Ahwatukee Foothills News - Dec. 28, 2016 by Times Media Group

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AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS Wednesday, December 28, 2016

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U.S. Senate offers some hope to noise-plagued homeowners

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS COVER STORY

BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor

resident Obama last Friday may have brought a little hope to Tamra Buntrock von Schroeck and her neighbors. It’s been a tough two years for her and many of her Ahwatukee neighbors. She lives in Ahwatukee Lakes, where the golf course has been rendered an unsightly mess since it was closed in 2013, and is “basically a golf course hole away” from the path of the South Mountain Freeway. And since September 2014, she has been under assault by commercial airplanes heading to and leaving Sky Harbor Airport as the result of major changes in flight paths approved by the Federal Aviation Administration. (Phoenix Aviation Department/Special to AFN) “The noise is just horrific,” said von Schroeck, who has invested $12,000 in These two-day snapshots of air traffic at Phoenix’s Sky Harbor International Airport show the green paths soundproof windows to almost no avail. of the newer, more concentrated flight paths, while the blue represent the more spread-out routes used before September 2014. She still has to wear earplugs when she’s at home and she’s contemplating the purchase sound,” she said. With the departing planes, requirement that the FAA flight path of $3,500 in soundproof doors. “it’s like you were on the runway.” changes and take steps to mitigate the She also is under a doctor’s care because of Now, she’s hoping that Obama’s approval negative effects they have on the community the impact of noise that she said continues of National Defense Authorization Act for that a municipality can prove. almost nonstop from 5:30 a.m. to 12:30 Fiscal Year 2017 might bring some relief. It also ensures that other airports and a.m. the next morning. Thanks in part to the efforts of Arizona’s See FLIGHT PATHS on page 16 “The inbound planes make this whining two U.S. senators, the law contains a

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS FORGET WATER

Save Club West needs ‘boots on the ground’

Get Out

CELEBRATE 2017

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Ahwatukee author ﬁnds them fascinating

.25

A look back at Ahwatukee’s setbacks, triumphs in 2016 BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor

or many Ahwatukee residents, 2016 seemed like a year of siege. Whether it was the setbacks in court for opponents of the South Mountain Freeway, water issues at Club West Golf

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Course or a plan for houses and other facilities on the barren 101-acre Ahwatukee Lakes course, many residents complained that their quality of life was threatened. Other Ahwatukee residents saw the year as one of triumphs and opportunity. Here’s a look at some of the highlights in words and pictures.

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Several longtime Ahwatukee institutions celebrated anniversaries. The celebrated Easter Parade sponsored by the Ahwatukee Kiwanis Club marked 40 years of treating locals to a colorful rite of spring. See

2016 on page 12

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AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS DECEMBER 28, 2016 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS UKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS TUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS The Ahwatukee Foothills News is published every AHWATUKEE NEWS Wednesday and distributed free FOOTHILLS of charge to homes and in single-copy locations throughout Ahwatukee Foothills. UKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS

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ASU president paints bleak picture of Arizona’s AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS economy, future TUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS Times Media Group: 1620 W. Fountainhead Parkway, Suite 219 Tempe, Arizona, 85282 Main number: 480-898-6500 Advertising: 480-898-5624 Circulation service: 480-898-5641

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Zac Reynolds 480-898-5603 zac@ahwatukee.com

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Jason P. Skoda, 480-898-7915, jskoda@ahwatukee.com Photographers:

Will Powers, 480-898-5646, wpowers@timespublications.com Cheryl Haselhorst, 480-898-7900, chaselhorst@timespublications.com Larry Mangino, lmangino@timespublications.com WRITE A LETTER

To submit a letter, please include your full name. Our policy is not to run anonymous letters. Please keep the length to 300 words. Letters will be run on a spaceavailable basis. Please send your contributions to pmaryniak@ahwatukee.com. EDITORIAL CONTENT

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The content and claims of any advertisement are the sole responsibility of the advertiser. The Ahwatukee Foothills News assumes no responsibility for the claims or content of any advertisement. © Strickbine Publishing, Inc.

BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor

rizona is “under-prepared” for the disruption that technology will bring to its economy and society in general over the next two decades, Arizona State University President Michael Crow warned last week. Addressing attendees at the East Valley Partnership’s annual economic outlook presentation, Crow presented a series of dismal slides on Arizona’s economy as he urged the audience to look “with cold, steely eyes at how competitive you are and not how competitive you were.” He recounted a conversation he had had a week earlier with the second-highest executive in Google X, who predicted that technology will replace 30 percent of all current jobs within the next 15 years, and said that those most vulnerable in Arizona are workers with only a high school diploma. Using graphs based on information from a variety of U.S. Census updates and other government and foundation studies, Crow presented a dim picture of the state’s economic position. They showed: • Arizona’s Gross Domestic Product in 2015 was $265 billion—$10 billion less than it was nine years ago. He warned that would not likely improve significantly given that real estate and government are the state’s two largest sources of economic output. • Arizona’s per capita GDP—a major measure of the standard of living in a state—has steadily fallen since 2007 and hit a 15-year low in 2015 • Per capita personal income in Arizona last year has steadily fallen since 1970 and was lower than Detroit’s last year. He said Detroit is one example of a city that had turned the corner of economic decline by becoming a “knowledge-driven economy.” To stress the relationship between economic performance and education, Crow presented graphics showing that among Western states, only New Mexico had a lower rate than Arizona of people over 25 with a bachelor’s degree. The highest rate is in Colorado, followed by Washington and California. “College graduates come here to retire, not to work,” Crow said, noting that Arizona is the secondlowest state in the nation for per-capita support of higher education. New Hampshire is at the bottom. Crow outlined the connection between research and education and overall economic prosperity with a series of graphics that showed: Per capita spending by business and higher >> See

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Ahwatukee troop ready to haul away your Christmas tree AFN NEWS STAFF

n Ahwatukee Boy Scout troop is offering to help people get rid of their natural Christmas trees. Troop 728, which is based at Corpus Christi Church in Ahwatukee, will pick up trees at curbside 8-noon Saturday and Jan. 7. In return, the scouts are hoping for a donation of $10 or $20, which is used to fund various scouting events. “Scouts use the money to pay for campouts, summer camp, Philmont high adventure treks, Boundary Waters canoe trips, and other outings,” said Lisa Derr, whose husband, Randy Deer, has been the troop scoutmaster the last two years. The Derr’s two sons are also in scouting. Jonathan Derr is an Eagle Scout and student at Northern Arizona University, and Eric, 14, attends Horizon Community Learning Center. The troop has been collecting the trees

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Arizona State University President Michael Crow said the state is “under-prepared” for the disruptions that technology will cause the economy.

UNPREPARED

from page 3

education for research in Arizona was less than $5,000, making the state 18th in the nation for such expenditures. Among major cities, Phoenix ranked 18th in the number of patents issued for new inventions. Crow called that statistic “an indicator of inventiveness and creativeness.” “Inventiveness in this region is too small,” Crow asserted, noting that Phoenix was second-last in the percentage of change since 2001 in the number of patents granted in metropolitan areas. Seattle, San Diego and Provo, Utah, recorded the top three most positive changes. “The community hasn’t grasped this,” Crow said of the Phoenix area. Just as disturbing, he said, is that the number of Arizona companies in 2014, the latest available year, was below the total that existed at the turn of the century. Likewise, the value of venture capital deals in Arizona totaled $987 million in 2015. Not only was that the lowest among Western states, but it was more than 40 percent below the $1.4 billion in venture capital deals recorded in the state of Washington last year. Those numbers in turn affected the value of exports from Arizona, which ranked well below 15 states, including Texas, California and Washington, the top three states for exports.

“It’s nowhere near where it has to be for a robust economy,” Crow said. Crow also said, “We’re not doing a good enough job with job creation.” He displayed a graphic showing that over the last 40 years, net job creation was relatively flat. “We are one of the most vulnerable states for the technological replacement of jobs,” Crow said, noting that WalMart—one of the state’s biggest employers of people with only a high school diploma or less—will soon have robots taking packages to customers’ cars rather than human beings. He added that Arizona was indeed facing a threat from immigration—but by technology and not human beings. Crow said there is still hope that Arizona can turn around these bleak economic trends, but only if it changes its mindset in the next five years by launching a “world-class engineering school” and developing strategies to build a strong investment strategy and unify the business community around it. He said that over the next five to 15 years, Arizona could become a leading economy in the United States if it develops “an innovation ecosystem” on par with the communities that surround the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford University. “All we have to do is decide that we want to do it,” he said, adding that the East Valley possesses the human resources to achieve those goals.

NEWS

DECEMBER 28, 2016 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS

Gun-free zones for schools unlikely to be eliminated in Arizona BY CLAIRE CAULFIELD Cronkite News

harles Heller embraces Presidentelect Donald Trump’s proposal to eliminate gun-free zones on school campuses, a move he sees as “really restoring a freedom, not eliminating anything.” “I don’t support disarming those who defend children and students and I support rights to keep and bear arms,” said Heller, the co-founder for the Arizona Citizens Defense League. But Heller acknowledges that legal and political realities will likely keep Arizona schools gun-free for the foreseeable future. “The problem is the Republican Arizona Legislature, which refuses to budge on the problem,” Heller said. It’s not just the Legislature: Because of overlapping federal, state and local laws on gun-free zones, it would not be legally possible for a president to dismantle all gun-free zones with the stroke of a pen,

said George Washington University law professor Robert Cottrol. Trump promised that he would sign an executive order doing away with guns on military bases and said he wanted to do away with such zones entirely. But in later interviews, Trump conceded that he would have to work with states to make it happen elsewhere. Trump conceded in one interview that he would have to work with states to make it happen. The two federal laws limiting firearms on school property are the Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990, which prohibits anyone from knowingly bringing a firearm on or within 1,000 feet of a school, and the Gun-Free Schools Act of 1994, which requires at least a year’s expulsion for students who bring firearms to school. Arizona law requires that school districts enact a policy requiring specific permission from a school administrator See

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AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | DECEMBER 28, 2016

Save Club West leader: We need volunteers, not water, right now homeowners would be entitled to various perks, such as reduced fees or free services. orget water for now, what Save The need for a cheap source of water Club West needs is boots on the is at the heart of Club West’s problem. ground. Golf course owner Wilson Gee, who is Now that the group’s leader has rolled asking $1.9 million for the course, said out a plan for homeowners to buy their he can’t afford the $700,000 annual cost community’s beleaguered golf course and of city potable water that has been the restore it to its former luster, organizers only kind available since the city two are looking for people to sell the plan to years ago tore down a reclamation plant homeowners. that had been providing cheaper water. “I just signed my first volunteer,” Jim Gee began curtailing irrigation to the Lindstrom said last week, seven days site in June, causing the course’s lush after he and four experts who have fairways to start turning brown and been helping him craft the plan briefed provoking a lawsuit by the board of the about 120 or so of Club West’s 2,559 Club West Homeowners Association. homeowners at a public meeting. The HOA has accused Gee of welshing “We still think there are a lot of people on his contract to maintain a first-class in this community course. He in turn has who don’t know what’s countersued, accusing going on,” Lindstrom the HOA of trying to said. ruin his business and And he didn’t just reputation. mean they don’t know Ironically, HOA about the plan, but board members say that why the plan has been legal entanglement is proposed in the first preventing them from place. any involvement in “That’s been our the “Buy Club West” problem,” he said. movement. They fear it “In this community, may undercut their case we have substantial in state Superior Court. majority that consist Lindstrom and several (Cheryl Haselhorst/AFN Staff Photographer) of working families. Jim Lindstrom founded Save Club officials, including state Trying to get folks to West in July as he watched the golf Rep. Jill Norgaard, engaged has really been course behind his home turn brown city Councilman Sal from insufficient irrigation. problematic.” DiCiccio and Village He said Club Planning Committee West’s makeup is vastly different from Chairman Chad Blostone, have been Sunland Springs Golf Resort in east working on a plan with the Arizona Mesa, a 55-and-over resort where 200 Department of Transportation to help homeowners each kicked in $5,000 to Club West find well water along the buy the public golf course in the heart of southern border of the South Mountain their community early this year. Freeway path. The individual cost to Club West But for now, Lindstrom has proposed participants will depend on the number upgrading the golf course’s irrigation of homeowners Lindstrom can interest system and repairing the lake bed. in the plan. Together with xeriscaping about 10 acres It would range from $13,333 per of turf, the upgrades could cut city water homeowner if only 300 participated to costs by as much as half and possibly $8,000 apiece if 500 joined in. About more, two experts have said. 350 homes are built along the course. He noted his irrigation specialist, Lindstrom also has left open the Gaylon Coates, has said the lake has option of finding a smaller group been losing an inch of water a day since of homeowner-investors and then 2011 and that a resealing could save at attracting a substantial amount of money least 5 percent of the annual water costs. from a few non-residential investors. In return for their investment,

BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN EXECUTIVE EDITOR

See

VOLUNTEERS on page 9

NEWS

DECEMBER 28, 2016 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS

VOLUNTEERS

from page 8

But Coates also said the savings could be much larger. “That is his estimate without lifting the hood and really getting a closer look,” Lindstrom said. To get this and other information out to all homeowners, Lindstrom said, “We absolutely need people to help us start knocking on doors.” He noted that the $25,000 he raised to do the initial work on the purchase plan came from only 110 homeowners. He said that since his meeting on Dec. 14, about 40 homeowners “have stepped forward and said they are interested in investing and want to see the business plan.” Attorney Ellen Davis, one of the original Club West homeowners and another core member of Save Club West, said homeowners’ investments would be placed in escrow to protect them in case the whole purchase deal disintegrate. Lindstrom said he needs to get commitments from homeowners by April or May because “we’re pretty sure the owner is going to shut off the

water again in June and we want to be prepared.” He has declined to say what Save Club West might offer Gee for the course, noting it would have to be professionally evaluated. Lindstrom said he has sent a mailing to the approximate 350 homeowners who live along the golf course, but that he needs to reach the rest of the community. One of his experts, professional golf course management company owner Jim Bellows, said at the Dec. 14 meeting that all homeowners would see the values of their houses go up if the golf course is restored. Lindstrom said he may be getting help from an expert organizer soon after the new year begins. He said a homeowner who helped set up Donald Trump’s presidential campaign in New Hampshire is volunteering to help Save Club West get the word out to the entire community. “The people who hear our story and our plan give us positive feedback,” he said. “The way we’re trying to structure this thing, it can be fairly painless.” To reach Lindstrom: jim.lindstrom@ cox.net or 480-656-1108.

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Hillside lot with privacy of mountain preserve. 5 br, 3 ba with 3,546 sq. ft. Spacious open kitchen with adjacent family and formal dining room. Downstairs master and secondary bedroom. Great backyard amenities including fenced pool and spa, built-in fire pit and grass area.

Stunning mountain views from hillside lot. 4 br, 2.5 ba with 2,801 sq. ft. Spacious open floor plan with downstairs office and Plantation shutters. New appliances including refrigerator, dishwasher, range/oven, washer, dryer and water heater. Private backyard on preserve with gated pool. Walking distance to shopping, hiking and park.

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Club West

Equestrian Estates

Recently updated on golf course lot. 5 br plus media room, 3 ba with 3,829 sq. ft. Open kitchen with granite countertops and custom island with gas cooktop. Inviting stone-accented wet bar and fireplace in family room. New carpet, interior and exterior paint. Resort-style backyard features Pebble Tec pool and spa with waterfall, built-in BBQ and lush landscaping.

Amazing sunset and mountain views from updated single level. 4 br, 3 ba with 3,056 sq. ft. Spacious eat-in kitchen with granite countertops and stainless steel appliances. Zebrawood plank tile and wood flooring. Resort-style backyard with retractable door, multiple fire pits with seating, diving pool with waterfall, built-in BBQ with bar, in-ground trampoline and tropical landscaping.

Listed for $537,500

Listed for $649,000

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AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | DECEMBER 28, 2016

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Foothills LISTED FOR

$349,900

1,880 sf single level 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom home with 3 car garage and pebble tec pool! Kitchen boasts a large center island/breakfast bar, pantry, stainless steel appliances, and eat-in dining nook. Cozy wood burning ﬁreplace in family room with stone surrounds. 20" porcelain tile. 2016 interior paint. Designer paint colors throughout. 2016 air handler, 2015 water softener, 2015 water heater. Master bathroom has dual sinks, separate shower and Roman tub. Travertine surrounds at Roman tub. Resort-like backyard! Covered patio with two ceiling fans, sparkling pebble tec pool with jets, Baha bench, water feature and umbrella sleeves. Plush, tropical landscaping with multiple citrus trees including lemon, lime, grapefruit and orange. Back wall has stucco surface with stone accents at pilasters

Foothills Listed for

$335,000

2,169 sf, 4 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom home with three car garage and sparkling pool! Open kitchen-family room floor plan. Kitchen and bathrooms upgraded in 2016 with granite counters, upgraded sinks/faucets and new toilets. Large backyard with grass area and mature landscape. 2016 AC, 2015 variable speed pool pump! 2016 garage door and garage opener, 2016 sprinklers and drip lines, and 2015 water heater. Interior and exterior painted in 2016. Carpet in only two secondary bedrooms (new!) 20" porcelain tile in family room, formal living/dining rooms and laminate wood flooring on stair case, upper level traffic area, master suite and largest secondary bedroom.

West USA Lisa Miguel Tierra Dobson Listed for

$295,000

2,040 sf single level 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom home on nearly a ¼ acre lot. Cul de sac location! Large backyard with sparkling, recently replastered pool and reﬁnished kool deck. RV Gate and large side yard for extra parking. Spacious 2.5 car garage with a workshop. Kitchen remodeled with granite counter tops, custom reﬁnished white cabinets and new stainless steel appliances. Plush landscape in back and low maintenance desert landscape in front.

Anderson Springs LISTED FOR

$270,000

1,786 sf 3 bedroom 2 bathroom home. Kitchen upgraded with granite counter tops, stainless steel appliances and breakfast bar. Home backs to a greenbelt! Beautiful views from the master suite walk-deck. Sparkling fenced play pool in backyard. Built-in BBQ. Beautifully landscaped backyard with grass area and citrus trees.

Highland Estates LISTED FOR

$385,000

1,763 sf 3 bedroom 2 bathroom home in the Biltmore area! Remarkable remodel! Kitchen boasts new white shaker cabinets with trendy hardware, quartz counter tops, breakfast bar, eat-in kitchen area with upgraded crystal chandelier, pantry, and stainless steel Whirlpool appliances. New dual pane vinyl windows throughout. New Arcadia door in family room. New wood look tile ﬂooring throughout with carpet only in bedrooms. Bathrooms completely remodeled with new cabinets, quartz vanity tops, new toilets, sinks, faucets, mirrors and light ﬁxtures. New 4 ¼" baseboards throughout. New water heater, exterior/ interior paint, and exterior stucco. Large inside laundry room with new hook up. Newer roof and AC. 1 car garage, 1 car carport and 4 car slab parking.

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Next generation of golfers being grown in region The sport is robust for now BY MIKE BUTLER AFN Staff Writer

ason Patterson and friend Megan Looser felt like hitting some golf balls on a recent Friday morning. Instead of heading to a golf course, however, they decided to try Topgolf in Gilbert for the first time. It was chilly that morning, but the two were comfortable in their heated bay, lounging on the sofa and sipping mimosas between shots. “It’s fun. I like it,” Patterson said. Looser agreed. “I’m going to be sore tomorrow,” she said. It’s the kind of scene that gives operators of daily-fee golf courses in the East Valley pause. While one Ahwatukee golf course is barely on life support and another might be saved by a homeowners’ purchase, the health of golf in some neighboring communities is robust—for now. Operators know they must attract millennials and their kids if the game is going to be a viable business 20 years from now.

Growing the numbers

In 2014, the Arizona golf industry contributed $3.9 billion in sales to the state economy. That’s according to a report released Dec. 13 from the Cactus and Pine Golf Course Superintendents Association and the University of Arizona College of Agriculture & Life Sciences. That number is up from the $3 billion economic impact golf had in 2004, the last time the two groups conducted the statewide study. Those sales generated $72 million in state and local taxes. The golf industry

employs 18,700 full- and part-time workers. But when you throw in multiplier effects, the industry supports an estimated 41,700 Arizona jobs and $1.5 billion in labor income. Residential real estate premiums associated with homes built on or near golf courses is estimated at $2.1 billion. Arizona golfers played 11.6 million rounds in 2014, which is equal to the number of rounds played in 2004. Ed Gowan, executive director of the Arizona Golf Association, says rounds played plummeted during the recession years, but have been ticking up about 2 percent per year for the past couple of years. With the youngest baby boomers at 52 years old and the state attracting about 100,000 new residents per year, Gowan says the Arizona golf industry is well positioned to thrive over the next 15-20 years. If demographic trends continue, Gowan says he can see 15 or more new residential golf courses being developed in the northwest Valley, toward Wickenburg; and an additional five in the Queen Creek area toward Florence. Of course, he adds, the Valley will also lose a few existing golf courses where land values soar, triggering shifts to residential and commercial redevelopment. Right now, one of Ahwatukee’s four golf courses is all but dead. Some homeowners in Ahwatukee Lakes Golf Club are suing the owner and former owner to restore the course, which was closed in 2013 and are fighting a plan to convert it into an “agrihood” with houses, a farm and other amenities. See

GOLF on page 11

Golf goes light on water T he state’s more than 300 golf courses maintain about 32,000 acres of turf grass, but they accounted for a relatively paltry 3.5 percent of total Active Management Area water use in 2014, according to the Arizona Department of Water Resources.

Agriculture uses about 70 percent of the state’s water supply. Groundwater makes up 48.1 percent of golf water use; surface water, 10.9 percent; CAP, 14.6 percent; and effluent, 26.3 percent. – Mike Butler, AFN Staff Writer

NEWS

DECEMBER 28, 2016 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS

GOLF

from page 10

Some Club West homeowners are mounting a plan to buy their course while their homeowners association board is suing the owner for failing to properly maintain the course.

Growing the game

Dan Sullivan, a PGA teaching pro and director of instruction at Topgolf Gilbert, says the venue’s Summer Golf Academy attracts hundreds of youths. Winter junior and adult golf leagues are also popular. The facility off the 202 and San Tan Village Parkway racks up staggering statistics: 421,075 player visits and 22.5 million balls hit in 2015; 64 percent of guests are male, 36 percent female; 54 percent of visitors are 18-34. “I really enjoy the teaching aspect here,” says Sullivan. “There are so many entry-level golfers.” Sullivan admits his primary goal is to turn casual Topgolf visitors into repeat Topgolf customers. But when students express a desire to play a traditional golf course, he sends them to Greenfield Lakes in Gilbert and Augusta Ranch in Mesa, two very popular East Valley short courses. Don Rea, owner-operator of Augusta Ranch, says he appreciates those referrals. “Whenever and wherever somebody is swinging a golf club, it’s good for golf ” Rea says. Rea pulls out all the stops in the slow summer months to get the Augusta Ranch HOA and the general public to engage with his golf course. He offers night golf every other Friday with glow balls, which attracts millennials who like to have a couple of beers and smoke cigars while playing. “We turn people away,” he says. Rea also hosts free movie nights on the practice range. He’s even created a foot golf course—played with a soccer ball— with holes off to the sides of the regular greens. “Will foot golfers become regular golfers? Probably not,” he says. “But I don’t care. People are getting out of the house, playing with their families. “I own a golf course, but I’m in the people business. The only part of golf that is dead is Dad spending 10 hours at the

club on a Saturday.” Augusta Ranch is one of seven Valley golf courses partnering with a new Scottsdale-based smartphone app called Get Out! Golf that allows golfers to buy golf time in 30-minute increments instead of setting aside the two or four hours it takes to play nine or 18 holes. A similar web-based service named Quick.golf charges time-starved golfers for the numbers of holes they play. Of the three Arizona golf courses participating so far in Quick.golf, two are in Chandler— San Marcos and Lone Tree.

Growing the juniors

Rea is using his influence as a national PGA board of directors member and chair of the junior golf committee to push an initiative that aims to get student athletes that play football, baseball, softball, soccer and basketball to adopt golf as their second game. “We’re the perfect second sport,” he says. “You can play it when you’re 70. I can’t play basketball with my dad or play softball with my daughter, but I can play golf with them.” If Bob McNichols, general manager of Longbow Golf Club in Mesa, wants to get a warm feeling about the future of golf, all he has to do is stroll out of the clubhouse and watch the horde of junior golfers who swarm the practice tee and green after school days and on Saturday mornings. A couple hundred kids, some from poorer neighborhoods who wouldn’t ordinarily have the opportunity, get many hours of practice and play time at Longbow for $100 a year through The First Tee of Phoenix. The nonprofit organization’s volunteer teachers make it fun but also focus on instilling the game’s core values: responsibility, courtesy, honesty and integrity. Many regular golfers make a habit of sponsoring the annual fee for a child, and many players donate clubs to the program. Jeff Fisher, director of instruction at the Fisher Bryan Golf Academy at Longbow, says 65 kids participate in his various beginner, intermediate and elite junior golfer programs. For a few of those better players, golf is their primary or only sport, and they will play competitively in high school and even earn college scholarships. But that isn’t the primary goal, says Fisher. “Are they having fun? Are they getting better? We have parents and kids who have absolutely no desire to play competitively,” he says. “They just want to play as families.”

(Will Powers/AFN Staff Photographer)

While some golf courses struggle, Top Golf in Gilbert is doing a land-office business with three levels of golf-like experiences.

Golf’s big impact on economy

olf tourism contributes $1.1 billion to the $3.9 billion impact that golf overall has on the state economy. Interesting trivia: Travelers and Valley residents spend about $59 million per year attending the Phoenix Open and other professional tour events held in the state.

Of the estimated 11.6 million rounds of golf played in Arizona each year, onethird come from tourists and two-thirds from residents. Sadly, “I can only claim two of those,” said Kirk Adams, Gov. Doug Ducey’s busy chief of staff, at a recent gathering of Arizona golf course superintendents. – Mike Butler, AFN Staff Writer

NEWS

2016

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | DECEMBER 28, 2016

from page 1

The club’s call for volunteers was answered and yielded its hoped-for support in what is its biggest fundraiser of the year. Horizon Community Learning Center marked two decades of serving the community, and the Ironwood Library marked a quarter century of serving thousands of residents.

A new beginning

The freeway put Mountain Park Community Church in harm’s way since its site at 24th Street and Pecos Road is in its path. So, with the help of congregation members and a mortgage, leaders broke ground for a new church at 48th Street and Frye Road that should open late next year. Congregation members have fed construction workers at various times and conduct a regular prayer walk around the new site.

They are the champions

Desert Vista High School varsity sports teams won five state titles and four individual state titles this fall alone,

(Lee Shappell/AFN Staff)

The last vestige of the Ahwatukee Lakes Golf Club disappeared after crews razed the burnt shell of the clubhouse, which was struck by a mysterious fire on Feb. 29. Phoenix Police said they were “leaning” toward arson as the cause, but have yet to identify suspects. They suspect the blaze was the work of vandals or vagrants who reportedly hung out in the abandoned building to do drugs.

as Horizon Honors girls volleyball won the school’s first state championship. But not all the victories by local high school teams were on a playing field. The Mountain Pointe Robotics Club, Pridetronics, won first place in both a state and national contest sponsored by FIRST. Desert Vista’s speech and debate team won its 12th state title in 13 years. And two teams from Mountain Pointe

beat 77 other teams from 17 high schools in the 10th annual Junior Achievement Stock Market Challenge. While it missed out on the state title, Mountain Pointe’s football team went undefeated during the regular season and claimed local bragging rights for the year by winning the 20th Tukee Bowl with Desert Vista. That made it 10 wins against

Desert Vista’s 10 victories in the local competition.

Restaurant comings and goings

Ahwatukee’s restaurant scene had its ups and downs this year. On the down side, the venerable Unwined in the Foothills Shopping See

2016 on page 13

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NEWS

DECEMBER 28, 2016 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS

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(Cheryl Haselhorst/AFN Staff Photographer)

Phil Morales, a resident of the GGila River Indian Community, was one of the protesters who staged a Native American dance at the Aug. 22 meeting of the Ahwatukee Foothills Village Planning Committee meeting when state officials made a presentation on the South Mountain Freeway. Native Americans say the freeway will desecrate South Mountain, which they consider a holy site, and some have vowed to lie down in front of bulldozers when construction begins next year.

2016

from page 12

Center and Loco Patron across the street both closed. But, three siblings from Italy— Romolo and Massimo D’Amico and their sister Claudia—rescued Ruffino’s Italian Cuisine, Ahwatukee’s longest continuously operated restaurant. For the first time in 27 years, the restaurant 4902 E. Warner Road, got a name change, Trattoria D’Amico, and a little bit of a face-lift. Also saved from extinction was My Wine Cellar. When owner Zoya VoraShah decided he wanted to move on to other adventures, his manager, Shannon Rush, decided to buy it. Rush, 29, learned all about wine and gourmet food in Philadelphia’s vibrant restaurant scene and used to hang out at My Wine Cellar before she took the manager’s job. She’s planning on some cosmetic enhancements and menu changes, but remains committed to serving good food and wine. Meanwhile, a new restaurant opened in Ahwatukee. Kody Harris, one of the Valley’s celebrated chefs, opened Fresko at 5033 E. Elliot Road. The Greek restaurant’s menu is loaded with Greek specialties passed down for generations in Harris’ family.

A league of their own

The Ahwatukee Little League Majors hoped to repeat the decade-earlier triumph of the Ahwatukee Dawgs, who got to the Little League World Series in

Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Alas, it was not to be as it fell to Chandler in district finals. However, the under-11-year-old team won its championship game, the highest spot that players of their age can reach in playoff action.

Fox Crossing

Watson

The battle for open space

Two troubled golf course communities made news in 2016 in separate court fights. Save The Lakes proponents of restoring the abandoned Ahwatukee Lakes Golf Course won a preliminary ruling in state Superior Court when a judge said the covenants, conditions and restrictions governing the course required a golf course. However, course owner True Life Companies, which wants to build homes and amenities on the 101-acre site, said that’s just a preliminary round and that it’s preparing for a trial on the suit set to begin in June. Meanwhile, the Club West homeowners’ association board sued Wilson Gee, who owns its golf course, for curtailing irrigation and giving the once-lush greens a brown, deteriorated appearance. Gee, who owns the other two Ahwatukee golf courses and had owned Ahwatukee Lakes, said he can’t afford the $700,000 annual water bill. A group of homeowners contend that the lawsuit does not solve the water problem and have put together a plan to buy the course, which Gee has posted for sale at $1.9 million. City Councilman Sal DiCiccio calls See

2016 on page 14

The Foothills

$349,900 Here it is! Single level, 4 bedroom, split floor plan, pool and 3 car garage sitting on an North-South lot just steps away from park! Light and bright with separate living and family room. Large eat-in kitchen with breakfast bar, stainless steel appliances, built-in microwave. Tile floors, plantation shutters, neutral colors. Large master bedroom and bathroom with separate shower/tub and huge walk in closet. Nice covered patio facing North overlooking cute play pool. Over sized secondary bedrooms, inside laundry and cabinets in the garage and beautiful landscaping. Steps away Basha elementary. Don’t miss this home! If you show it, you will sell it!

$465,000 Wow! Don’t miss this 3311 square foot 4 bedroom plus game room and bonus room that can easily be 5th bedroom downstairs with 3.5 Bathrooms! Sitting in a cul-de-sac! New kitchen remodel 2012 with upgraded raised cabinets, granite counters and stainless steel appliances! Slate floors, upgraded custom paint. Large open kitchen area to family room has 20 foot ceilings, two way fireplace to huge game room. Large master upstairs with walk out deck to amazing mountain and city light views. More mountain preserve across the street from the home! Backyard oasis with built-in bbq, out door custom fireplace and spa. Wood blinds and sunscreens throughout. 2 15 Seer a/c units installed 12/14. This home is a 10! If you show it, you will sell it!

Foothills Club West

$699,900

Amazing gated Canyon Verde 6 bdrm Forte semi-custom home sitting on a lot surrounded by mtn preserve and the Club West golf course on 3 sides.Foyer opens to spacious formal living and formal dining rooms including a 300+ bottle wine cellar/ wet bar. Beautiful gourmet kitchen w/Viking appliances, kitchen island w/breakfast bar, granite counters,custom cabinets, breakfast nook w/panoramic views and a walk-in pantry. Lg family room w/Nuvo Whole House Audio System, custom stone fireplace. Downstairs media room w/7.1 Dolby surround sound and HD projector. Another bdrm downstairs with its own bathroom. Spacious master bdrm suite with private covered balcony/patio. Luxury master bath with dual sinks, custom cabinets, stone counters, stone walk-in shower and tub with jets and a walk-in closet. Over sized guest bdrms and custom bath with granite counters, dual sinks and stone shower.Absolutely stunning resort backyard with dual covered patios, outdoor dining area with bar top, built-in BBQ, 2 fire pits with separate seating area, custom pebble tech play pool with rock waterfall and spa with water feature. Lg grass area, side yard sports court and beautiful private mtn views. Large laundry area with granite counters. 3 car garage with cabinets. Excellent Kyrene schools. To show is to sell!

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2016

NEWS from page 13

the battles a sign that Ahwatukee’s open spaces are threatened and is backing Lakes residents in their fight and working with other officials to find a cheaper source of water for Club West.

Down but not out

Opponents trying to stop construction of the South Mountain Freeway suffered two major defeats in federal court but vowed to press their fight next year. U.S. District Judge Diane Humetawa rejected arguments by the Gila River Indian Community and Protect Arizona’s Resources and Children that the Arizona Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration failed to properly study the environmental and cultural impact of the 22-mile freeway. They appealed her decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth District, and asked for a temporary construction halt. The panel, which will hear the appeals next year, rejected PARC’s injunction request and has yet to rule on a separate motion by the Gila Community. Undaunted by the legal fights and given permission to proceed, ADOT plans to begin construction next year.

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | DECEMBER 28, 2016

The wrong paths?

Two related disputes also emerged. Bicyclists are pressing ADOT to build a high-speed bike path along the seven miles of the freeway in Ahwatukee, which they say could attract cyclists from the Valley and nearby states. ADOT claims their proposal would cost $12 million and has refused to allow it, though negotiations are continuing. Meanwhile, state legislators and DiCiccio are fighting with the city Streets Transportation Department over its plan to build the Chandler Boulevard Extension by building a two-lane connector to the unfinished ends of fourlane Chandler Boulevard. They want the city to build a four-lane highway to avoid traffic congestion at both ends of the $11 million road.

Ahwatukee in the Capitol

A second Ahwatukee resident will hold a seat in the state Legislature after voters sent Sean Bowie, a Democrat, to the Senate. Bowie defeated Tempe Republican Frank Schmuck, who unseated incumbent Sen. Jeff Dial in the August primary. Along with Bowie, state Rep. Jill Norgaard, who lives in Club West, won a second term in the state House.

(AFN File Photo)

Anna Wolcott, 6, touched the community’s heart when thieves stole the Little Free Library that she had worked on for four months and set up in front of her home to encourage literacy. Thieves stole it only a week after she opened it, but a Good Samaritan returned it to her two months later after he found it being sold anonymously on a website. Meanwhile, the Ahwatukee-based Sisters of the Heart Book Club set up another Little Free Library at the Pomegranate Cafe, 4025 E. Chandler Blvd., Ahwatukee.

But she’s now the only Republican from the trio representing Ahwatukee’s 18th Legislative District after Tempe Democrat Mitzi Epstein defeated incumbent Chandler Rep. Bob Robson in the General Election for the other

House seat. The election also brought two new faces to the five-member Kyrene School Board and one new member of the Tempe Union governing board. They will take their seats next month.

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DECEMBER 28, 2016 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS

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Dietmar Hanke of Ahwatukee has monitored the decibel levels of overhead flights above his home and has recorded readings that scientists say can cause hearing damage.

FLIGHT PATHS

from page 1

communities have the opportunity to engage with the FAA before any future changes are made.

Celebration is on hold

“This legislation provides an important step forward in making sure Phoenix residents impacted by flight path changes at Sky Harbor International Airport have the opportunity to make their voices heard,” U.S. Sen. John McCain said Friday in a release, adding: “This legislation requires the FAA to mitigate the negative effects of flight path changes that have already been implemented, while providing impacted communities and airports a seat at the table before any future changes are made.” His colleague Sen. Jeff Flake said the measure will “address complaints of Arizonans who have been negatively impacted by the flight path changes at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. “The provisions we were able to add establish a process to address those hardships and ensure the FAA will better consult with affected communities on future flight changes.” Von Schroeck, her neighbors and Phoenix officials aren’t ready to uncork the Champagne. City officials expect to continue their two-year federal suit aimed at forcing

the FAA to change the flight paths. Dietmar Hanke, who lives in the Foothills Reserve not far from the freeway path, is also cautious about being too optimistic. Last week, he was sitting on his patio making some work conference calls when “I was reminded just how annoying the jets are.” From 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., then 4-7 p.m. and again from 11 p.m. to past midnight, Hanke said, “I had to place my phone on mute several times at the request of those on the other end. “On one call from 11:30 a.m. to 12:20 p.m., I counted at least 30 jets and five or six low-altitude, fixed-wing and rotary aircraft.” Hanke, who monitors noise levels in anticipation of freeway construction, said most of them were between 69 and 80 decibels, a range that scientists consider just shy of the potential to cause hearing loss. But he has measured higher decibel levels since the flight paths changed. “In addition to the commercial Phoenix flights, Pecos Road has become the de facto visual guide to small fixedwing and helicopter traffic,” Hanke said, adding: “Helicopters have no minimum flight height requirement, so some of these guys, including the Sheriff’s copter, buzz along about 500 feet above the deck late into the night. So do the annoying aerial See

FLIGHT PATHS on page 16

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AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | DECEMBER 28, 2016

FLIGHT PATHS

from page 15

The new law wants an advisory committee to review the way the agency handles “consultation, or a lack of consultation,” with neighbors and local Thousands of complaints filed officials when implementing new rules Residents and airport officials alike at an airport. blame the increased number of noise The committee would have to report complaints on the FAA’s 2014 decision back to Congress within a year with to implement NextGen, which altered recommendations for improving the flight paths in an effort to streamline procedures. arrivals and departures at the airport. An FAA spokesman said the agency is They said the change was made with committed to “transparency, inclusivity little public notice or input. and responsiveness,” but it also wants The Sept. 18, 2014, change was Sky Harbor to set up its own process for supposed to enhance receiving complaints in person departures and arrivals, from nearby residents. using communication “We have encouraged the I was reminded just how annoying Phoenix between satellites and onairport to establish a the jets are. board airplane equipment noise roundtable to ensure that to “navigate with greater representatives, —Resident Dietmar Hanke community precision and accuracy.” the FAA, the airport and the After months of discussions airline industry are all part of and stalled negotiations regarding the The Mercatus Center report said the the discussion about addressing noise noise complaints, the city of Phoenix Sky Harbor complaints were submitted concerns,” the FAA said. sued the FAA in June 2015. Meanwhile, those “noise concerns” by 1,338 households in 2015, with just Sky Harbor was not the only airport 13 of them accounting for 3,814 of the have made von Schroeck and her to see noise complaints rise after the complaints. husband think twice about buying a start of NextGen: Similar lawsuits have more expensive home closer to South been filed in Boston, New York and FAA deemed unwilling to help Mountain. Steve Dreiseszun, a resident in throughout California. “I have lived in the same house 24 Sky Harbor spokeswoman Heather Phoenix’s historic district who runs the years,” she said. “We moved here because Lissner said the city’s aviation department “Let’s Make Some Noise” Facebook page it’s the end of Phoenix. has been “actively involved” in working for airport noise complaints, said the “We started looking for a bigger home to “address flight path concerns” voiced problem does not lie with airport or city near South Mountain. We wanted to by the community. That includes officials. invest a lot more money, but then we “It does not appear that the FAA decided ‘why should we spend more continuing to press the city’s lawsuit is willing or interested in making with all of this noise?’” against the FAA, she said. Neighbors of Phoenix Sky Harbor substantive changes that are appropriate,” International Airport filed 24,247 Dreiseszun said. “And that is the main – Cronkite News contributed to this report. complaints about noise at the facility in source of our challenge right now.” advertising planes. So, it can get pretty loud in the evenings.”

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to bring a gun on campus. This lets schools have armed school resource officers, security guards, rifle clubs or educational programs about firearms and firearm safety. The Arizona Department of Education does not have an official stance on firearms in schools, said spokesman Charles Tack. He said in an email that Superintendent Diane Douglas “is a firm believer in local control and would support allowing schools to make their own decisions on how best to ensure the safety of their students and staff.” Hannah Shearer, a staff attorney at the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, cited a John Hopkins University study that concluded allowing firearms on college campuses will lead to more violence, not less.

2015, one of the highest rates among airports studied in a recent George Mason University report. The report by the university’s Mercatus Center looked at airports like Sky Harbor and others where the FAA implemented NextGen. Sky Harbor trailed only San Francisco International Airport, which logged an astronomical 890,376 complaints. But Sky Harbor was well ahead of the next airports in line: Los Angeles International with 8,862 and Washington-Reagan National Airport with 8,760.

”

“The Second Amendment is not threatened by sensible laws,” Shearer said. An official with the state chapter of the American Federation of Teachers said allowing – or encouraging – guns in schools “could really scare some students.” “It’s different when a school resource officer or a police officer has a gun on campus because they’re in uniform and students understand that,” said Misty Arthur, executive director of AFT Arizona. “But allowing anyone to have a gun? I don’t see that there could be any good. “And I’m a Republican, I believe strongly in the Second Amendment,” Arthur added. “But I believe it would bring more chaos, not protect the children.” Heller said he worries gun-free zones put students in danger in an attack,

“because law enforcement can’t be the first responders, the first responders are those at the event … like teachers or parents. “Anyone, I mean anyone, who opposes the lawfully armed defense of children is promoting evil … I repeat that: evil,” Heller said. Trump made a similar argument in a May interview with CNN. “The problem with gun-free zones is it’s like offering up candy to bad people,” he said. “They hear gun-free zones and they go in there with their guns blazing.” In a post-election update of what he plans to do in his first 100 days, however, Trump did not mention gunfree zones. Even with a Republican-held Senate and House in Washington, “it would certainly be a fight,” Cottrol said. “And the question for any president would be: Where do you place your priorities?”

NEWS

DECEMBER 28, 2016 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS

Planning committee bucks city request for storage facility rule changes AFN News Staff

he self-storage industry has been pressing Phoenix officials for years to end their 24-foot maximum height requirement for its facilities. If the Ahwatukee Foothills Village Planning Committee has anything to say about, the industry will be waiting longer. Bucking a recommendation by city planning staff, the committee refused to approve dropping the requirement and letting self-storage buildings reach 30 feet without seeking a zoning variance. Most commercial structures in the city can be 30 feet high without a variance. The panel also refused a recommendation to eliminate a longtime requirement for on-site 24hour guards and instead asked it be modified to require some kind of electronic surveillance. City Planning and Development Department liaison Adam Stranieri told the panel that the language in storage unit regulations needed cleaning up in anticipation of action by the city Planning Commission on Jan. 5. But committee members immediately began questioning the requests for eliminating the two provisions, with member Melanie Beauchamp wondering why they had been put in there in the first place. Stranieri said he didn’t know their history. The lengthier debate involved the onsite guard requirement. While none of the committee members disputed Stranieri’s explanation that “all kinds of locking mechanisms, different types of camera systems” have eliminated the need for a guard. But they were concerned that eliminating any monitoring requirement altogether might open the door to storage sites being used for alcohol and drug-fueled parties. Stranieri also noted that the police “have to way of monitoring compliance” with the guard requirement. Both the height and guard requirement came up earlier this year when the panel was asked to approve a

self-storage warehouse for a 2.78-acre plot of vacant land at the intersection of Desert Foothills Parkway and Marketplace Way, Ahwatukee. The plan was introduced early in the year, but then withdrawn so that developers could hold more meetings with neighbors about the concept and design, a city source said. The committee ultimately approved the nearly 104,000-square-foot building, which will have three floors, one below ground. In seeking an exemption from the 24-hour guard, the developer called the requirement “indicative of outdated selfstorage models and facilities,” and said, “Extensive security measures negate the need for an on-site residence.” Committee member Mike Schiller said he has personally seen storage warehouses in other parts of the Valley that were used for drug trafficking and drunken parties. “We’re saying we want to retain the security provision in some form,” member Alex Benezra said. The committee recommended the provision be modified to require 24hour “monitored surveillance,” although the city Planning Commission can opt to ignore the request. On the height issue, members were leery of eliminating the 24-foot requirement even though Stranieri said storage facility developers almost always get it relaxed to allow for 30 feet. He also said that as it stands, the requirement forces developers into an addition four to six-week process of requesting a variance. But Shiller was concerned by the propensity of the facilities to be little more than concrete block wall. He noted that the developer of the new warehouse at Desert Foothills Parkway and Marketplace Way had agreed to make it look more aesthetically pleasing and blend in with the other commercial neighborhood buildings. “I’m a little uncomfortable with removing it,” Shiller said of the proposed rule change. Add Chad Blostone, the committee chairman: “We have them. They’re handy but they can be a nuisance.”

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AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | DECEMBER 28, 2016

No doubt about it: Freeway construction beginning soon in Ahwatukee BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor

emoving all doubt that it won’t let a lengthy court fight slow it down, the Arizona Department of Transportation last week rolled out its plans to begin building the South Mountain Freeway next year in Ahwatukee. In both a news release and on its freeway website, ADOT spelled a series of construction plans that will occasionally disrupt travel along Pecos Road and cause enough of a problem from time to time that the department will issue special notices to residents, business owners, schools and homeowner associations. Digging and other work will go on while two separate cases by freeway opponents slowly make their way through the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in San Francisco. Now that the Ahwatukee-based Protect Arizona’s Resources and Children has filed its brief appealing U.S. District Judge Diane Humetewa’s

refusal to stop the $1.77-billion project, both ADOT and the Federal Highway Administration have until mid-February to file their answer. The Gila River Indian Community has asked the appellate court for an emergency delay in construction until the appeal is ruled on. The court turned down a similar request by PARC earlier this month, and ADOT has already filed a request that the court do the same with the new injunction bid. Workers last week laid the first pavement for the 22-mile freeway, pouring and finishing concrete to widen eastbound Pecos Road where it connects with the Loop 202 Santan Freeway at I-10. “This work, part of preliminary construction that began in September, adds to the shoulder of a half-mile stretch where crews are extending highoccupancy vehicle lanes between the Loop 202 Santan Freeway and 48th Street,” ADOT said in a release, adding it will now move to the median. “This is just the first of what will be many milestones for the South

Mountain Freeway,” said Rob Samour, ADOT senior deputy state engineer for major projects. “The sooner we can deliver this project, the sooner we can bring traffic relief to motorists traveling between East Valley and West Valley.” Using a concrete paving machine, workers poured and finished the concrete last week along the eastbound Pecos Road shoulder, ADOT said. Once the concrete cures, the stretch will get new curb and gutters and place a concrete barrier wall along the embankment. “Completing this first phase of work in early 2017 will allow crews to start widening the existing eastbound Pecos Road lanes to maintain two-way traffic flow along the entire Pecos corridor during all phases of construction,” the agency said, adding: “Construction scheduled to start early next year on the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway may not be as visual as the 22 miles of uninterrupted asphalt to come, but each task lays a foundation for completing this link between the West Valley and East Valley by the end of 2019.”

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In the first half of the new year, it added, “You may see crews setting foundations for some of the 40 bridges that will be built, including two 2,700-foot-long spans across the Salt River. Or widening eastbound lanes of Pecos Road to maintain two-way traffic flow during construction.” Work on the freeway is divided into four segments and construction activity will be going on all but the segment that will cut through South Mountain. Crews won’t begin digging and blasting a 200-foot swath through three of the mountain’s peaks until mid-2018, government attorneys have said in court briefs. No actual dates have been released yet by ADOT, which said they are “based on utility relocation, right-of-way acquisition and other factors.” “Most construction will occur on weekdays,” it added, “although some construction activities will require work day and at night to complete the freeway by late 2019.” Work scheduled to start early next

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DECEMBER 28, 2016 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS

A tax credit donation is a sound investment. Students Succeed, Neighborhoods Thrive. Provides extracurricular learning Supports student achievement Quality schools enhance home values Tax credit donations provide for extracurricular activities such as band trips, sports, speech and debate, or field trips, which are generally not fully funded by school districts.

Please donate December 31 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (ADOT/Special to AFN)

Crews last week completed the first phase of the expansion of the Loop 202 San Tan Freeway near Pecos Road.

FREEWAY

from page 18

year includes: finishing HOV lanes in the I-10 interchange; relocating power lines to the south side of Pecos Road near Desert Foothills Parkway; relocating water lines on Liberty Lane and 32nd Street; and constructing bridge foundations at 40th Street, 32nd Street, 24th Street, Desert Foothills Parkway and 17th Street as well as box culverts throughout the segment. Sometime in mid-2017, crews will begin building the main freeway from 48th Street toward 32nd Lane and erecting noise walls that could reach as high as 25 feet. ADOT also said eastbound lanes of Pecos Road will be widened to accommodate two lanes of traffic in each direction early next year. “Once the freeway is complete, local traffic will be detoured onto the freeway lanes while construction is completed,” it said, adding, “Lane restrictions and periodic closures of the interim Pecos Road will be required throughout construction.”

Phoenix crews also are expected to start construction next year on the 1.2mile Chandler Boulevard Extension, which will link the unfinished ends of that thoroughfare at 27th and 19th avenues. However, city officials are still haggling with city Councilman Sal DiCiccio’s office over the width of that extension. The city’s $11-million project calls for only two lanes even though they will link up with four-lanes at both ends. DiCiccio has expressed concern about traffic congestion at either end and about traffic flow if an accident occurs in either of the two lanes. The city has been opposed to four lanes, saying its studies show that only two lanes are needed at this time. The South Mountain Freeway is the most expensive highway project in Arizona history and will link West Phoenix with the Chandler exchange on the I-10, providing I-10 motorists with a diversion around the often-congested segment around Downtown Phoenix.

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Donate online at www.kyrene.org/taxcredit

*Arizona tax law (ARS 43-1089.01) allows taxpayers a tax credit of up to $200 (or $400 per married couple) for contributions to support extracurricular activities that are otherwise not fully funded by the District. Must submit school receipt with taxes. New deadline for 2016 donations is April 15, 2017.

Share Your Thoughts Send your letters on local issues to pmaryniak@ahwatukee.com

www.kyrene.org 480-541-1000

NEWS

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | DECEMBER 28, 2016

Ahwatukee school board member rocks with band BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor

ou can hear John King in public in two starkly different ways. At least a couple times a month, you can head over to Kyrene School District’s main office and check out a meeting of the governing board, where the Ahwatukee man is beginning his second term next month, and listen to him talk about budgets or curriculum. Or you can head over to one of the local casinos or VaBene bistro in Ahwatukee and hear him belt out 70s, 80s and 90s songs like Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing” or Lynyrd Skynrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama” as he plays an electric bass guitar with Uncorked the Band. You can guess where he draws the crowd. He has been playing for a little less than three years with the band, composed of lead guitarist Andrew Beager, lead vocalist Carmen McNeil, saxophonist Rachelle Romeo, keyboard man Kent Stallard, drummer Dave Thompson and

percussionist Vincent Mancilla Jr. Beatles—who played for many years He wound up with them by until he became a fulltime computer approaching Beager after attending one programmer who eventually picked of the band’s gigs up his axe again and flatly telling because he was him that their bored. music was good but When he was they needed a better 16, King started bassist. dabbling with a “I went and told guitar about six them, ‘I think months before I’m a better base he went to player and a better Germany, where fit because I play his father, then better music,’” King in the military, recalled. was about to be Turned out stationed. Beager and the rest The grandson of of the band agreed. a concert pianist, But how he King started with wound up playing guitar, and almost Haselhorst/AFN Staff Photographer) with them is a John King plays bass(Cheryl got derailed guitar for the band ‘Unlonger story of a corked’ as singer Carmen McNeil waits for her when his teacher teen influenced by cue. King is also a Kyrene School Board member. discovered he was the great bands and left-handed. performers of the Sixties—particularly “He said you’re going to have to learn Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones and The to play with your right hand,” said King.

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“To this day, that’s the only thing I can do right-handed.” Two years later, he switched to bass. “I don’t know what it is by when I listen to music, I am drawn to certain aspects of an ensemble,” he explained. “I was drawn more to the bass than I was to the guitar or the drums of keyboards.” He got back to the states and eventually ended up in Florida, playing with several different bands, earning some spending money playing gigs while he studied computer science in college. But then he turned 30 and soon began thinking he needed to grow up. “We had some interest from recording companies, but it fell through,” he recalled. “But after getting my degree, I figured it was time for me to stop playing around and get a real job, so I stopped playing. He came to Phoenix around 1983, landed a job with Motorola “and never looked back”—at the East Coast or bass. Then, seven years ago, the now retired computer scientist and avid tennis player See

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NEWS

DECEMBER 28, 2016 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS

Vote for Kyrene.

Your top-rated public school district! Voted “Best Elementary School Teacher 2015”

Kindergarten Roundup January 19, 6:30 p.m. All Kyrene Elementary Schools Engage on social media

www.kyrene.org/aboutkyrene • 480-541-1000

(Cheryl Haselhorst/AFN Staff Photographer)

John King ends his riff in a flourish as he plays in the band ‘Uncorked.’ King is also a Kyrene School Board member.

ROCKS

from page 20

got sidelined by hand surgery. “I couldn’t move around or do much, and I got so bored I was on eBay and bought a bass guitar,” he said. His wife, Jennie King, director of strategic energy management at SRP, and one of their four sons walked into his office while he was playing. “My wife said, ‘You’re good. You should play. I said “I am’ and she said, ‘I see the passion in your eyes when you play. Go play in a band.’” Uncorked the Band draws a crowd and even has a group of avid fans who try to follow it around to different gigs. “One gal has told me four times she wants us to play at her wedding and it’s a year away,” said King. It frequently plays at VaBene and some of the local casinos, and has been commissioned to perform at several private and corporate parties every month. It will appear at VaBene, 4647 E. Chandler Blvd., Ahwatukee, Jan. 13 and Jan. 27. Although “we’re a high-energy dance band,” King said Uncorked also plays acoustic sets at private parties. Because the band members live in

different communities across the Valley, they rarely get together to rehearse. They have a playlist of more than three dozen songs that were hits in their day and still get played on oldies stations. When they decide that they might want to add a new song to their repertoire, King said, “the singers pick out the songs and we all talk about it,” oftentimes getting it together within an hour before they’re due to hit the stage. Usually when they take the stage, a typical set lasts at least 90 minutes— “and with just one ballad.” In the time that he has been with Uncorked, King said, “There’s been a metamorphosis.” “We changed a lot of things that the band is doing,” he said. “We concentrate a lot on harmony and we try not to get too fancy.” Their formula seems to be working. “I don’t think we ever played a venue that didn’t want us to come back,” he said. “Our goal was to become a casinoquality band and we have done that,” he said. You can go to Kyrene.org if you want to see King in action on the school board or you can check out him and the band at uncorkedaz.com.

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AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | DECEMBER 28, 2016

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Ahwatukee Merit Scholarship semifinalists honored AFN News Staff

empe Union High School District recently honored a Mountain Pointe High senior and 15 Desert Vista High seniors who were named National Merit Scholarship semifinalists. Semifinalists must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, demonstrated leadership abilities, participation in school and community activities, be recommended by the school principal and write an essay. Roughly 90 percent of semifinalists will be named finalists, competing for some 7,500 scholarships worth about a total $33 million. Here is a closer look at Mica Stewart of Mountain Pointe and the 15 Desert Vista semifinalists.

MICA STEWART

Honors: Arizona Youth Leadership Forum Alumni Association (co-founder and chair), Digital Construction Club president, Mu Alpha Theta treasurer, National Council on Independent Living delegate, National Honor Society member, Tae Kwon Do second degree black belt. College choice: Arizona State University, Stanford University or Reed College. Planned study: Undecided. Career plans: Undecided..

MYA CARRIZOSA

Honors: National Hispanic Recognition Program, Rho Kappa National Social Studies Honor Society officer, varsity cross country captain. College choice: UCLA, UC Berkeley or ASU. Planned study: Psychology. Career Plans: Undecided.

JOCELYN CHEN

Honors: ABODA All-State Orchestra Violinist three years, American Invitational Mathematics Examination Qualifier, American Mathematics

Competitions Honor Roll, American Protégé International Competition second place in concerto and third place piano and string, AzSEF second place in biomedical and health sciences, HOSA, Medical Reading first place in state and national qualifier, Scholastic Writing Awards for critical and personal essays. College choice: Brown, Johns Hopkins or Washington University. Planned study: Biochemistry, biomedical engineering. Career plans: Pediatric physician.

KYLE CORRETTE

Honors: Built a 3-D-printed life-size animatronic upper body and a heavy-lift FPV quad copter; designed, developed and published four mobile applications with sales in 24 countries; Future Engineers Star Trek Replicator Challenge Award from NASA & ASME, Jazz Band, Speech & Debate Team. College Choice: Cal Poly, Purdue or Barrett Honors College at ASU. Planned study: Aerospace engineering. Career plans: Aerospace engineer.

HANNAH FUCHS

Honors: AP Scholar with Distinction, certified as an intermediate-mid Russian language speaker, Harvard Medical School’s Department of Global Health & Social Medicine intern, National Security Language Initiative for Youth Scholarship to study Russian abroad, Peer Tutoring Organization president. College choice: American University, Johns Hopkins or NYU. Planned study: Public health. Career plans: Epidemiologist.

BRANDON JIANG

Honors: American Protégé International Piano & Strings Competition 2014 Honorable Mention, Arizona Quiz Bowl Association season introductory competition first place team and individual honors, national qualifier and captain; Music Teachers National Association State Competition second place in senior piano, Music Teachers National

Association SW Division Competition finalist in senior duet piano, National AP Scholar, USA Mathematical Olympiad qualifier, USA Junior Mathematical Olympiad qualifier. College choice: Stanford, MIT or ASU. Planned study: Computer science, data science. Career plans: Data scientist.

MATTHEW JOBE

Honors: Academic Excellence Certificate for three years, crosscountry, National Honor Society. College choice: ASU, NAU or Colorado State University. Planned study: Computer science, information assurance. Career plans: Information assurance.

BOBAE JOHNSON

Honors: National AP Scholar, National Council of English Teachers Certificate 2016 for superior writing, National Honor Society president; Phoenix Symphony, Moscow Ballet, MusicaNova Orchestra and Southern AZ Symphony Orchestra soloist, Phoenix Youth Symphony, North Central Region, Arizona All-State Desert Vista chamber orchestras, valedictorian. College choice: Harvard/New England Conservatory of Music, Rice/Shepherd School of Music or Stanford. Planned study: Engineering, violin performance. Career plans/Goals: Engineer, quartet violinist.

DYLAN KETCHAM

Honors: Flutist, National Honor Society, Speech & Debate Interpretation Captain and National Tournament qualifier. College choice: Barrett Honors College at ASU, Creighton University or Washington University in St. Louis.

Planned study: Actuarial sciences. Career plans: Actuary.

JAEYOUNG KIM

Honors: All-Regional Orchestra, HOSA first place in biomedical debate, National History Bee, QuestBridge college prep scholar, Regional Future Business Leaders of America first place business calculations, U.S. Geography Olympiad top 50. College choice: Yale, Princeton or Columbia. Planned study: Political science. Career plans: Policymaker.

NEHA PARVATHALA

Honors: HOSA first place medical spelling and second place forensic medicine, Arizona Regional Brain Bee first place, Arizona Science Bowl second place, Bharatanatyam Indian Classical Dance graduate, Garcia Research Program participant, National AP Scholar. College choice: Undecided. Planned study: Undecided. Career plans: Undecided.

TYLER RUAN

Honors: AP Scholar with Distinction, Arizona All-State Orchestra violinist, Arizona Music Educators Association Solo & Ensemble Festival superior rating, Chamber Orchestra principal violinist, Contemporary Chinese School of Arizona Excellent Achievement Scholarship, Phoenix Youth Symphony violinist. College choice: Columbia, Duke or USC. Planned study: Chemical engineering. Career plans: Chemical engineer.

KENDALL SCHWARTZ

Honors: AIA Scholar Athlete for three years, class president, National Honor Society, Rho Kappa National Social Studies Honor Society, varsity softball. College choice: Washington University in St. Louis. See

MERIT on page 23

COMMUNITY

DECEMBER 28, 2016 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS

MERIT

from page 22

Planned study: Biology or chemistry. Career plans: Physician.

ALICE WONG

Honors: Desert Vista HOSA president, Ironwood Library Teen Council vice president, Joe Selleh Award for outstanding athleticism, National AP Scholar, varsity badminton. College choice: MIT, Rice or Brown. Planned study: Chemical-biological engineering. Career plans: Doctor.

KAI YIN

Honors: Arizona West Regional FIRST Robotics Competition, built a working electromechanical power inverter, National AP Scholar, band and orchestra

regionals. College choice: Carnegie Mellon, UC Berkeley or USC. Planned study: Computer science. Career plans: Software engineer.

SANG BO YOON

Honors: All-State Orchestra two years, National AP Scholar, National Association for Music Education Orchestra, Phoenix Youth Symphony. College choice: Stanford, Princeton or Duke. Planned study: Science. Career plans: Physical therapist or professional sports trainer.

Do you know an Ahwatukee high school student doing amazing things? Tell the world about it. Write pmaryniak@ahwatukee. com or call 480-898-5647.

Ahwatukee author finds novel material in teens

BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor

my Fellner Dominy’s children are all grown up but in many ways she’s still a teenager at

heart. At least the Ahwatukee author is when she sits down to the keyboard to pound out her novels. She has written 10 novels and sold five, some earning praise from other authors for her engaging stories about teenagers. Some are more on the comical side while others, such as her latest, “To Die For,” are anything but. “To Die For” deals with two high school seniors who fall in love, but then confront a painful dilemma: she has a chance to go abroad for a year and he threatens suicide because he fears losing her. Another, “A Matter of Heart,” creates suspense as a 16-year-old girl with a potentially fatal heart ailment must decide on whether she will swim to qualify for the Olympics, even if that means her possible death. A writer since she was 13 years old— four years after becoming an alternate in the Arizona hula-hoop championship— Dominy writes about teenagers for a reason. “People will ask me sometimes if I want to write something important— something for adults,” she said. “And I tell them the most important books in my life are the ones I read when I was in middle school and high school. “Those are the books that had a huge impact on me—that taught me about life and opened my eyes to a larger world. What can be more important than writing books that can do the same for a new generation?” Besides, she said, teens fascinate her.

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Ahwatukee novelist and playwright Amy Fellner Domini stays at her laptop long enough to write 1,000 to 2,000 a day six days a week.

“I think the teen years are when many of us first begin to question our identity,” she explained. “Who are we? Who do we want to

be? Where do we fit in…or how can we stand out? I’m still fascinated by those See

AUTHOR on page 27

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AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | DECEMBER 28, 2016

Rep. Norgaard prepares ‘homework’ for Mountain Pointe High BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor

tate Rep. Jill Norgaard will have a special assignment for students in a Mountain Pointe High School social studies class next month: help her draft a bill. The Ahwatukee Republican legislator is reaching out to social studies teacher Lane Waddell’s classes, along with those in several other schools in other parts of her district, which also includes parts of Chandler, Tempe and Mesa. “Their homework is going to be come up with a new bill,” she said. “I have some ideas I can float if they get stuck. Then I’ll have them come down to the Capitol and they can see what happens.” Norgaard discussed her plan, one of the ways she tries to engage her constituents in learning more about the state Legislature, during a recent tour of Desert Garden Montessori School in Ahwatukee. She was invited to tour by Desert Garden founder and director Shatel Walters, who is hoping to expand her pre-k-to-11th grade school at the defunct Ahwatukee Lakes Golf Club if True Life

Companies can to late teens, needs win homeowner room to expand. approval of its plan Walters didn’t talk for an “agrihood.” much about True True Life has Life’s Ahwatukee proposed building Farms proposal, about 279 homes, except to explain the school, a farm, how she approached café and farmers the developer after market on the 101hearing about it. acre course, but True Life needs 51 percent executives in the of the approximate past have said that 5,200 homeowners after touring the to sign a consent campus, they saw form changing Desert Garden as the community’s a perfect fit for covenants, their plans. Walters conditions and told Norgaard her regulations school’s flexible (Special to AFN) governing the site. Shetal Waters, left, founder of Desert Garden schedule can be Walters founded Montessori School, talks with state Rep. Jill adjusted to alleviate the school in her Norgaard. any traffic problems home in 1996 that could be and two years later began building the created for Ahwatukee Lakes residents as campus at Warner Road and 51st Street, a result of their proximity to Mountain Ahwatukee. Pointe High School. But the school, with nearly 300 But many residents have expressed students ranging in age from 6 months concerns that traffic to and from both

campuses would create rush-hour nightmares in the area. Norgaard has not expressed an opinion about Ahwatukee Farms, but has noted her concern about the preservation of open space in Ahwatukee. She has been working with the Arizona Department of Transportation to secure its agreement to provide some of the infrastructure necessary to provide water to Club West’s golf course if a well can be found along the southern boundary of the South Mountain Freeway. But water and Ahwatukee Farms won’t be on the agenda for the students who will be working with Norgaard on some bill during the upcoming legislative session. Norgaard worked with Waddell’s students last year, bringing them to the Capitol to debate some marijuana legislation. This year she wants the high school students to work on a real bill, then follow it through the process. Norgaard also had student council members from the schools in Kyrene School District come down to watch the See

NORGAARD on page 31

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Tukee Sisters become Santas for two needy local families AFN News Staff

ukee Sisters in Business, a network of women-owned businesses in Ahwatukee, went out of its way last week to bring some Christmas cheer to two needy local families. Members raised more than $500 in gifts for a single mom and her teen son and a young couple with a month-old baby who otherwise had little money for necessities, let alone presents. “The Tukee Sisters wanted to give back to the community this Christmas so we choose two families from the community that couldn’t afford a Christmas this year and wanted to bless them,” said network organizer Heidi Winquist. More than a dozen businesswomen from the 150-member network gathered with Winquist at the Target Store on Ray Road and 48th Street, Ahwatukee, all but taking over the restaurant area for a giftwrapping session. The parents of the newborn have both been out of work as a result of the mother’s complications with her pregnancy, Winquist said. “The mother had to stop working at three months pregnant, and her boyfriend was not able to work through the pregnancy either because the mother having to constantly be in and out of the hospital and her doctor appointments,” she explained. Although the boyfriend is back at work, he “just barely makes enough to cover the rent and bills, and because of that they have not been able to get anything the baby needs, as they don’t have extra left over,”

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Winquist said, adding the mom is still unable to return to work. The Tukee Sisters came to the rescue, buying the baby clothes, milk bottles, diapers and other items. Kate McPike and her K’8s Pet Care donated cash; Jenn Spencer, owner of Jab Fitness, donated boxing gloves for the teen as well as a month membership; Angie Christopher donated massage gift certificates for both mothers from AZ Spine Disc and Sport; Realtor Marcela Grace Moat bought baby items. Other contributors included Anna Ebert of Funnel Cake Social Media Architecting, Cheryl Wallace of Prayers and Paintbrushes, Suzanne Whitaker of Passion 4 Murals, Lisa Liddy of Jamberry, Jody Caldwell with doTERRA, Jamie Tindall McNeal of Fit 4 Mom, Jane Waypa of Tastefully Simple, Alicia O’Dell Wadley, Shannon Pretz and Ashley Mekell from LuLARue. Other Santas included Jennifer Conroy with Germseal, Shaunte L. Fox with Belle Melange Salon, Cristina Alamdari with AZ Draperies, Christine Pitzka of Stella and Dot and Helen Baker of Sugar Fix Candy Buffet. Diana Lopez, the administrator of the Facebook site Ahwatukee 411, raffled off a Hatchimal that raised over $300. “Both families are so thankful for our help, and they feel blessed this holiday season that we were able to bless them with a Christmas (Heidi Winquist/Special to AFN) they couldn’t have otherwise,” said Tukee Sisters in Business who helped prepare a special Christmas for two needy Ahwatukee families included, Winquist, who also contributed to from left, Anna Ebert, Cheryl Wallace and Marcela Grace Moat. the event.

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AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | DECEMBER 28, 2016

Kyrene, Tempe Union make pitch for tax-credit donations AFN NEWS STAFF

ime was when schools in Arizona used the waning days of the year to make a last pitch for state tax credit donations, keeping district offices open even on New Year’s Eve to get them. But now, Arizona taxpayers can make those donations right up to April 15 of the new year. Still, Kyrene School District is keeping its central office open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday for tax credit donations, which also can be made by mail or online at Kyrene.org, “Tax credit donation helps students attend extracurriculars like athletics, art and music programs, character education, and field trips,” the district said in a release. “These programs develop well-rounded students who in turn build strong communities.” Individuals can donate $200 and couples $400 for a dollar-to-dollar tax credit. “In the end, the cost is zero and the impact to students is priceless, giving them opportunities to explore interests and connect with their campuses,”

(Special to AFN

The Pridetronics, Mountain Pointe High's robotics team, was all smiles earlier this year after winning the western regional robotics tournament sponsored by FIRST.

Tempe Union High School District spokeswoman Jill Hanks said. Tempe Union isn’t opening its central office, but it still hopes people will donate. “Studies show active students earn better grades and are more likely to stay in school,” Hanks said. “They make friends, discover new talents, and develop life skills by taking part in after-school clubs, activities, arts, and athletics programs.

But many of those programs are not fully funded by school districts. They depend on fees from students, booster clubs and fundraising to operate.” Tempe Union uses an average of $1.04 million per fiscal year in tax credit expenditures to operate 323 student clubs, sports and other extracurricular activities at its seven high schools. About 66 percent was spent on

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student travel including meals, lodging, transportation and entry fees for camps, competitions and events. “Trips allow students to see life outside their campus,” Hanks said. “For some, it may the first time they ever leave the county or the state. They meet new people, learn about new places, experience new cultures and compete at the next level.” At Desert Vista High School, tax credit donations are “vital to many groups,” she added, including speech and debate, band, and orchestra, all of which have traveled nationally in the last year. “Tax credit allows our students to go to new heights in all travel and competition. We are so fortunate to have the support of our community so that we are able to demonstrate excellence through performance,” said Desert Vista Assistant Principal Tomika Banks. Taxpayer contributions also pay for supplies like uniforms, costumes and equipment; assistant coaches who work with student-athletes; the support of programs that focus on service, social justice; and preparing at-risk students for success in college and careers. See

TAX CREDIT on page 30

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AUTHOR

from page 23

questions and in one way or another, most of my novels are about issues of identity. I often put my characters through the wringer, but they always seem to come out of the story with a stronger sense of self.” If “To Die For” sounds morose, Dominy thinks it reflects an all-toocommon occurrence in relationships of all ages. “I once asked a woman why she’d married her husband, expecting to hear a romantic story, and instead she told me that he’d threatened to kill himself if she ever left him,” she recalled. “Many teens find themselves in unhealthy relationships and don’t even recognize the signs. Many of us think of abuse as split lips and bruises, but emotional abuse and manipulation are just as dangerous—perhaps more so— because it can be so insidious.” A copywriter for 20 years who graduated from Arizona State University with a degree in advertising, Dominy returned to ASU in 2004 to earn a master of fine arts degree in playwriting. She maintains a rigorous discipline when it comes to novel writing, working six days a week with a goal of writing 1,000 to 2,000 words a day. Although she is no longer an ad copywriter, one of her slogans still lives. She authored the anti-smoking tagline: “Tobacco. Tumor-causing, teethstaining, smelly, puking habit.” She has written “a handful of plays,” some of which have been read on stage. One, a children’s play called “The Dreamcatcher,” was produced at the Mesa Arts Center. “It was a natural progression to take my plays and see if I could turn them in to stories,” she said. “The real turning point came when I was at ASU and

found myself inspired by one of my professors, Pamela Sterling. “I asked if I could work with her on a project and because she focused on Theater for Youth, I tried my first children’s play. That play turned out to be The Dreamcatcher and from that point on I was hooked on writing for younger audiences.” As a youngster, she loved reading works by Judy Blume, Jack London, JRR Tolkien and Jane Austin. Her most admired young-adult authors are Laurie Halse Anderson and J.K. Rowling. Some of her novels also have won awards. “OyMG is recognized by the Association of Jewish Libraries as a Sydney Taylor Notable Book for Teens.” “A Matter of Heart” is an American Library Association’s Top 10 Sports Title of 2015 and “Audition & Subtraction” is a Bank Street College Best Book of 2012. She also is working with a writing partner, Nate Evans, on two picture books for Disney. The first, “Cookiesaurus Rex,” will be out next September. Her fifth book to be sold to a publisher also is coming out next year. Dominy, the sister of Ahwatukee Rabbi Susan Schanerman, said wouldbe authors shouldn’t give up in following their passion. “If you find writing to be very difficult, then you’re doing it right,” she said. “It’s the hardest job I’ve ever had—and that’s exactly how you have to treat it. Like a job. So my advice to would-be writers is to ignore the critic in your head and put words down on paper every day. “Find yourself a support group of other writers and take advantage of the many writing workshops and writing organizations out there. And don’t give up. It took me nearly 30 years from my first rejection to my first published book.”

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DECEMBER 28, 2016 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 28

Go beyond bracelet basics

Go beyond the basics of making bracelets and learn how to make more complicated friendship wrist jewelry. DETAILS>> 4:30-6:30 p.m., Ironwood Library, 4333 E Chandler Blvd. Free. Teens ages 12-17. No registration required.

ONGOING

Congregation plans Israel trip Congregation NefeshSoul is planning a tour of Israel June 10-20, 2017. Explore historical sites along with the beauty and rich culture of Israel. DETAILS>Rabbi Susan Schanerman at rabbi@nefeshsoul.org.

MONDAYS

Group aids MS sufferers

This group addresses the informational, emotional and social support needs of the MS community. People with MS, care partners and spouses are welcome. DETAILS> 10 a.m.-noon, third Monday of each month, Dignity Health Urgent Care Ahwatukee, conference room, 4545 E. Chandler Blvd. Free. Information: Lynn Grant at lgrant3567@ yahoo.com or 480-414-7172.

TUESDAYS

Toastmasters sharpen skills Improve your speaking skills and meet interesting people at Ahwatukee Toastmasters meetings DETAILS> 6:45-8 a.m at the Dignity Health Community Room, 4545 E. Chandler Blvd., Ahwatukee.

Power Partners available

The Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber of Commerce networking and leads group is open to chamber members. DETAILS>8-9 a.m., Four Points by Sheraton, 10831 S. 51st St., Ahwatukee. Devida Lewis, 480-753-7676.

WEDNESDAYS

Watercolor classes available

Watercolor classes that teach both bold and beautiful as well as soft and subtle approaches to the art are available twice a week for beginners and intermediate students who are at least 15 years old. Step-by-step instruction and personal help are provided. DETAILS> 2:30-5 p.m. Wednesdays and 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Saturdays at Hobby Lobby, 46th Street and Ray Road, Ahwatukee. Cost: $25 per class, $80 for four classes. Registration required: jlokits@yahoo.com or 480-471-8505.

Montessori holds open house

Ahwatukee Foothills Montessori is holds an open house weekly. It includes a short talk about Montessori education, followed by a tour of its campus. DETAILS> 4 p.m. Wednesdays, 3221 E. Chandler Blvd., Ahwatukee. Information: 480-759-3810

Grief support is free

Hospice of the Valley offers a free ongoing grief support group for adults and is open to any adult who has experienced a loss through death. No registration required. DETAILS> 6-7 p.m. first and third Wednesdays, Pecos Community Center, 17010 S. 48th St. 602-636-5390 or HOV.org.

Foothills Women meet

An informal, relaxed social organization of about 90 women living in the Ahwatukee Foothills/Club West area. A way to escape once a month to have fun and meet with other ladies in the area. Guest speaker or entertainment featured.

enrolL IN your child’s future

DETAILS> 7 p.m. second Wednesday of the month, Foothills Golf Club, 2201 E. Clubhouse Drive. Contact jstowe2@cox.net or FoothillsWomensClub.org.

Parents can ‘drop in’

Parents are invited to join a drop-in group to ask questions, share ideas or just listen to what’s going on with today’s teenagers. DETAILS> 5:30-7 p.m. second Wednesday of each month. Maricopa Cooperative Extension, 4341 E. Broadway Road, Phoenix. Free. RSVP at 602-827-8200, ext. 348, or rcarter@cals.arizona.edu.

Get with Democrats

DETAILS> Free and open to the public 7:30-9 a.m. the third Wednesday of the month at Biscuits Restaurant, 4623 E. Elliot Road. RSVP: marie9@q.com or 480-592-0052.

Learn about 3-D Networkx

This group focuses on creating powerful relationships with fellow members, resulting in meaningful referrals. Learn how to create connections and get the most out of networking events. DETAILS> 8-9 a.m., Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber of Commerce, 4435 E. Chandler Blvd., Suite 140. Information: Shannon Kinsman, 480-753-7676.

Chamber sponsors networking

LD 18 Dems change meeting site

The Legislative District 18 Democrats have changed their monthly meeting to their new campaign office at 1867 E. Baseline Road, Tempe. DETAILS> 6:30 p.m. social time, 7-8:30 p.m. meeting time on the second Monday of each month. Information: ld18demsinfo@gmail. com. Free and open to the public.

Special networking offered

Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber of Commerce has a networking and leads group is open to chamber members. DETAILS> 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m., Radisson Hotel, 7475 W. Chandler Blvd., Chandler. Devida Lewis, 480-753-7676.

THURSDAYS

Kiwanis Club hosts Bowie

Arizona Supreme Court, Dependent Children Services; Feb. 16, Brad Jarret, personal trainer; and Feb. 23, Jim Wilkerson, Habitat For Humanity. DETAILS> 7:30 a.m. Biscuits Restaurant, 4623 E. Elliot Road, Ahwatukee. Information: mike.maloney2003@gmail.com.

The Kiwanis Club of Ahwatukee meets every Thursday and welcomes newcomers. Speakers lined up over the next few weeks include: Thursday, state Senator-elect Sean Bowie; Jan. 12, Dave Bittner, Ahwatukee Little League; Feb. 9, Caroline Lautt-Owens,

Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber of Commerce networking and leads group offers business owners as chance to get involved and network. Open to chamber members and nonmembers. DETAILS>8 a.m. Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber of Commerce, 4435 E. Chandler Blvd., Suite 140. Shannon Kinsman, 480-753-7676.

Mothers of Preschoolers gather Free child care for ages 0 to 5. DETAILS> 9 a.m. second and fourth Thursday, Foothills Baptist Church, 15450 S. 21st St. Call Kim at 480-759-2118, ext. 218.

FRIDAYS

Toastmasters teach skills

This chamber-exclusive Chapter of the International Toastmasters club boasts professional development skills. Become the speaker and leader you want to be with Ahwatukee Chamber Toastmasters Club. DETAILS> 8-9 a.m., First American Title Conference Room, 4435 E. Chandler Blvd., #100, Ahwatukee. Devida Lewis, 480-753-7676. — Email calendar items to pmaryniak@ahwatukees.com

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AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | DECEMBER 28, 2016

AROUND AHWATUKEE

Desert Pointe Garden Club slates bird discussion The Desert Pointe Garden Club will hear a talk about backyard birds at 9 a.m. Monday at Ahwatukee Recreation Center, 5001 E. Cheyenne Drive, Ahwatukee. Paul Halesworth, owner of Wildwing Rehabilitation in Ahwatukee, will present the program. Desert Pointe Garden Club meets monthly, September through May and sponsors a number of projects for the community. New members are welcome. It is not necessary to belong to Ahwatukee Recreation Center to become a member. Information: 480-785-0061 or dpgc.org.

NORGAARD

from page 24

Legislature in action. “They were great, super sharp,” she said, adding that several weeks ago even some parents came down for a tour of the Capitol. Norgaard said “whatever schools want to do it” can contact her about sending students to the Legislature for a visit. She looks at the visits and the tours as a way to get more citizens to engage in state government and reduce their fear factor

God’s Garden seeks help, vendors for Transportation Day

God’s Garden Preschool at Horizon Presbyterian Church, 1401 E. Liberty Lane, Ahwatukee, isn’t wasting any time ramping up for its popular Transportation Day 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Feb. 25. Thousands of kids and their parents descend on the school’s parking lot, where more than 40 vehicles, ranging from go-karts to firetrucks, are on display for them to explore. Over the years, it has grown to include activities for kids of all ages, including live entertainment, inflatable bouncers and carnival games, raffle baskets, and boutique when it comes to the Legislature. “It can be a little intimidating for people,” she said of state government. “The more people who can come down and understand what we do, the better.” As for her visit to Desert Garden Montessori, Norgaard said she was impressed with the operation as she heard how 3-year-old children set the table and clean the dishes for their lunch break and how some 8-year-old students are organizing toy drives for cancer-stricken children. “I haven’t been to a Montessori school

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in years,” she said, noting her three children are all in their 20s. “For me, going back to schools has been fun to see what’s going on in the schools now.” She said Desert Garden and similar schools show that when it comes to pre-K-12 education, “it’s not a matter of one size fits all.” “Competition is good. If you have no competition, why would you spend any time improving yourself?” she said. “It drives everybody higher, there are no losers.”

TAX CREDIT

from page 26

The Mountain Pointe robotics team, Pridetronics, was created with tax credit money. The year-old program earned a state championship this fall and tied for first place in a national competition. “The robotics students learn so many valuable skills from our program such as problem solving, time management, collaboration, teamwork as well as programming, 3-D design, electrical and mechanical engineering,” said Melissa Wendell, Mountain Pointe engineering teacher and the sponsor of Pridetronics Robotics Club. “Our students now have the opportunity to explore real-world handson challenges and be inspired to pursue STEM careers in their future.” Hanks added, “Supporting these programs can make a real difference in students’ success which can lead to a positive impact on the community. On top of that, our state rewards the taxpayers’ generosity by giving back their money dollar for dollar. Everyone benefits.” To donate: tempeunion.org/ TUHSDWaystoDonate

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and food vendors. There is no price for admission, but a portion of all funds collected supports the school’s students and education program. More than 4,000 people attended last year. The school is currently signing up vendors and looking for sponsors as well as donations for a silent auction and basket raffles. The vendor registration fee is $100. Sponsorships range from $50 to $2,500. Information/registration: Michelle Rhodes at 480-460-0081, directorgodsgarden@horizonchurch.com or godsgarden.com.

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OPINION

DECEMBER 28, 2016, | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS

Opinion

@AhwatukeeFN |

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www.ahwatukee.com

Meeting Ahwatukee residents made 2016 a memorable year BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor

his is the time of year when more than a few columnists and media commentators begin to sink into a maudlin look back at the year that’s about to fade away. I’ll spare you the pain. But I’d be remiss if I didn’t salute 2016 as a year of some pretty dramatic changes in my life, none more so than writing to the audience of the Ahwatukee Foothills News. Having retired from The Republic at the end of 2013, I anticipated never returning to my long career as a newspaper journalist. You know the whole thing about never saying never.

Having tired of retirement, I came across an ad that eventually brought me to this newspaper, one with a long tradition of serving a sliver of the fifth largest city in the country. And since I came aboard in June, hardly a day has gone by when I wasn’t glad that I didn’t mean it when I said "never" three years ago. The last six months have made me feel more blessed than I probably deserve to be. I work with inspiring and genuinely nice people. I get to do what I have always liked best about this business—report on a wide range of stories that affect people where they live. And I’ve been able to do that no longer pestered by desperate corporate mandates that change like the wind.

Most of all, however, the last six months have brought me into contact with a number of Ahwatukee residents who have been interesting, driven to do good or passionate about their community. More often than not, they have been all of the above. From teens who make robots to seniors who help provide transportation to peers who have no wheels, from longtime local business owners to entrepreneurs trying to leave their mark, from dedicated teachers to tireless community advocates—it would take me until next New Year’s Eve to recount all of the people I’ve had the privilege to meet. And what they all have in common is a striking attachment to their community.

They not only love living in Ahwatukee, but they are committed to ensuring that it remains a community, not just a bunch of red roofs and clogged streets where everyone closes the front door after work, never to be seen the rest of the day. These people are the type you’re glad to have as a neighbor, regardless of whether they live next door or in another HOA. Over the past six months, the AFN has been proud to introduce these people to you. And we are looking forward to introducing many more in 2017. On behalf of all of us here at the AFN, I hope you can sit back a year from now and reflect on how the year has been as good to you as 2016 and Ahwatukee have been for me.

LETTERS

ADOT disappoints Pecos Road bike path advocate

Thank you, AFN, for writing an article to raise awareness of the much needed safe and functional bicycle facility that Pecos Action Group (PAG) is working to get built for the benefit of all cyclists and the community. I was surprised and disappointed to read that ADOT has criticized the plan for failing to meet Phoenix engineering standards. I have offered my services and those of other experienced and knowledgeable cyclists, multiple times verbally and in writing, to collaborate with ADOT and all the stakeholders to plan, design, and implement a facility that is a win/win for all. In August I wrote, “PAG recommends we start shifting towards direct communications and working meetings with appropriate staff” in part because “Compromises by cyclists and ADOT will be required to meet ADOT and

City of Phoenix requirements, budget constraints, and...” Our knowledge and experience is ready to help ADOT and all of the stakeholders meet Phoenix engineering standards, as well as develop effective solutions for the many other issues that must be addressed. As it appears we may be moving from the “will we build it” to the “how do we build it,” phase, the time for effective collaboration is now. There are far too many examples in the valley of taxpayer dollar waste on sub-standard bicycle facilities as the result of not engaging experienced and knowledgeable cyclists. The $2 million spent on Hardy Drive between University Drive and Broadway Road, which resulted in decreased functionality and safety is but one example. PAG is working to prevent waste and implement bicycle facilities that benefit all cyclists.

If you support our mission, please write our elected representatives and ask them to have ADOT and the other stakeholders fully engage PAG in the planning, design, and implementation of a high-speed cycling facility comprised of two 10-foot bike lanes physically separated from a pedestrian or shareduse facility. Some key representatives are: Senator Elect Sean Bowie (sbowie@azleg.gov); Senator Bob Worsley (bworsley@azleg. gov); Representative Jill Norgaard (jnorgaard@azleg.gov); Councilman Sal DiCiccio (council.district.6@ phoenix.gov); and ADOT Brock Barnhart (bbarnhart@azdot.gov). -Joe Struttmann

Consumer protections need to stay in place with Congress

As we look back on 2016, there is little argument that this year’s election will go down in history as a collective call for

change of some kind. The danger is in allowing politicians to twist that desire for change toward their own political, ideological and financial ends. The political agenda recently announced by leadership of the U.S. House of Representatives Financial Services Committee, which Arizona Representatives David Schweikert, a Republican, and Kyrsten Sinema, a Democrat both sit on, is a classic case in point. The leader of that panel has declared as priorities both dismantling the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and blocking a nearly complete rule from the CFPB that is designed to rein in the worst abuses of payday lenders. The agenda of dismantling the DoddFrank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act is not likely to be popular, let alone wise. Indeed, quite the opposite. The CFPB was created by Congress See

LETTERSon page 32

OPINION

LETTERS

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | DECEMBER 28, 2016

from page 31

after the economic collapse to serve as a watchdog for consumers and reduce the risk of another collapse. The fact is people like the CFPB, according to all available public opinion polling, and for good reason. Since its inception, the CFPB’s successes for consumers include: • The CFPB has already returned nearly $12 billion to over 27 million consumers who had been victims of one predatory scam or another. • Among the CFPB’s numerous actions is a record $100 million penalty and consumer restitution against Wells Fargo for millions of fake, fraudulent consumer accounts created by its employees to meet sales goals. • The CFPB’s website hosts a complaint database that has processed over one million complaints, and the website provides educational resources to help consumers make important financial decisions. Yet, despite public support and a

strong track record, Wall Street banks, financial companies and their cronies in Congress are calling for change to the CFPB’s configuration—a thinly veiled attempt to gut its power. Financial services industries have supported legislation that would change the CFPB’s leadership structure and oversight authority opening it up to gridlock or corruption and that would starve the agency by changing its funding source. Repealing or dramatically altering a law that protects average Americans against the excesses of a financial industry run amok is likely to strike many voters as the ultimate example of a rigged system. As we head into 2017, we urge members of Arizona’s Congressional delegation, starting with U.S. House of Representatives David Schweikert and Kyrsten Sinema as members of the Financial Services Committee, to side with Arizona consumers and keep the CFPB intact. -Diane E. Brown, Executive director of the Arizona Public Interest Research Group, arizonapirg.org.

Share Your Thoughts: Send your letters on local issues to: pmaryniak@ahwatukee.com

VOTE FOR US! Best Preschool

Tax credit donations help Kyrene schools get stronger BY JAN VESELY AFN Guest Writer

s 2016’s season of giving winds to a close, it’s not too late to support one of Kyrene’s 25 elementary and middle schools through a tax credit donation. In a poll taken last December for Expect More Arizona, 41 percent of Arizona voters said they believe that funding and improving public education is the most important issue facing our state. Tax credit donations are an excellent way to support your local schools at virtually no cost. Arizona law allows taxpayers to receive a dollar for dollar tax credit for donations made to schools. Individuals can donate up to $200, and couples can donate up to $400 to a school of their choice to support athletic, art and music programs, as well as character education and field trip activities. For example, Lagos Elementary was able to host an assembly featuring Joe “The Trick Star” Odhiambo, a former

Phoenix Suns basketball player who shares a message with students about having faith in yourself and the value of persistence, patience, hard work and responsibility. At Esperanza Elementary, tax credit dollars fund the Homework Club and Lunch Time Sports. Other Kyrene schools—Cerritos, Colina, Estrella, Lomas, Milenio, Monte Vista, Sierra, Akimel A-al, Altadena and Centennial-- use these dollars to pay for field trips and author visits, activities that otherwise would not be possible due to limited budgets. Strong neighborhood schools contribute to strong communities. Even if you don’t have school age children, you can consider your tax credit donation as an investment in your property values, as research has shown that homes with successful neighborhood schools have a higher resale value. The Kyrene School District, located at 8700 S. Kyrene Road, will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday to accept See

VESELY on page 33

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OPINION

DECEMBER 28, 2016, | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS

The oldest battle in the Valley: East side vs. west side BY DAVID LEIBOWITZ AFN GUEST WRITER

et us speak openly and honestly for a minute about a timehonored Valley conflict, one that stirs 5 million residents’ deepest emotions. It’s a fight not often discussed and yet we all have our preferences. I’m talking about East Valley vs. West Valley. I’m talking about the suburban comforts of Ahwatukee, Mesa, Tempe, Chandler and Gilbert versus the “we built this 11 minutes ago” feeling of Buckeye, Goodyear, El Mirage and Tolleson. I’m talking about that horrific moment when you, dweller of points east, realize you must sojourn beyond Central Avenue in Phoenix and into the hinterlands—the avenues!—to what feels like the outskirts of Los Angeles. I’m talking about the journey I made recently to a golf course in Verrado to play 18 holes with some buddies. The only thing longer than my round full of badly aimed 6-irons and ill-judged putts? The amount of time it took to drive there and back. This wasn’t a “stuck in traffic on I-10” thing, incidentally. This was a “did you know Verrado is from the Latin word meaning, ‘So far you need to pack a lunch?’” thing. Along the way, there was plenty of time to muse about why we choose the east side as opposed to the west side. My working hypothesis, based on 21 years living here? East siders seem to prefer the known and the solid, the name brand over the “next new thing.” West siders seem to like bang for their buck, more square feet for fewer dollars, and the appeal of getting in on the ground floor of a growing movement.

VESELY

from page 32

tax credit donations. You may also make your donation online or by mail. Go to www.kyrene. org<http://www.kyrene.org> and click on the “Tax Credit Donation” quicklink. You can also print off the 2016 Tax Credit Donation Form<http://www. kyrene.org/cms/lib2/AZ01001083/ Centricity/Domain/41/16-001%20 Tax%20Credit%20Form%202016.pdf. Mail it to us at Tax Credits, Kyrene

Yes, these are gross generalizations. Yes, I realize the East Valley has new homes going up all the time. And yes, I realize the west side has older, established neighborhoods like Arrowhead Ranch. Again, it’s just a theory. And yet it has some statistical backing in the form of a study released this week by the finance website Wallethub. They ranked 515 American cities based on “14 key indicators of rapid economic growth.” The fastest-growing city in Arizona and the fifth-fastest-growing city in all America? Surprise. I assume the city’s name sprung from the feeling the original settlers got when they caravanned out there and realized Surprise is so far northwest, Lewis and Clark may have discovered the place. I mean, we’re talking out past Sun City, to a land where people use golf carts not as the Good Lord intended—to carry two angry adults and a cooler full of cold beer—but as a form of public transportation. We who prefer the east side seem unwilling to suffer such aggravation on a daily basis. Generally speaking, Team East Valley members live closer to the region’s center and seem less apt to head to downtown Phoenix for anything but a sporting event or concert. The East Valley has more well-developed amenities, a more mature freeway system and, to this observer, communities that feel more like communities. Still, the study says more folks are moving to Surprise than ever before. My thought? Horace Greeley, the guy who said “Go west, young man,” never killed two hours driving out to 200-something avenue and back. – David Leibowitz has called the Valley home since 1995. Reach him at david@leibowitzsolo.com.

School District #28, Ben Furlong Education Center, 8700 S. Kyrene Road, Tempe, AZ 85284-2197. In my six months as Kyrene’s new superintendent, I have been overwhelmed by the support our district receives from its community. Parents, local businesses and others have shown how much they value their Kyrene schools. We appreciate your ongoing support and extend our best wishes for a prosperous new year. -Dr. Jan Vesely is superintendent of Kyrene School District.

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Pets are family at Ahwatukee Commons Veterinary Hospital BY SHELLEY GILLESPIE AFN Contributing Writer

hen a collie named Ruff repeatedly followed her home from school, Linda Elliott knew what her career would be. Among her four sisters, she was “the animal person.” “I always had a way with pets and could do more with them than the average person,” said Elliott, who owns Ahwatukee’s oldest animal hospital, Ahwatukee Commons Veterinary Hospital. Growing up in Iowa, she was surrounded by family pets—four or five of them. When she was 10, her family bought horses. By the time she was 16, she was training horses. “Our home was like a petting zoo with geese, chickens, a goat and cats that became barn cats,” said Elliott. After a pregnant barn cat died, Elliott blamed herself because she was not aware of its problem pregnancy. “No animal was going to die as a result of my ignorance,” stated Elliott. That sealed the deal; she was going to veterinary school. “This career—it chose me. It’s part of who I am.” During her veterinary school training, Elliott wound up in Arizona for her internship. After graduation, she figured she’d try one year in Arizona. She never left. In 1979, Elliott bought the practice where she was working in Mesa. When land became available in Ahwatukee in 1988, she planned and built the veterinary hospital she now runs at Ahwatukee Commons on Warner Road. Over the years, she’s remodeled the office and added new equipment. About 10 years ago, she decided to differentiate the treatment rooms by

Ahwatukee Commons Veterinary Hospital

4902 E. Warner Road, Suite 14 theacvh.com, 480-893-8423

(Shelley Gillespie/Special to AFN)

Dr.Linda Elliott has decorated her veterianian hospital's walls with murals featuring animals.

hiring Jos, a Tucson muralist, to paint fanciful, full-length scenes with animals in Arizona, Hawaii, Alaska, a Southwest bar, a country setting, Oz with the Emerald City from “The Wizard of Oz” and a rainforest. The animals in the murals immortalized her pets, her staff’s pets and pet patients. The vivid colors perk up the treatment rooms and create a lively place to visit for

Elliott cautions potentials owners, “Don’t get a pet unless it’s going to be a part of your family.” With the advent of better medical care, humans expect more extensive treatments for their animals. Dental treatments now involve blood work, anesthesia and IV treatments. Two people to monitor the pet’s vital signs during procedures.

get a pet unless it’s going to “ Don’t be a part of your family. ”

-Dr. Linda Elliott

both pets and their owners. Her friendly staff of 13 greets patients along with Oliver, a colorful, chestnutcrested macaw kept in a cage in the lobby. Oliver likes attention and enjoys greeting guests and saying good-bye, as well as “dancing”—bouncing up and down on his perch. Elliott said that “there has been quite the revolution” in how people treat animals since she was a child. “Dogs were basically in the backyard. They were not allowed in the house,” Elliott explains. “Now, our culture has changed and, with families breaking down, dogs take the place of kids.” Dogs are dressed in clothes and allowed to share the pet owner’s—now called the “pet custodian’s”–bed, especially if the pet is ill. People and animals rely on each other for greater emotional support.

New procedures Elliott employs include using the pet’s own stem cells to reduce inflammation, allergies and urinary incontinence. She also uses cold-laser treatments to reduce arthritis and other diseases. And, she has added ultrasound to her therapeutic tools. “Costs have soared to meet the standards of expectations of the general public,” she added. Elliott believes some of people’s indulgence of animals can cause them separation anxiety and make them too dependent on humans. Melissa Patel, the office manager, agrees. She counsels owners to “think like a dog” when training their pet. Her practice supports the work of “Lost Our Home,” an organization that rescues abandoned and sick pets. For the past year, Elliott has not had

an assistant. She counts eight employees who have gone off to veterinary school, inspired by her enthusiasm for the demanding career. The veterinary hospital is open six days a week, usually from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Elliott works straight through lunch. She hires substitutes, but she is “very particular” about whom she hires to give her a break. She’s looking for a full time veterinary assistant, but hasn’t found the right person yet. Because of her own extensive pet collection, she moved from Ahwatukee to Gilbert, where she has space to keep her two horses, two Bernese Mountain dogs and an English crème golden retriever— plus two older cats and 40 alpacas. She had been breeding and showing the alpacas, but now focuses on selling their extremely soft, warm wool. Her daughter Rebecca, 29, carries on the family love of pets with her own dog and a rabbit. When Elliott’s not working, she sings in a community chorus and travels to a central Phoenix studio to blow glass. If she had more free time, she’d love to return to ballroom dancing. She also hikes and loves exploring Arizona. “You can drive anywhere and change the scenery – lakes, snow, and more. You can find anything you want,” Elliott says. She also enjoys the arts and culture festivals—especially the Ostrich Festival.

BUSINESS

DECEMBER 28, 2016 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS

Mechanics come to you and your vehicle with Wrench service BY MIKE BUTLER AFN Staff Writer

s a mechanic, Brent Fetters has worked on Humvees in Iraq and Afghanistan and fine-tuned high-performance motorcycles for Erik Buell Racing in Yuma. But he feels like he’s on his biggest adventure yet as he opens up new East Valley territory for Wrench, the hot Seattle-based startup that sends mechanics to homes and offices to perform repairs and routine maintenance. “I like being outside and meeting people and helping them out,” Fetters said. “A lot of them drink beer and chat with me as I work on their cars.” Therein lies the appeal of Wrench, because no one enjoys taking time off work or killing a few hours on a weekend at a shop or a dealer, said CEO Ed Petersen. “These are people who are working hard and playing hard and value their time,” Petersen said. He said he and his partners—“not traditional car guys”—came at the $150 billion car repair industry from the

(Special to AFN)

Brent Fetters is trying to expand the concept of house calls by auto mechanics.

consumer’s perspective. They wanted to remove the hassle and provide an honest, up-front price. To get started with Wrench, customers go online (getwrench.com) or use the Wrench app to enter information about their cars, select the service they need,

pick a time and service location, enter payment information and book the appointment. The quote is what you are billed after the service is performed. Customers also have the opportunity to give a star rating to the experience. A typical synthetic oil change costs

$68. Oil changes carry a 90-day/3,000mile warranty. Other work is guaranteed for 12 months/12,000 miles. If you don’t know what’s wrong with your car, you can request a diagnostic visit. Fetters said about the only things Wrench can’t do are engine and transmission pulls and tire patches. Wrench mechanics don’t work on heavy trucks or electric- or diesel-powered vehicles. For safety, mechanics can’t work on busy public streets or steep hills, either. Petersen said Wrench can keep prices competitive and pay mechanics well because there is no shop overhead or parts inventory to worry about. Unlike other tech companies, such as Uber, Wrench mechanics are employees, not contractors. “I can work on four or five cars a day and make the same as fixing 10 cars a day at a dealer,” Fetters said. Petersen said Wrench tried a soft launch in Seattle last February and got quick affirmation after servicing more than 1,000 cars. Fetters helped get the program up and running, and now See

WAGE on page 36

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Wrench mechanics are doing 20-25 jobs per day. A new membership program is also proving popular. For $14.95 per month for sedans and $19.95 per month for SUVs and trucks, members get quarterly diagnostic/ safety checkups with fluid top offs and vacuum and window cleaning. You also get twice-a-year synthetic oil changes and tire rotations, plus 10 percent off other Wrench services. Wrench set its sights on Phoenix and the East Valley because of the climate and residents’ willingness to adopt outside-the-box ideas, according to Petersen. “It’s a progressive area for these types of services,” Petersen said. “We’re really bullish on the Phoenix area.” Fetters said he is currently covering Phoenix and the East Valley from north to south by himself, so he’s motivated to bring additional mechanics on board. Mechanics must pass a background check, be ASE certified and have 3-5 years of dealer or similar experience. ahwatukee.com

Ahwatukee Foothills News online

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | DECEMBER 28, 2016

Getting ready to retire? Here are things to double-check BY JOSEPH ORTIZ AFN Guest Writer

“T

o do lists” can be helpful tools for organizing your activities in the near future. But have you ever thought of developing a “to do” list for long-term goals, such as a comfortable retirement? If not, you may want to think about it. Here are a few list-worthy items to consider: Examine and re-examine your planned retirement age. You may have long

counted on retiring at a certain age, but are you sure that this goal is the best one for your overall financial situation? Think about it: If you like your job, and you stayed at it for just a few more years, you could significantly boost the funds in your 401(k) or other retirement plan. You might even be able to delay taking Social Security, which, in turn, would result in larger monthly payments.

Put a “price tag” on your retirement lifestyle. When you retire, do you want

to travel the world or stay at home pursuing your hobbies? Will you truly retire from all types of work, or will you

do some consulting or take up part-time employment? Once you know what your retirement lifestyle might look like, you can better estimate your costs and expenses – and this knowledge will help you determine how much you need to withdraw each year from your various retirement accounts, such as your IRA, 401(k) or other employer-based plan. Be aware of retirement plan withdrawal rules. It isn’t enough just

to recognize how much you need to withdraw from your retirement plans– you also must know how much you must withdraw. Once you turn 70 ½, you generally have to start taking money out of your traditional IRA and 401(k). These required minimum distributions, or RMDs, are based on your account balance, age and other factors. But the key word to remember is “required.” If you don’t withdraw the full amount of the RMD by the applicable deadline, the amount not withdrawn can be taxed at a 50 percent rate. Review your health-care situation. When you turn 65, you will likely be eligible for Medicare, but you’ll want to become familiar with what it does–and

doesn’t– cover, so you can establish an annual health care budget. And if you are planning to retire early, which might mean losing your employer-sponsored health insurance, you will need to be prepared for potentially large out-of-pocket costs. Think about long-term care. One service that Medicare doesn’t cover–or, at best, covers only minimally–is longterm care. If you faced an extended stay in a nursing home, the costs could be catastrophic. A financial professional may be able to help you find a way to reduce this risk. Develop your estate plans. Estate planning can be complex, involving many different documents, such as a will, a living trust and power of attorney. You’ll want to work with a legal professional to ensure you’re making the right choices for yourself and your family. By checking off these items, one by one, your retirement “to do” list will eventually get “done.” And when that happens, you may find yourself pretty well prepared to enjoy life as a retiree. -Ahwatukee Foothills Edward Jones Financial Advisor Joseph B. Ortiz, AAMS, CRPS, can be reached at 480-753-7664 or joseph.ortiz@ edwardjones.com.

Entrepreneurs hoping to turn Tempe into a fashion showcase BY RACHEL EROH AFN Staff Writer

empe might be the next fashion hub thanks to two entrepreneurs who have brought their vision to the city. Sherri Barry and Angela Johnson recently moved their fashion incubator space into the old Tempe Performing Arts Center on Sixth Avenue. There will be three entities there to help budding fashion designers build their business. One is Labelhorde, founded by Johnson, which will help with the education side of the business. The other is Arizona Fashion Source, founded by Barry, which will contribute to the manufacturing factor. Then there is the Arizona Apparel Foundation, a nonprofit created by both Barry and Johnson. The incubator will provide educational classes, scholarships and offer co-working spaces in the building. All of these will benefit designers trying to expand their brand, Barry said. “We want to educate new designers on the fashion business,” Barry said.

Barry and Johnson understand the difficulties faced by fashion entrepreneurs who want to start their business anywhere outside of the major fashion manufacturing cities, like Los Angeles or New York. Both Barry and Johnson had complications with their own businesses when they were trying to manufacture in LA. “Sure there’s a fashion industry right next door in Los Angeles, but even though it’s only a few hours away it feels like a world away when it comes to what you need,” Johnson said. The obstacles they faced inspired the idea to create a space that would provide all the materials needed for an entrepreneur to take their idea and turn it into a reality. The incubator would provide services to help through all of the steps, all the way from the basic business idea to being production-ready. “People underestimate how hard it is to make a garment. You basically need a blueprint,” Barry said. The classes offered will give a variety of skills to fashion designers. Many classes will be basic education from starting a

business to running a business. They will range from how to launch a business, how to handle social media and marketing skills. Other classes will be more hands-on and will educate on how to sew, sketch, create patterns, model and use Photoshop. According to Johnson, the old Tempe Performing Arts Center is the perfect location for their incubator. The building provides plenty of rooms for their classes, co-working spaces and an open area to hold events. “This building was set up exactly how we would’ve wanted it,” Johnson said. Tempe has been supportive of the incubator, and both entrepreneurs said they like the city’s vision. “They’re also really supportive because we are putting art back into an art building,” Barry said. Donna Kennedy, the Economic Development Director for Tempe, said she liked the concept because of their innovative ideas and the way they would contribute to the city. “They really want to be involved in the community,” Kennedy said.

BUSINESS

DECEMBER 28, 2016 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS

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I offer residential real estate services for home buyers and sellers all over the Phoenix Metro Area. From Happy Valley to Lavene, San Tan Valley and Maricopa, I’m happy to travel anywhere to help a client; though Ahwatukee is the heart of my territory. (Special to AFN)

Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber of Commerce members turned out in force to watch Dawn Grant, executive director at Hawthorn Court cut a ribbon on its newly remodeled facility..

Quality Inn

5121 E. La Puente Ave., Ahwatukee. choicehotels.com, 480-850-1610 ext 5. Spacious guest rooms feature refrigerators, microwaves, irons and ironing boards, hair dryers and coffee makers. Long-distance travelers will appreciate our guest laundry facility. Get your money’s worth at the Quality Inn Phoenix Airport hotel.

Spencer 4 Hire Roofing 4064 E. Woodland Drive, Ahwatukee. spencer4hireroofing.com, 480-446-7663. Family-owned and operated monsoon roof repair specialist residential and commercial. Call today for a free estimate.

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6056 E. Baseline Road #122, Mesa. varsitytermiteandpestcontrol. com, 480-694-4007. Whether it’s a complete termite service or a tough scorpion problem, Varsity has you covered. Our services are all performed by state-licensed technicians trained in the latest and best service methods. Call us for a free pest inspection and find out why many of your Arizona neighbors in the Phoenix and Greater Area trust Varsity for all their pest-control needs.

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2110 W. Ikea Way, Tempe. ikea.com, 480-785-8209 x 1336. Find all the furniture, kitchens, appliances, sofas, beds, mattresses, tables, chairs, and decorations you need to create the space you’ll love all in one location.

(Special to AFN)

Gathering for a chamber morning mixer are, from left, Enise Williams Savoury, Relator with Keller Williams Realty who hosted the event; Lindy Lutz Cash, chamber interim CEO/President;

Try goals, not resolutions, for the new year BY LINDY LUTZ CASH AFN Guest Writer

ow many of you are creating your New Year’s Resolutions right now? Before you do, think back to those you have created in the past. Have they been realistic? Have they been successful? Have they lasted past the Super Bowl? If any of those answers are “no,” you may want to rethink your strategy for preparing for 2017. How about setting goals instead of resolutions? When you think about it, resolutions are typically rigid statements, such as “I will lose 15 pounds,” “I will go to the gym five times a week,” or “I’ll stop eating sweets.” If these are big changes, you can feel defeated early on when it’s difficult to stick with that statement. To set yourself up for greater success and longevity on your plans, how about setting goals instead? Goals can be undertaken with specific steps as building blocks over time that lead you to your desired goal. Along the way, you adjust to the change gradually, so the change does not seem as overwhelming or drastic and makes the goals more realistic and achievable. Did you know that only the top three percent of society have written goals that are detailed with specific steps? Writing goals down already makes them more likely to be achieved and with specific steps toward your goals, you can enjoy a sense of accomplishment that keeps you motivated to continue on the path of moving toward your end goal.

This means new habits and strategies that support your goals. Here are seven tips for setting your goals, whether business, personal or both, for the New Year: Create a positive environment for working on your goals. Put on some favorite music, pour a cup of tea or a glass of wine, sit in your favorite chair… whatever works best for you. Consider setting goals for all of the primary areas of your life. Sometimes we only set goals in the area where we want to make the biggest change and forget any focus on other areas of our life. Experts recommend that some areas to consider for goal setting are career, health and fitness, finances and money, primary relationships/family, friends, education and personal growth. There may be other specific areas you want to include. Keep it realistic and strive to keep from over analyzing...just let it flow. These goals are for you and you want to set yourself up for success by creating goals that are attainable with some effort. If you achieve a goal before year’s end, you can add to it or simply maintain the new habit or behavior and continue working on others. Set goals from your mind and your heart versus over-thinking or what you think others want you to do. Keep your future in mind, by thinking of what you would have in your ideal life. Think about where you’d like to be in two, five, or even 10 years. Do your goals bring you closer to that life? If so, they’re good goals to stick with. A visual image in your mind can also help you stick with

your goals. Create simple steps for each goal. Enjoy the sense of accomplishment along the way. You may be surprised what you learn along the way, along with achieving your goals. Goal setting is one the most important things you can do to transform your life in the direction you are seeking. Keep your goals visible and in the forefront of your mind. In whatever way works for you, post them in a key place in your home and/or keep them on your phone, tablet or laptop. Keeping your goals top of mind will help you create small actions that eventually turn into new habits, as you focus on achieving the steps and end goals. Think of what specific habits you can maintain that will make bigger changes in your life if you incorporate them into your schedule. Reward yourself with small “progress” awards as you achieve steps toward your goals. Change won’t happen immediately, but as you focus on creating what is most important to you, positive change will take place and it is more likely to be lasting. You have the opportunity to create the best year of your life Are you ready to begin? It’s up to you! Resources include: verywell.com/ goal-setting-for-the-new-year-strategiesthat-work-3144928 and huffingtonpost. com/lorrie-febus/7-goal-setting-tips-fort_b_803420.html. -Lindy Lutz Cash is the interim president/ CEO of the Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber of Commerce.

What are some exciting things happening in your business?

The real estate market is hot right now. Homes are increasing in value and interest rates are looking great! It’s a perfect time to buy or sell a home, plus the new building market is booming.

What is your background and how did you come to be in this business?

I’ve spent my life in the service industry. Starting my own company at 21 years old, I’ve been selfemployed and client driven for over 30 years. While working in the insurance industry, I became interested in real estate and began working closely with partners in that field. Eventually, my passion for working directly with clients and providing direct service led me to launch into real estate full time.

What are your special interests?

People, community, service! I’m an avid volunteer and fundraiser for local organizations and causes; I love taking care of people and creating connections. My passion for creating unique and personal experiences shows in my work with clients, but also carries through to my hobbies in music, sports, and traveling with my family.

EVENTS For more info on these and other upcoming events, visit ahwatukeechamber.com.

Power Partners Leads Group Native New Yorker 5030 E. Ray Road #5, Ahwatukee. Noon-1 p.m. Mondays. Free.

Power Partners Networking Group Four Points by Sheraton 10831 S. 51st St., Ahwatukee. 8-9 a.m. Tuesdays. Free.

Power Partners Networking Group Radisson Hotel 7475 W. Chandler Blvd., Chandler. 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Wednesdays. Free.

Ribbon cutting

Laura Bush, Ph. D. Writing and Consulting 1930 S. Westwood #44, Mesa. Noon Jan. 5. Sponsored by: iAloha Radio. Free.

Toastmasters

First American Title Conference Room 4435 E. Chandler Blvd., Ahwatukee. 8-9 a.m. Fridays. Free to visit.

Wake up Ahwatukee! Morning Mixer

Hosted by: UFC Gym 3830 E. Ray Road, Ahwatukee. 8-9 a.m. Jan. 10. Sponsored by: Elements Massage. $5 members, $15 general admission .

FAITH

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | DECEMBER 28, 2016

Faith

@AhwatukeeFN |

@AhwatukeeFN

www.ahwatukee.com

‘We are one small flame, but together, we illuminate the hearts and souls of all’ BY RABBI SUSAN SCHANERMAN AFN Guest Writer

inter solstice holidays have been celebrated for thousands of years, begun at the dawn of agriculture among people who depended upon the return of the sun for their sustenance and survival. Many of these holidays celebrated, and continue to celebrate, light literally. But for many, there is also the symbolic meaning of light equating to wisdom, insight and spiritual connection. For people all over the world, these holidays remind us that darkness must yield to light. The sun, in its literal and figurative manifestations, does come back, and spring will follow winter. The Jewish solstice holiday, Chanukah, draws upon images of light most poignantly in the Jewish

text called the Talmud. There, an accounting of the oil for the Temple’s eternal light results in the dire news that there is only enough for one day. The Jews, having just reestablished their presence after a long and bloody confrontation with those who would deny them their religious freedom, light the menorah in the Temple and pray that it will suffice until more oil can be produced. Miraculously, the Talmud reports, the oil lasts for eight days and nights. The eternal light of God remains lit until oil reinforcements arrive. Myth and history interweave throughout the centuries to create rituals and customs that color Chanukah traditions today. Observed on the 25th of the Hebrew month of Kislev, the holiday falls sometimes in late November all the way through late December as it occurs this year. With its proximity to Christmas, gifts have entered the tradition, especially

(Special to AFN)

in America. Traditions include potato pancakes as a reminder of our Eastern European ancestry; fried doughnuts from Israeli custom, dreidel spinning games as amusement for our children; songs and blessings that fill our hearts as we light the nine-branched Chanukah menorah each night. But, Chanukah is much more than the traditions that accompany the eight days and nights. Flickering Chanukah lights offer hope and courage. We celebrate God’s promise of tolerance and freedom as we

gaze at the burning candles. Though such promises seem at times too dim to make much of a difference in the world, we can, with our persistence and faith illuminate this troubled world in which we live. Chanukah brings light to the dark places in ourselves even when we cannot. It asks us to shine from within when there seems not enough light to fill even the tiniest of spaces. Chanukah requires of us great faith in God, ourselves, and humanity. So, whether we celebrate Chanukah or another winter solstice holiday, let us act in this world as though each of us is a candle pushing through the darkness of bigotry, violence, and injustice. Alone, we are one small flame, but together, we illuminate the hearts and souls of all who come close to bathe in the warm promise of freedom for all. -Rabbi Susan Schanerman leads Congregation NefeshSoul in Ahwatukee. nefeshsoul.org.

SPIRITUAL SIDE

Holy Land trip shows big difference from a decade ago BY RABBI DEAN SHAPIRO AFN Guest Writer

t’s Holiday Season, and the attention of Jews and Christians turns to the Holy Land: Jews, because Hanukkah commemorates the assertion of Jewish sovereignty in our homeland and the re-dedication of the Temple; Christians, to celebrate the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. These two sacred stories speak, in their own way, of the return of light. I visited Israel last month, part of a delegation of rabbis organized by Classrooms Without Borders. I had lived in Jerusalem during Rabbinical School in 2003-2004. What a difference a decade makes! When I lived there, the Second Intifada was in full swing. Buses were being blown up, and bags were checked for explosives in every store and restaurant. We lived in constant fear.

The Jerusalem I just visited could not have been more different: there were open air cafes and concerts in plazas, unthinkable previously. There’s a sense of exuberance and freedom. What a contrast to the Israeli border with Gaza. My group toured several communities there, even walking on the exposed side of the immense wall built to keep Hamas snipers from shooting people in the community of Kerem Shalom. Those folks, living in their own homes within their country’s recognized borders, do so in constant fear of kidnapping and missile attack. Their determination was astounding. We saw the spot where Gilad Shalit was kidnapped. We then visited the Rafa Crossing between Israel and Gaza. For what it’s worth, we saw trucks coming and going for the 15 or so minutes we sat there. We did not inspect the cargo, but did observe an active–although controlled– border. The evidence I saw does not

support the story that Gaza is cut off from the rest of the world. I encourage you to consider: who benefits from that propaganda? We also traveled to the north of the country, visiting the Arab village of Kfar Manda. We toured a community center and were invited to the mosque to observe prayers and speak with young adults. What optimistic people there are, building the society and living the lives they wish! One young woman, a teacher, explained in excellent English that she’s not ready to marry because “once you marry, your life becomes about everyone else.” Her father supports her decision. The people with whom we spoke were proud to be Israeli citizens and to live in an open society. I experienced that openness first hand at the Kotel, the Western Wall. I joined “Women of the Wall” to protest for unencumbered access of women to the holy site. We carried Torah scrolls into the

women’s section, something that’s not allowed. Even as I oppose the policy of gender segregation, I was grateful for the right to protest. I was grateful to express that I, an American Jew, have a stake in the State of Israel. Israel is a fast-moving society. It’s on the cutting edge of technology, and a bastion of experimentation in all fields. Social norms are changing as the nation juggles its ancient roots and post-modern reality, its Jewish identity and commitment to democracy. It was wonderful to be back in that vibrant place, and to feel at home there. During this holy month, as you listen to and tell sacred stories of the Holy Land from days long ago, give a thought as well to the real place where the stories occurred, and to the people who live there now. – Rabbi Dean Shapiro is the spiritual leader of Temple Emanuel of Tempe. Contact him at rshapiro@emanueloftempe.org and visit his “Rabbi Dean Shapiro” page on Facebook.

FAITH

DECEMBER 28, 2016 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS

FAITH CALENDAR

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 28 CANDY MENORAH LIGHTING

Ancient traditions meet a new twist with the lighting of a 9-foot candy menorah lighting Each year Chabad of the East Valley takes Chanukah to the next level. Live music will accompany a doughnut dipping bar, a raffle and gifts for all children. DETAILS>> 5:30 p.m., Phoenix Premium Outlets, 4976 Premium Outlets Way, Chandler. Cost: Free. Information: Rabbi Mendy Deitsch at rabbi@ chabadcenter.com or 480-855-4333.

THURSDAY, DEC. 29 TEEN HANUKKAH PARTY

CTeen of the East Valley in conjunction with Shevet Shemesh will have a Hanukkah party featuring latkes, games and a menorah lighting. DETAILS>> 5-7 p.m., Pollack Chabad Center for Jewish Life, 875 N. McClintock Drive, Chandler. Information: rabbi.t@chabadcenter.com or 347-241-7089.

SATURDAY, DEC. 31 NEW YEAR’S EVE SERVICE

This service will be followed by a Burning Bowl Ceremony. DETAILS>> 4 p.m. Interfaith CommUNITY Spiritual Center, 952 E. Baseline, Suite 102, Mesa. Information: Rev. Julianne at 480-593-8798 or interfaithcommunity.org.

SUNDAYS

VALOR CHRISTIAN OUTLINES MISSION

Valor Christian Center in Gilbert offers “great praise and worship and great messages for today’s living,” according to Pastor Thor Strandholt, associate pastor. “Our mission is evangelize, healing and discipleship through the word of God.” DETAILS>> 10 a.m. Sundays and 7 p.m. Thursdays. 3015 E. Warner Road. Information: valorcc.com.

HORIZON SEEKS YOUNG PEOPLE

High school and middle school students meet to worship and do life together. DETAILS>> 5 p.m. at Horizon Presbyterian Church, 1401 E. Liberty Lane. 480-460-1480 or email joel@ horizonchurch.com.

KIDS CAN LEARN JEWISH LIFE

Children can learn and experience Jewish life. Chabad Hebrew School focuses on Jewish heritage, culture and holidays. DETAILS>> 9:30 a.m. to noon, for children ages 5-13 at Pollack Chabad Center for Jewish Life, 875 N. McClintock Drive, Chandler. 480-855-4333, info@ chabadcenter.com, or chabadcenter.com.

RABBINIC LIT COURSE OFFERED

Ongoing morning study of two classics of rabbinic literature by medieval philosopher Moses Maimonides (the “Rambam”). At 10 a.m., Prof. Norbert Samuelson, Grossman chair of Jewish Philosophy at ASU and TBS member, teaches “Maimonides’ Guide of the Perplexed: What Jews Ought to Believe.” At 11:15 a.m., TBS member Isaac Levy teaches “Maimonides’ Mishneh Torah: How Jews Ought to Behave.” Readings in both Hebrew and English. DETAILS>> Community Room of the administration building at Temple Beth Sholom of the East Valley, 3400 N. Dobson Road, Chandler. 480-897-3636.

UNITY OFFERS A PATH

Unity of Mesa says its Sunday service offers “a positive path for spiritual living” through “transformational lessons, empowering music and various spiritual practices with an open-minded and welcoming community.” DETAILS>> 9 a.m. Spiritual discussion group and meditation practices group. 10:15 a.m. service. 2700 E. Southern Ave., Mesa. Child care available at 9 a.m. Nursery for infants through kindergarten at 10:15 a.m. 480-892-2700, unityofmesa.org, joanne@unityofmesa. org.

ALL ARE WELCOME

All on a peaceful spiritual path are welcome and honored in this inclusive, loving, thriving Unity Community. Join us for Interfaith CommUNITY Spiritual Center’s Sunday Celebration Service DETAILS>> 10:30 a.m. Toddlers and children meet during our service. Interfaith CommUNITY Spiritual Center, 952 E. Baseline, Suite 102, Mesa. Information: info@interfaith-community.org.

MONDAYS

JOIN CHRIST-CENTERED YOGA

This Flow 1-2 class (intermediate) is free and open to the community. DETAILS>> 6-7 p.m., Mountain Park Community Church, 2408 E. Pecos Road. Greg Battle at 480-7596200 or gbattle@moutainpark.org.

CLASS TARGETS THE GRIEVING

Classes for those grieving over death or divorce. DETAILS>> 6:30 p.m., Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 739 W. Erie St., Chandler. 480-963-4127.

STRUGGLING FIND SUPPORT

Support group for those struggling with how to deal with a loss in life. DETAILS>> 7 p.m., 1825 S. Alma School Road, Room C201, Chandler. Pastor Larry Daily, 480-963-3997, ext. 141, larrydaily@chandlercc.org or chandlercc.org.

TUESDAYS

JEWISH VIEWS ON HOT-BUTTON ISSUES

A new six session course presents a non-partisan, Jewish view of the hot button 2016 election issues, such as gun control and immigration. The classes will run until Dec. 19. DETAILS>> 7:30-9 p.m., Chabad of the East Valley, 875 N. McClintock Drive, Chandler. 480-855-4333, chabadcenter.com or info@chabadcenter.com.

DIVORCED CAN FIND COMFORT

People suffering through a divorce or separation can find understanding and caring support to face these challenges. DETAILS>> 6:30-8:30 p.m., Mountain Park Community Church, 2408 E Pecos Road, Room 117, Ahwatukee, 480759-6200 or mountainpark.org.

with the Lord closer to your heart as it heals your hurts, habits and hang-ups.” Participants can discuss issues ranging from feeling left out to addictions. “Nothing is too small or too large.” DETAILS>> 6:20 p.m. at Mountain View Lutheran Church, 11002 S. 48th St., Ahwatukee. mvlutheran.org/ celebraterecovery or email cr@alphamvlc.com.

WOMEN’S BIBLE STUDY OFFERED

Living Word Ahwatukee women’s Bible study and fellowship that offers “a short, low-key time of praise and worship in music and message.” It’s also an opportunity to meet other Christian women in Ahwatukee. DETAILS>> 10-11:30 a.m., Living Word Ahwatukee, 14647 W. 50th St., Suite 165, Ahwatukee. Free child care.

GET A ‘SPIRITUAL SHOWER’

HOPE, an acronym for “Help Overcome Painful Experiences,” offers support for men and women who seek God’s grace and healing. DETAILS>> 6:30 to 8 p.m. Mountain Park Community Church, 2408 E. Pecos Road. mountainpark.org.

A release calls this “a 15-minute energetic tune up each week” and says the Twin Hearts Meditation “is like taking a spiritual shower: when your aura is clean, you experience a higher level of awareness. You see through things more clearly and good luck increases.” DETAILS>> 7-9 p.m. at Unity of Tempe, 1222 E. Baseline Road, Suite 103, Tempe. 480-792-1800 or unityoftempe. com.

SENIORS ENJOY ‘TERRIFIC TUESDAYS’

‘A COURSE IN MIRACLES’

FINDING HEALING FOR PAIN

The program is free and includes bagels and coffee and a different speaker or theme each week. Registration not needed. DETAILS>> 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., Barness Family East Valley Jewish Community Center, 908 N. Alma School Road, Chandler. evjcc.org or 480-897-0588.

WEDNESDAYS

CELEBRATE RECOVERY MEETS

Celebrate Recovery says it “brings your relationship

Longtime “A Course in Miracles” student and teacher Rev. Julianne Lewis leads this interactive time of discussion and sharing. This group is appropriate for ACIM beginners as well as experienced ACIM students— and everyone in between. DETAILS>> 1-2:15 p.m. Interfaith CommUNITY Spiritual Center, 952 E. Baseline, Suite 102, Mesa. $10 love donation. Information: revj4u@gmail.com. Submit your releases to pmaryniak@ahwatukee.com

Sports

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | DECEMBER 28, 2016

@AhwatukeeFN |

@AhwatukeeFN

www.ahwatukee.com

Fall 2016: that championship season for Ahwatukee BY JASON P. SKODA AFN Prep Sports Director

he fall sports season in Ahwatukee in recent years has been a time to unlock the trophy cases to move old awards around and add a few more. It was no different this year. Five teams won state titles and two others finished as state runners-up. In addition, the Desert Vista High School Spiritline qualified in cheer for the first time with the Arizona Interscholastic Association while the Mountain Pointe High Spiritline won invitations to compete in three different competitions at the national championships next March. While Desert Vista and Mountain Pointe high schools have amassed a treasure trove of trophies over the last 25 years, Horizon Honors finally hoisted its first state championship trophy. The girls’ volleyball team won

the school’s first sports state title by knocking off Chandler Prep to take the 2A Conference championship. “The No. 1 motivation all year was being the first team to put a banner in our gym,” senior libero Giuliana Castronova said. “We were going to be that team. It made us work our hardest every single practice, doing those suicide (conditioning) drills, kick butt every single game. It was definitely our motivation.” It paid off with a clean sweep against the Titans, which made the win that much sweeter because Chandler Prep knocked Horizon Honors out of the state playoffs in the semifinals a year ago despite the fact Horizon swept the season series. Horizon Honors swept this year’s meetings as well, but there was no chance of the Titans pulling off the upset this time around. “We learned a lot of lessons last year,” Horizon Honors coach Kris Maglunog

(Special to AFN)

Desert Vista High School seniors who were on the team as freshmen book-ended their high school career with state titles.

said. “Volleyball wise we were really good last year, but that loss allowed us to grow mentally and learn intangibles like energy levels, high-fiving each other, team morale, camaraderie and we thought that was the formula to win state.” Mountain Pointe had no such luck after making its way to the 6A Conference championship game in girls’ volleyball and boys’ football. The football team was expected to get there after being the No. 1 ranked team

most, if not all, season long—thanks in part to a perfect regular season. Injuries and a very hot Chandler squad didn’t allow the Pride to finish it off as the Wolves won 36-17. Mountain Pointe, which won 13 games for the second time in school history, led 7-0 but Chandler was up 22-7 at halftime and never relented. The Pride had trouble defensively as Chandler won its ninth straight to end See

CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON on page 41

Cheney setting new standard at Desert Vista High “I knew I was ready for the season,” Cheney said. “I broke DJ (Harris) time heading into the season by a minute. I abtamu Cheney was finishing up felt really about good about where I was the Desert Vista High training at with my conditioning.” camp up north with With that, the Thunder the Thunder cross -country junior was off and he team when the fun and went out to set the games that bond the team standard. were over, and it was time “He made big jump for the final preseason test. this year and became our The team had to run up lead runner,” Thunder The Quest, a hill that starts coach Chris Hanson said with a down slope but after Desert Vista won features a staggering incline the state meet. “He had for the final two miles. DJ in front of last year, (Special to AFN) No one had ever broken Habtamu Cheney was ready and even though, he was the 19-minute mark. Until for the season after his condi- a junior to took control tioning at camp. this year. of the pack along with

BY JASON P. SKODA AFN Prep Sports Director

Chris D’Angelo.” Cheney came out of fast in the regular season and it showed at the prestigious Woodbridge Classic in California. Cheney, who has a 3.4 grade-point average, ran the fastest time ever by a Thunder runner at the 3-mile distance with a time of 14:32, good enough for a 12th place finish. The Thunder also added onto the record with the best team finish ever for the school, earning a solid fourth out of 26 teams at the race. As the season wore on, he had overcome some injuries including an IT band injury that slowed his training leading up to the state meet. He managed to finish fourth at the state meet with a time of 15:54, which

was five seconds off the championship winning time. “It was a pretty good race, but I didn’t do much speed work so I knew I was not going to be able to make a late push,” Cheney said. “I started out in front of the pack and went hard until the 800 mark when (the leaders) took off. It gives me something to work on. “I feel great going into next. We bring almost the whole team. We have bigger goals ahead.” Other Ahwatukee standouts in crosscountry last fall included four other Desert Vista runners: Reece Donihi, a junior who finished ninth in team race to push to the Thunder to the top; Chris D’Angelo, Thunder’s senior leader; and juniors Nick Thatcher and Aksel Laudon.

SPORTS

DECEMBER 28, 2016 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS

CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON the year, coming together after losing 52-7 to Mountain Pointe in September, “We didn’t play well on offense and turned it over a ton,” Pride coach Norris Vaughan said. “Their offense did a great job. They wore us down and Green played a great game. No excuses. They worked us on defense. We had guys open put we missed them. We had some sparks there but not enough fire.” The Pride volleyball team, on the other hand, was not necessarily a lock to make a championship run. Mountain Pointe was one of the state’s top teams, but there were several teams that showed it was capable of making it to the finals. The Pride (35-9) put it together before falling in three quick sets to Corona del Sol (39-5) as the Aztecs won in the title match. “It was a bummer to play like that in the biggest match of the year,” said Pride coach Karen Gray, whose program made the finals for the first time since 2007. She said Corona “played very well, and we had one of our worse of the year. It’s disappointing, but we had a great year.” The success of the fall, however,

from page 40

centered around Desert Vista High School as the Thunder secured four state championships—something schools older than Desert Vista haven’t achieved in their history, let alone a three-month stretch. Desert Vista swept the cross-country titles for the second time in three seasons, won its first boys golf title and second girls swimming championship. “You kind of feel that pressure a little bit to come through for your school,” said junior golfer Davis Evans, whose team was the final won to take home title. “All of those other teams did it and you feel like you want to keep it going.” The cross-country teams were favorites all year long, while the girls swimming team was led by Shae Nicolaisen, who won the 200 free, and the 200 relay squad. Along with the swim team’s title win when they were freshmen, this year’s victory bookended the seniors’ high school career. -Contact writer: 480-898-7915 or jkoda@ ahwatukee.com. Follow him on Twitter @ JasonPSkoda

Shomari Hayes named to national team between the two North American national teams is held outside of the ountain Pointe defensive International Bowl series. lineman Shomari Hayes The International Bowl was established has been named to the U.S. in 2010 as a USA versus the World Under-18 National Team and will game, played around NCAA national compete against Canada in the first signing day. North American Championship at Players will arrive in Orlando, Florida, ESPN’s Wide World of on Jan. 23 and Sports Complex. will kick games He is one of 48 high off on Jan. 28. school athletes selected to Hayes, who represent Team USA in played defensive the annual international end when the competition. Pride uses a Formally known as the 3-4 front and International Bowl, the platoons with 2017 North American Matthew Pola(Special to AFN) Championship is a Mountain Pointe defensive lineman Shom- Mao on the collaboration of the ari Hayes will compete against Canada in offensive line, has sport’s national governing an international game next month. been a defensive bodies in each country, powerhouse this USA Football and Football Canada. It past season. features top student-athletes. One Twitter user remarked about The U.S. and Canada’s national teams his performance during a September began playing an annual series of games game that “Shomari Hayes throwing in 2014. stuff around like Peeta from ‘Hunger Next month’s contest marks the first Games,’” a reference to a main character time that the winter series of games in the popular book and movie series. AFN NEWS STAFF

SPORTS

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | DECEMBER 28, 2016

Runners chase comfort when it comes to buying shoes equipment and shoes. Running has always been a big part of his life. hoes are to runners as tires are to “I ran track and cross country in cars. Both run smoothly—or not— high school and college,” said Wallack. with the proper fit. “I picked it up a little more with clubs Now, runners are chasing comfort. and now I’m doing marathons and half Brands and styles are almost limitless. marathons.” Nike is the sales leader Wallack doesn’t favor globally. According to one brand. Lightweight, Statista, Nike topped all flexible and supportive others with revenue of shoes are what he looks $32 billion in 2016. for. What footwear The industry releases company should new running shoes that runners turn to for the are all a little different, yet proper fit among all the still share some common varying styles, shapes properties. and weights of shoes? Running Shoes Guru, It’s not necessarily which reviews more than Nike, some experts say. (Russ Oviatt/Cronkite News) 100 pairs of shoes a year, “Comfort. That’s the Nate Wallack from Runner’s Den believes the most popular magic word,” said Nate in Phoenix values a shoe that is running shoes for weight, lightweight and flexible, but said Wallack. cushioning and overall many are chasing comfort. Wallack, a secondsupport are made by generation employee at Runner’s Den, Hoka and Mizuno. is an avid runner and uses his personal “A big part of what keeps us in business experience to help others find the right is that everyone is looking for something

BY RUSS OVIATT Cronkite News

UPGRADE

TO A

different, which allows for all these great brands to coexist,’’ said Wallack. “They all carve their own little niche and allows customers to have a lot of variety.” In past years, the minimalist shoe reigned. This is a lightweight, flexible shoe that gives the feeling of almost running barefoot. Lately, the trend has leveled out as runners look for a more cushioned shoe. “The minimalist shoes are still out there but not as big of a slice of the pie as previously,’’ said Wallack. New materials used in shoes are changing in the industry. Adidas calls it Boost. “It’s a plastic compound that is air injected, and molded together. It’s made out of these tiny plastic pellets that give the shoe a Styrofoam look,” said Wallack. The running shoe industry has had five key turning points. Beginning with Nike’s first flats in the late 60’s, shoes evolved into ones with more cushioning by 1971. Then the shoe industry exploded and stabilized. Early in 2000s, Minimalism introduced a shoe that gave runners the

closest feel to the ground. Runners are now looking for shoes that are simply comfortable. Both avid runners and beginners choose shoes for the same reasons. Jeremy McElliott, a trail and marathon runner in Phoenix who began running in high school and now runs 5k’s, half marathons and triathlons, said, “I tend to choose shoes for comfort and functionality.” Having different shoes for marathon and trail running is crucial. Both must be comfortable and breathe. In contrast to road-running shoes, McElliott wears shoes with a wider toe to feel the ground. McElliott believes society has been so focused on buying narrow shoes even though they often constrain circulation and can cause nerve damage. “People are getting smarter about the biomechanics of how we run and how are feet sit for natural movement and blood flow,” said McElliott. “I’m seeing more shops actually measure a person’s length and width at all points to make sure a fit is proper.”

SMART GARAGE

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DECEMBER 28, 2016 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS

‘Power exercises’ can help build and maintain good bone mass

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t is well established that performing regular muscle fitness exercise is Chuck Corbin important for building and maintain strong bones. When we think of muscle fitness, most of us think of strength (the ability to exert force or lift a weight) and muscular endurance (the ability to repeat muscle performances for many repetitions). Resistance training—such as using free weights, exercise bands or resistance machines—produces gains in strength (muscle tissue mass) and muscular endurance (repeating an exercise many times). Exercise that builds strength and muscular endurance also has benefits for the bones. New evidence shows that another type of muscle fitness, power, has special benefits for the bones. Power, the ability to perform strength activities explosively, is demonstrated by activities such as jumping and putting the shot. The new evidence indicates that performing power activities stimulates bone health as much or even more than other muscle fitness activities. Authors of an “in press” paper indicate “that there is solid evidence that jumping and similar explosive activities improves bone strength,” according to a report in Corbin, Janz and Baptista. Bone mass is low in children as compared to adults. In the teen-toearly-adult years, we achieve our highest bone density (bone mass). This “peak bone mass” decreases as we grow older. If the decrease is too great, the bones become frail and are at risk of injury. Accordingly, it is important to build as

much bone mass as possible in our early years. Having a high “peak bone mass” early in life is like having a health savings account. The more you have in your account the more you will have later when you start to lose bone density. For the reasons described above, building muscle fitness, especially power, is very important for children and teens. Experts conclude that “specifically including activities, such as those in jumping sports (e.g., volleyball and basketball), and activities such as jump rope, hop scotch, and skipping games should be considered in developing physical education, school, and community sports programs. But power activities are not only for kids. They have benefits to adults as well, including older adults. Muscle fitness activities delay agerelated losses in bone mass, reduce the risk of osteoporosis, and reduce the risk of falling. In addition, muscle fitness activities, including power activities, enhance muscle development and help people of all ages maintain a healthy body composition. For adults, resistance training, weight bearing exercises, jumping activities and activities such as hitting a ball with power (e.g., tennis, volleyball, golf ) all have benefits. The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommend “age appropriate muscleand bone-strengthening activities.” Ideally, they should be performed at least two days a week for adults and three for youth. Muscle fitness exercise, including power activities, can build healthy bones and contribute to lifelong health.

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Ring in the New Year with major parties and performances BY CASSIDY LANDAKER, CHRISTINA FUOCOKARASINSKI AND JUSTIN FERRIS GetOut

ay goodbye to 2016 and hello to 2017. Whether you want to dress up, dance to music, drink fancy champagne, or spend a night out with family and friends, you can find plenty to do around and adjacent to the East Valley. We rounded up some of the biggest events around that will ring in the New Year right. But first, a quick reminder: DO NOT drink and drive. To help you get around, Valley Metro makes bus and light rail transportation free on New Year’s Eve from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. Learn more about the routes and schedules at valleymetro.org/ celebratesafe.

Decadence

This year’s biggest act, The Chainsmokers, will slip under the radar to spend New Year’s Eve with their fans in Chandler. That sexy video for their hit “Closer” might raise eyebrows, but it’s nothing compared to the steam The Chainsmokers will generate during its set at Decadence. Decadence begins on Friday, but on New Year’s Eve Saturday, The Chainsmokers will be joined

by the likes of DJ Snake and Zedd. Where: Rawhide Western Town and Event Center, 5700 W. North Loop Road, Chandler. When: Friday and Saturday. Cost: $99-$399. Info: relentlessbeats.com.

Marquee Theatre

to seasonal classics. Each concert-goer of appropriate age receives a complimentary glass of champagne. Where: Symphony Hall, 75 N. 2nd St., Phoenix. When: Saturday, 4 or 7:30 p.m. Cost: $25-$109. Info: tickets.phoenixsymphony.org.

Join San DiegoNYE On Mill Avenue based reggae band Dirty Heads, along While a formal with Katastro, Mouse “Block Party on Mill” Powell, Neato and with scheduled Highest Conspiracy entertainment for an all-ages and a family fun concert at the zone won’t take Marquee Theatre. place this year, Mill Where: Marquee Avenue still remains Theatre, 730 N. Mill an NYE hot spot. Ave., Tempe. The bars will open When: Saturday, 6 and offer specials, (Special to AFN) and several streets p.m. - 2 a.m. Downtown Tempe will be rocking Saturday will close to traffic Cost: $20.25-$75. night with its annual New Year’s Eve celebrafor reveling. Food Info: luckymanonline. tion, complete with fireworks. trucks and other com. amenities will also be on hand. Plus, Four New Year’s Eve Celebration Peaks Brewery provided the money for a The Phoenix Symphony sends off 2016 midnight fireworks show. with a concert full of favorites from Where: Mill Avenue, Tempe. Strauss waltzes to Broadway showstoppers When: Saturday.

Cost: Free. Info: downtowntempe.com/nye2016.

Noon Year’s Eve

Let the kids experience their own New Year’s Eve party earlier in the day so mom and dad can go out and celebrate later. The Phoenix Zoo’s Noon Year’s Eve offers 30 tons of snow, live music, dancing, games, prizes and a noon ball drop with a juice and cider toast. Where: Phoenix Zoo, 455 North Galvin Parkway, Phoenix. When: Saturday, 9 a.m. – noon. Cost: $24.95 adults, $14.95 kids 3-13. Info: phoenixzoo.org.

Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers

One of the Valley’s most celebrated acts, Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers will perform their last show of the year at Celebrity Theatre. RCPM’s private label of ultra-premium tequila called “Mexican Moonshine Tequila” will be available for revelers to enjoy. And dancers rejoice: Seat rows one through three disappear to make a dance ﬂoor. Where: Celebrity Theatre, 440 N. 32nd Street, Phoenix. When: Saturday, 9 p.m. Cost: $43-$53. Info: celebritytheatre.com.

In search of a quieter New Year’s Eve out? Check out these spots BY COLLEEN SPARKS AFN Contributing Writer

nyone who wants to ring in the New Year without squeezing through crowds at busy resorts or clubs can find lots of more low-key entertainment in and around Ahwatukee. Local restaurants, theaters, coffee shops and other venues will give people a chance to unwind and have fun without having to spend a fortune, get glammed up or dodge drunken revelers. Families can even bring little ones to toast the New Year with non-alcoholic drinks before their children’s bedtime.

Pomegranate Café, a vegan restaurant with vegetarian options on East Chandler Boulevard near 40th Street, Ahwatukee, is serving a special dinner featuring a cauliﬂower picatta with spaghetti squash pasta and lemon beurre blanc on New Year’s Eve. The dinner, which will cost $35 a person, also includes a winter jewel salad with pomegranate vinaigrette, a POM-Berry champagne sparkler and tiramisu triﬂe. “We’re really excited,” Pomegranate Café owner Cassie Tolman said. “We’re a really chill community-oriented spot. “If you want to just be part of a neighborhood and enjoy a nice evening out,

this is the place to go,” Tolman added. “We really don’t have a big drinking crowd; we offer really select, fresh organic cocktails and wine and beer (and) fun non-alcoholic drinks.” Diners can order a non-alcoholic version of the POM-Berry drink on New Year’s Eve and Pomegranate also offers a super-food hot chocolate, as well as plenty of juices, smoothies, teas and other drinks without alcohol. Pomegranate will be open the usual Saturday hours from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. and reopen for a special New Year’s Day brunch from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Ahwatukee resident Matt Pierson, 21, a

Pomegranate Café diner, thinks spending New Year’s Eve at the restaurant sounds fun. He favors a quieter area to celebrate, saying he doesn’t like going “too far from home when everyone’s out drinking.” “The pomegranate champagne sounds pretty good,” Pierson said. “The food is amazing.” Another Ahwatukee restaurant, Hillside Spot, will also be open on New Year’s Eve for anyone who wants to eat out but get home early. The restaurant on East Warner Road at 48th Street will offer specials on See

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ﬂavored mimosas and six-packs of beer togo that day. People can grab breakfast starting at 6:30 a.m. all day until Hillside closes at 3 p.m. Saturday. The restaurant also offers lunch, starting at 11 a.m., including their popular pulled pork and hamburgers. “We’re very family-friendly,” Hillside manager Jon Marquez said. “We’re right near the neighborhood.” People of all ages can grab coffee and food while listening to live music on New Year’s Eve at Talebu Coffee and Wine Café on Alma School Road, north of Warner Road, in Chandler. Singer-songwriter Wyatt Espalin will perform 5 to 7 p.m. “You can come grab a cup of coffee, get a glass of wine,” said Tayler Roost, barista and sound technician at Talebu. “You’re still going out and doing something, but it doesn’t have to be all hustle and bustle.” Talebu offers sandwiches, bruschetta plates, salads, as well as bagels, cookies, brownies and other baked goods. Another place for families, couples and singles all ages to see live entertainment in Chandler on New Year’s Eve is at Chandler Center for the Arts. Zoppé: An Italian Family Circus will be performing its European-style intimate show featuring Nino the clown, acrobatics, a trapeze act, equestrian ballet and canine tricks. The New Year’s Eve shows are at 1 p.m., 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Performers do a preshow outside about 20 minutes before they head into the tent for the main event. Tickets on New Year’s Eve range from $28 to $40 for adults and $20 to $32 for children. Prices are slightly lower for Zoppé An Italian Family Circus shows other days and nights. Info: chandlercenter.org.

A musical performance is on the menu at Mesa Arts Center on East Main Street, Mesa, on New Year’s Eve. The male a cappella group Straight No Chaser will take the stage as part of its I’ll Have Another 20th Anniversary Tour. The group sings a wide genre of songs. “They’re a favorite of attendees to Mesa Arts Center,” said Casey Blake, Mesa Arts Center director of public relations.” Tickets for the New Year’s Eve Straight No Chaser show at 8 p.m. range from about $50 to $80. For tickets and information: mesaartscenter.com. For those who want to see a show in Gilbert on New Year’s Eve, the play “Is He Dead?” will be performed at 6 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. at Hale Centre Theatre on West Page Avenue. The play is based on a book by Mark Twain and adapted by David Ives to give it a more modern feel. “Is He Dead?” is a funny play about a painter who fakes his own death in order to sell paintings. Tickets cost $42 per person for the New Year’s Eve performances. Party favors, soda and cheesecake will be served at intermission for both shows. People who prefer an even smaller stage for a young audience can check out the Barnes & Noble bookstore at Tempe Marketplace on East Rio Salado Parkway in Tempe on New Year’s Eve morning. A free storytime will take place at 11 a.m. and the children’s book, “Hap-Pea All Year” by Keith Baker will be read. Those who want to pamper themselves after a busy holiday season can take advantage of a special at Sundance Spa and Salon, part of Four Points by Sheraton Phoenix South Mountain on S. 51st Street in Ahwatukee. The spa is offering a special for a blowout, express facial and manicure for $80 on New Year’s Eve 8 a.m.-3 p.m.

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Avoid a New Year’s Eve nightmare if you plan to drink GETOUT STAFF

lanning to tip a few to bring in the New Year? Here are some pointers from Farmers Insurance to keep you and guests out of trouble with the law. The more you eat and drink water, the soberer you will be. Coffee will not wake anyone up enough to drive. Beer will get people just as drunk as hard liquor. Although body size does figure in, how much rest you’ve had and when you last ate affect how alcohol affects you. Encourage guests to designate a sober

driver in advance, then have them sign a no-alcohol pledge at the door. Create an Uber ride code for your party to share with guests, put out signup sheets for people to indicate when they will be leaving and what city they heading to, so they can share the ride. Stop serving alcohol at a pre-designated time. Don’t be afraid to take someone keys away if they have had too much to drink. Save the number of your preferred taxi company to your phone so you can call a cab quickly. Find out twhop offers free rides and save their phone numbers on your phone.

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From circus to Bowie, 2017 opens with a bang BY JUSTIN FERRIS GetOut Editor

Here comes the circus

Get a taste of the old world at Zoppe: An Italian Family Circus. Set in an intimate 500-person tent, you’re never far from the action, whether it’s the antics of the clowns, trick horseback riding or the daredevil trapeze artists. DETAILS>> Times vary, today-Jan. 8. Chandler Center for the Arts, 250 N. Arizona Ave., Chandler. Tickets: $15-$40. 480-782-2680. chandlercenter.org.

Junior colleges hit court

While football fans’ eyes are focused west on the Cactus and Fiesta bowls, East Valley basketball fans get a three-day, double-elimination tournament featuring eight junior college teams from around the country.

DETAILS>> 2-8 p.m., today-Friday. Theo Heap Gymnasium, 1833 W. Southern Ave., Mesa. Tickets: $15 daily, $35 tournament pass. 480-350-0911. fiestabowl.org.

David Bowie’s music lives

Ave., Gilbert. Tickets: $18-$42. 480-497-1181. haletheatrearizona.com.

Doc Holliday comes alive

Sadly, 2016 saw the passing of music legend David Bowie. However, his music lives on, and you can hear it in a new way. Join vocalist Tony Vincent, the Phoenix Symphony and a full rock band for a concert that offers a wide range of Bowie’s music. DETAILS>> 7:30 p.m., Friday. Phoenix Symphony Hall, 75 N. Second St., Phoenix. Tickets: $45-$109. 800-776-9080. phoenixsymphony.org.

You know the name of this dentist turned outlaw. Now, spend an intimate evening with the man behind the legend. The actor is the great-grandnephew of Wyatt Earp; you can’t get more western than this. DETAILS>> 7:30 p.m., Jan. 7. Higley Center for the Performing Arts, 4132 E. Pecos Road, Gilbert. Tickets: $25. 480279-7194. higleycenter.org.

‘Is He Dead?’ on stage

Itzhak Perlman to perform

Adapted from a newly published (2003) Mark Twain story, this comedy set in 1846 follows a French painter who fakes his own death to make his paintings more valuable. What follows is a comedy of epic proportions. DETAILS>> Wednesdays-Saturdays until Feb. 11. Hale Centre Theatre, 50 W. Page

The greatest living violin virtuoso, Itzhak Perlman brings his brilliant musicianship and charm to the Valley. Pianist and Julliard professor Rohan de Silva joins him to perform works from Vivaldi, Beethoven, Schumann and Stravinksy. DETAILS>> 7:30 p.m., Jan. 12. Mesa Arts

Center, 1 E. Main St., Mesa. Tickets: $50-$90. 480-644-6500. mesaartscenter.com.

‘Annie’ returns to Mesa

The irrepressibly optimistic red-haired orphan named Annie comes to the Valley bringing favorite songs like “It’s A Hard Knock Life,” “Easy Street” and “Tomorrow” in this Tony winning production. DETAILS>> Times vary, Jan. 13-14. Mesa Arts Center, 1 E. Main St., Mesa. Tickets: $35-$75. 480-644-6500. mesaartscenter. com.

The Illusionists to entertain

Prepare for an evening of magic and amazement as seven premier illusionists from the Broadway stage come to the Valley. You won’t believe your eyes at some of these tricks. DETAILS>> Times vary, Jan. 17-22. ASU Gammage, 1200 S. Forest Ave., Tempe. Tickets: $20-$125. 480-965-3434. asugammage.com.

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