patrons. Scottsdale was all entertainment driven.

“We didn’t know what was going to happen with COVID. Nobody did. We had to shutter those. Now, when we reopened, we’re less reliant on any one type of demographic.

“We have to be able to draw in businesspeople and residential guests. This location is the perfect �it for all of them. In the last week, I’ve met so many people at the Scottsdale store who said they had driven from Scottsdale all the way to (Gilbert/Mesa) for our food. I had no idea. I was awestruck by the amount of people who made the trek.”

YC’s Mongolian Grill Scottsdale features the restaurant’s signature small, large and unlimited bowls with �lavorful, world-inspired sauces including Calcutta curry, spicy Thai, curry-yaki and spicy black pepper.

Guests are encouraged to pack their bowls full of fresh veggies, rice, noodles and sauces to customize their bowl experience. Each bowl is then stir-fried by a YC’s chef on the restaurant’s signature �lat-top grill.

“What separates us are our noodles,” Stanisic said.

“You don’t know why you like

our lo mein noodles, but we hand steam them. Most places, whether it’s Mongolian barbecue or others, will boil noodles. We steam. It’s much more time consuming and labor intensive.”

The noodles absorb the �lavor from the sauce and the grill, while, with boiled noodles, it just runs off.

“Our lo mein noodles don’t have the glisten of moisture, but that’s because they’re absorbing all the sauce,” he said. “They’re in that absorbent stage.”

YC’s Mongolian Grill has been a locally owned and operated Valley staple for more than 30 years, opening its �irst location in Tempe in 1991. He has already purchased space for his next location: Downtown Phoenix behind The Vig on Fifth Avenue.

“It’s a 1913 home that we’re going to keep historic in the front and we’ll put the kitchen in the back,” he said.

“It’s a new feel for us. It’s more of a neighborhood place. Folks near there,

they don’t drive. They walk their dogs, ride their bikes. Kids take their scooters.”

A graduate of Catalina High School in Tucson and the NAU, Stanisic would love to expand throughout the state, but he has bigger priorities.

“I’m still a dad,” he said. “My kids are 14 and 15. My kids need a dad at home, more than they need a restaurant. Plus, opening this restaurant was not easy, especially during this supply-chain era.”

Info: YC’s Mongolian Grill

14850 N. 87th Street, Suite 140, Scottsdale 480-590-5479

752 W. Elliot Road, Tempe 480-777-2929

4770 E. Ray Road, Suite 101, Gilbert 480-457-8681 ycs-mongoliangrill.com

YC’s Mongolian Grill owner Geoff Stanisic recently opened his third location. The Scottsdale restaurant mirrors locations in Gilbert and Tempe. (David Minton/Progress Staff Photographer)

YC’s Mongolian Grill offers build-your-own stir fry with a variety of offerings. (Facebook)

Employment General

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IN THE EIGHTEENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT DISTRICT COURT OF SEDGWICK COUNTY, KANSAS

PROBATE DEPARTMENT

In the Matter of the Estate of DWIGHT PATTON, JR., deceased. Case No. 2019 PR 815

Pursuant to Chap. 59, K.S.A.

AMENDED NOTICE OF HEARING

THE STATE OF KANSAS TO ALL PERSONS CONCERNED:

You are notified that a Petition has been filed in this Court by Timothy B. Patton, one of the heirs of Dwight Patton, Jr., deceased, requesting descent be determined of the following described real estate:

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

In the Matter of the Estate of JANICE TEISCH-ZIFF, Deceased Case Number PB2022005477

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the undersigned has been appointed as the Personal Representative of this estate. All persons having claims against the estate are required to present their claims within four (4) months after the date of the first publication of this Notice or the claims will be forever barred. Claims must be presented by delivering or mailing a written statement of the claim to undersigned Personal Representative at JESSICA SHARKEY, 7719 E. IRONWOOD CT SCOTTSDALE, AZ 85258

DATED this November 22 2022.

Signed, JESSICA SHARKEY

Published in the Scottsdale Progress, Dec 11, 18, 25, 2022

a. Lot 14, Block 1, Tallgrass East 5th Addition to the City of Wichita, Sedgwick County, KS; b. The North Half of the Northwest Quarter (N/2 NW/4) and the West Half of the Northeast Quarter (W/2 NE/4), except 1 acre for cemete3ry purposes in the Northeast corner of the West Half of the Northeast Quarter, Section 22, Township 19 South, Range 9 West of the 6th PM in Rice County, Kansas; and all personal property and other real estate owned by decedent at the time of death. And that such property and all personal property and other real estate owned by the decedent at the time of death be assigned pursuant to the laws of intestate succession.

You are required to file your written defenses to the Petition on or before August 8 th , 2019 at 10 a.m. in the City of Wichita, Sedgwick County, Kansas, at which time and place the cause will be heard. Should you fail to file your written defenses, judgment and decree will be entered in due course upon the Petition.

/s/ Timothy B. Patton , Petitioner

Alexander B. Mitchell, II (8204)

Alex Mitchell Law Office P.A. 5838 W. 21st Street North, Suite 100 Wichita, KS 67205

(316) 558-8002 (316) 558-8038 (FAX) alex@alexanderbmit chell.com

Attorney for Petitioner

Published in the Scottsdale Progress, Nov 27, Dec 4, 11, 18, 2022

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