July 20 – August 2, 2013
www.SanTanSun.com
CUSD welcomes new principals
Banner Chandler ready to fulfill community’s health care needs
BY TRACY HOUSE
BY LYNETTE CARRINGTON
Eager, nervous, anxious—the start of the school year is a whirlwind of excitement. When the bell rings to officially start the 2013-14 school year on Mon., July 22, students at four Chandler schools will be greeted by new faces to the CUSD family. Heading up Chandler High School (CHS) is Principal Larry Rother who comes to CUSD from Higley Unified School District. Rother was with Higley for eight years, three as an assistant principal and the last five as principal of Higley High School. He mentions there were about 1,600 students at Higley, “half the size of Chandler.” Even though he is transitioning from a smaller school, Rother says a lot of it is the same. “The difference going into Chandler, getting to meet with teachers and students, there’s a lot more to offer at a bigger high school and there’s a lot more programs that are designed to meet students’ needs, but also meet students’ interests,” he explains. “What I’ve seen so far in Chandler, there’s something for everyone.” He mentions, for example, sports, fine arts, career and tech education and clubs and activities for students to be involved. “There’s really something for everyone and that’s what I’m excited about.” Rother’s appointment as principal was announced in the spring, replacing
With all the changes in the health care industry in the past several years, it can be a confusing or daunting task to find the right doctors. Banner Health Center Chandler will begin seeing patients at its new medical facility on Aug. 7 on Alma School Road, south of the Santan Loop 202 Freeway. In one convenient medical center location, the entire family can
The Chandler City Council met July 11 to decide the fate of backyard chickens in Chandler, listening to arguments for and against the fowl, before voting 4-3 denying the ordinance change. Voting against the ordinance were Mayor Jay Tibshraeny, Vice Mayor Jack Sellers and councilmembers Rick Heumann and Jeff Weninger. The yearlong process started last summer when a group of residents approached the council at one of the meetings asking them to change the laws, allowing them to have chickens in their backyards. Mayor and council directed staff to look into the backyard chickens to see what other cities were doing
principal Terry Williams. Rother lives in Chandler with his wife, Jessica, and two children, Eli, 6, who will attend CTA Goodman Elementary, and Ava, 3, who will be at CHS as part of the Little Express program. He says when the opportunity came along to lead a large high school it was a no-brainer to come to CHS. “I think that anyone can tell you that the reputation of the Chandler School SEE PRINCIPALS PAGE 6
CHANDLER BACK TO SCHOOL ISSUE: Mon., July 22 is the first day of school for students in the Chandler Unified School District.
around the state and nation. “It’s not something that just small towns are doing. All the major metropolitan areas are doing this,” explains David de la Torre, principal planner for the City of Chandler. He cites other cities in the Valley that allow chickens with varying restrictions; Gilbert, Tempe, Mesa, Phoenix and Scottsdale. The introduction of Ordinance No. 4449 would have amended Chapter 35 of the City Code to permit residents to raise chickens on single family lots. In terms of the Chandler population, “Effectively speaking, it would only have affected about 18% of the single-family lots,” says de la Torre.
BANNER HEALTH CENTER CHANDLER: The newest Banner facility will offer the convenience of many primary care physicians in one location. Submitted photo
CITY PLANNER: David de la Torre, Chandler’s principal planner, researched and presented information about the backyard chicken trend to the Chandler City Council. STSN Photo by Tracy House
About 82% of Chandler’s singlefamily lots are in HOAs (homeowner
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LEADER OF THE PACK: Chandler wolf, Larry Rother. Submitted photo
Council denies backyard chicken ordinance BY TRACY HOUSE
be seen. Patricia Lowrance, practice administrator of the new center and Banner Health Center Queen Creek, explains what patients can expect at the new Banner Health Center Chandler. “The center will house one internal medicine physician, three family medicine physicians and two
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4TH OF JULY
GOOD TIMES: Jennifer Hall and Michael Douglas came prepared with chairs —and even a table—to enjoy their 4th of July snacks in comfort. STSN photo by Adam Moreno
See more photos on page 58
SEE CHICKENS PAGE 5
F E AT U R E STO R I E S Why do you love your local parks and recreation? . . . . . . . .COMMUNITY . . . . . . . . . Page 10 Fun and fitness focus of Great Play of Chandler. . . . . . . . . . . .BUSINESS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 17 Play dates with horses offer bevy of benefits . . . . . . . . . . . . . .YOUTH . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 24 Chandler firefighter gives campers courage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .NEIGHBORS . . . . . . . . . . .Page 45 Local artists get rare opportunity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ARTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 63
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More Community . . . . . . 1-16 Business . . . . . . . . 17-23 Youth. . . . . . . . . . 24-38 Opinion. . . . . . . . 43-44 Neighbors. . . . . . 45-58 Spirituality . . . . . 59-62 Arts . . . . . . . . . . . .63-71 Directory . . . . . . .72-73 Classifieds. . . . . . .74-75 Where to eat . . . 76-78