Ahwatukee Foothills News 05/10/2023

DV's '70s Revival / P. 28

BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor

WWednesday,

ith nary a word beyond “yes,” Phoenix City Council last week unanimously paved the way for a 417-unit apartment complex on 50th Street between Ray Road and Chandler Boulevard.

Council’s approval May 3 of a rezoning application by P8 Phoenix Foothills Holdings LLC follows a unanimous recommendation by the city Planning Commission in February

and a 6-2 recommendation for approval by the Ahwatukee Foothills Village Planning Committee the previous month. New Councilman Kevin Robinson joined council's action with his first vote on an issue directly affecting Ahwatukee.

The project got an enthusiastic review by the city Planning and Development Department, which agreed with developers P.B. Bell and Everest Holdings that the project will transform a 14.3-acre site now hosting a largely empty two-building office complex.

“The project will redevelop an underutilized property and provide a high-quality multifamily residential development which is con-

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F

or over a decade, history and genealogy have been an adventure and almost an obsession for Jack Armstrong. He built and continues to grow a micro-museum in his Ahwatukee home that enshrines memorabilia from as far back as the Revolutionary War along with decades-old artifactsJack Armstrong of Ahwatukee, right, stands with Henry Robinson, the head of the Ballinamallard Historical Society in Northern Ireland. He considers Robinson “a saint” for helping him in his quest to uncover his ancestral roots in a timeworn cemetery in the tiny Irish village. (Courtesy of Jack Armstrong)

sistent with the surrounding land uses,” the department said. “The proposal will allow for additional housing opportunities in the Village and will help alleviate the housing crisis.”

The plan calls for four three-story buildings surrounding two four-story buildings that will stand about 48 feet. Also in the center of the complex will be a 12,000-square-foot clubhouse with a pool and other amenities.

project

138-unit senior complex proposed at St. Benedict’s ............................. See page 16 BUSINESS ..... 35 Ahwatukee company to give a veteran a free roof. SPORTS .............. 41 2 Thunder teens tops in Arizona girls tennis. see COMPLEX page 14 GETOUT............. 43 Rebranded local theater gives the grown-ups a spotlight.

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Tempe Union quietly joins social media lawsuit

BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor

The Tempe Union High School Governing Board last week unanimously voted to join at least a dozen other school districts in a class action lawsuit against the nation’s social media giants.

The board discussed the lawsuit only behind closed doors, voting May 3 in public with no comment. The 4-0 vote to retain the Frantz Law Group of San Diego did not include board Vice President Amanda Steele, who was absent.

Tempe Union’s legal action against Meta, TikTok, Snap, YouTube, Instagram and other social media companies parallels a lawsuit being handled by Scottsdale attorney Joseph Tann.

He was hired by the boards of Chandler Unified and Mesa Public Schools earlier this year for his class action suit after members discussed it in public. The Scottsdale Unified Governing Board also discussed the lawsuit with Tann at a public meeting but has yet made no decision.

Asked why the Tempe Union board did not discuss the suit in public, district General Counsel Jordan Ellel said through Tempe Union spokeswoman Megan Sterling:

“I can’t speak to why Mesa and Scottsdale chose to have the discussion in public. I prefer to get direction on potential litigation and answer those questions in executive session.”

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The Tempe Union authorized attorneys James Frantz, William Shinoff and Jade Koller “to provide legal services in connection with pursuing claims for damages associated with Social Media litigation, including the preparation and filing of the District’s individual action,” according to the contract the board approved.

“Attorneys shall provide those legal services reasonably required to represent Client (Tempe Union) and shall take reasonable steps to keep Client informed of progress and to respond to Client’s inquiries,” the contract states. “Client shall be truthful with Attorneys, cooperate with Attorneys, and keep Attorneys informed of developments.”

The district will not be paying Frantz any money in advance either for its services or any related costs or fees.

Instead, the firm would collect 25% “of any monetary settlement or recovery” for damages the lawsuit might generate along with money from that settlement to cover the firm’s expenses, according to the contract.

“Contingency fee rates are not set by law but have been negotiated. If no recovery is made, no fees will be charged,” the contract states.

It also states, “Attorneys’ sole source of recovery of contingent fees will come from a common fund or court ordered Attorney’s fees.”

Frantz Law Group said it has successfully represented 1,000 school districts in 38 states in lawsuits against the vaping device manufacturer JUUL and is continuing similar legal against other vaping device manufacturers.

On April 15, Frantz announced that over a dozen California school districts had hired him for the class action lawsuit against social media.

“We allege that Meta, TikTok, Snap, You-

cyberbullying.

“This litigation seeks to provide the funding and resources needed to mitigate the damage that school districts are currently experiencing.

He noted that a former Meta employee told Congress that Meta’s own internal research indicated how harmful their products are to the mental health of child users, teenage girls, in particular.

The U.S. Surgeon General “has declared a national advisory on the youth mental health crisis, blaming social media, in large part, for the growing number of youth experiencing depression, anxiety, self-harm, and other mental health challenges,” his announcement said.

Tube, and other social media companies have engaged in reckless and negligent misconduct that has caused a mental health crisis among our youth,” Frantz said. “Social media companies are and have been well aware of the harm they cause.

“It must stop, and we will fight to hold these social media companies accountable for choosing profit over the mental health and safety of children and their families,” said Frantz.

He charged that social media companies “have caused a mental and emotional health crisis among students (children and teenagers) that is marked by higher proportions of anxiety, depression, and thoughts of self-harm, all of which severely affect their ability to succeed in school.

“Many children and students are subjected to often harmful and exploitative content that encourages disorderly behavior, unhealthy social comparison, and

Tann, who has recovered over $100 million from vaping manufacturers on behalf of a number of school districts, told the Scottsdale Unified board in March that the name of the game for Facebook, YouTube, TikTok and other platforms is keeping kids glued to their apps, consuming and adding to negative content.

“They do this whole thing, while pocketing billions of dollars.”

After Tann’s presentation to the Mesa

With Vice President Amanda Steele absent, the Tempe Union Governing Board last week voted unanimously to join a class action lawsuit with other districts against social media giants like TikTok. (YouTube)

board, member Rachel Walden said, “We have seen a lot of mental health issues in the kids and we’re short of resources, so this is important for the district.”

Chandler educator Katey McPherson –a leading Valley advocate for more mental health help for young people – applauded school districts for “acknowledging the pressures and issues our students face on and because of social media” and called platforms “truly negligent and not supportive of our children.”

But she said the districts can take another measure in their fight as well.

Their “next logical step simultaneously would be to not allow phones in the ‘ON’ position during the school day,” McPherson said.

“When I survey principals and superintendents about how much of their day is spent fighting social media, most report 50-80% of a disciplinary issue at grades 5-12 have some sort of element of social media in them,” she said. “We have all of the causal and correlative research, the CDC and the Surgeon General saying this should be delayed for children.

“It’s long overdue for school districts to get brave and stop the use of this on campus,” McPherson added. “It’s truly a battlefield for our kids. I know this as we are raising 4 teenage girls. It’s a daunting task and a true extra layer of parenting and school admin.”

Lawsuits filed by school districts across

the country against social media platforms haven’t won unanimous kudos.

Dr Eric Goldman, co-director of the High Tech Law Institute at Santa Clara University in California told Law.com:

“Can schools sue all the potential sources of those social ills for nuisance? Can they sue the drug dealers for nuisance? Can they sue the gang organizers for nuisance? None of that makes sense.

“It’s a social problem that needs to be dealt with through traditional law enforcement means—not with school districts usurping legislatures to make their own policy and enforcement.”

“‘It’s my position that it’s unlikely that the school districts have standing to claim the harms that are really attributed to students’ personal lives,” Goldman said.

Some social media platform representatives also condemned the litigation.

Antigone Davis, head of safety at Meta, which owns Facebook, told reporters, “We want to reassure every parent that we have their interests at heart in the work we’re doing to provide teens with safe, supportive experiences online.”

“We’ve developed more than 30 tools to support teens and their families, including tools that allow parents to decide when, and for how long, their teens use Instagram, age verification technology, automatically setting accounts belonging to those under 16 to private when they join Instagram, and sending notifications encouraging teens to take regular breaks.” 

Jeremy Douwstra comprise the twostudent robotics team called Cybercat Robotics at Summit School of Ahwatukee that accomplished a

feat last week – placing ninth among 800 student robotics teams from around the world that competed in the VEX IQ Worlds tournament in Dallas, Texas. After winning Division Champions and scoring as the top seed, the middle school Cybercat Robotics team did their winning thing before some 10,000 spectators in the finals, competing against teams from Canada, China, Taiwan, Vietnam, and many states in the United States. (Special to AFN)

The Desert Vista hockey team celebrated its state championship and third-place finish at nationals with a ring ceremony in Ahwatukee. Along with receiving the championship rings, Dan O’Reilly was awarded Thunder Elite Player of the Year for his play during the state title season.

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Lawmakers hire lawyer in Kyrene transgender suit

BY HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services

Top legislative Republicans have hired an out-of-state attorney at taxpayer expense to defend a 2022 law forbidding transgender girls from participating in girls’ sports in a lawsuit filed on behalf of a student in Kyrene School District and another in Tucson.

Justin Smith of St. Louis told U.S. District Court Judge Jennifer Zipps that Senate President Warren Petersen and House Speaker Ben Toma have a legal right to intervene because state Attorney General Kris Mayes disqualified herself from defending the statute.

Mayes said that her views on defending the lawsuit did not align with those of Tom Horne, the state schools chief who is named as a defendant in the case.

Horne has publicly supported the law, which Kyrene and Tempe Union governing boards reluctantly adopted as policy rather than risk penalties that could include a loss of state funding.

Mayes instead gave Horne permission to hire his own attorney but Smith told Zipps that Horne has yet to file any legal papers in the case “despite an imminent briefing deadline on plaintiffs’ motion for

preliminary injunction.’’

“In fact, no other party has filed an entry of appearance to defend the statutes at issue,’’ he wrote.

And Smith said that even if and when Horne takes action – the schools chief said he has hired a Phoenix law firm – that won’t be enough.

He said Petersen and Toma have “unique legislative interests’’ in defending the law that may differ from Horne’s.

The statute requires public schools and any private schools that compete against them to designate their interscholastic or intramural sports strictly as male, female or coed. And, more to the point, it specifically says that teams designated for women or girls “may not be open to students of the male sex.’’

The Arizona Interscholastic Association, which governs high school sports, handles requests by transgender athletes to participate in sports on a case-by-case basis. Factors included a student’s “gender story,’’ including the age at which they became aware of the “incongruence’’ between the sex assigned at birth and gender identity, and whether the student is undergoing gender transition.

Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen, R-Gilbert, and other GOP legislative leaders have hired an attorney at taxpayer expense to defend a 2022 law banning transgender male students from participating in K-12 girls sports teams. (AFN file photo)

Dr. Kristina Wilson, who was on the AIA’s medical advisory board, testified that out of 170,000 high school athletes, there had been just 16 requests by transgender individuals to compete.

Then-Gov. Doug Ducey, in signing the measure, lashed out at the organization for even allowing any transgender youth to participate.

“It’s a shame that the AIA and the NCAA (which governs college sports) won’t speak out on these,’’ he said.

Petersen said, “Female athletes deserve equal opportunities in sporting events, which will not happen so long as males are allowed to compete against them.”

But the lawyers for the two transgender girls said that isn’t the case.

One student is an 11-year-old boy who is set to attend Aprende Middle School in July and would like to try out for girls’ soccer and other teams. Lawyers say the student has “lived her life as a girl’’ since age 5.

The student “has not experienced any of the physiological changes, including muscle development, that increased testosterone levels would cause in a pubescent boy,’’ the lawyer said.

The other student is a 15-year-old who attends The Gregory School, a private school in Tucson.

Lawyers said that student has been on puberty-blocking medication since age 11.

In that case, the lawsuit says the school would permit the student to try out for the girls’ volleyball team if it were not for the 2022 law.

The attorneys contend that the statute, at least as it applies to these two students, violates constitutional requirements for equal protection under the law.

“Plaintiffs, who identify and live as girls and who have not and will not undergo male puberty, are similarly situated to other girls with respect to their participation on girls’ sports teams at school,’’ the lawsuit states.

It also alleges the statute violates Title IX, a federal law that prohibits discrimination in education programs based on sex.

“Neither Title IX, its regulations, nor its guidance purport to define ‘sex’ as something that is determined at fertilization and revealed at birth or in utero,’’ the lawyers told the judge.

Petersen did not address the two specific cases cited in the lawsuit and ignored the arguments about strength being tied

to puberty.

“Science is clear that male athletes have many inherent physical advantages over females, including greater size, stronger muscles and larger bone structure,’’ he said.

“By allowing males to compete against females, we’re essentially subjecting young girls to greater risk of injury, as well as stripping them of athletic opportunities their female predecessors have long fought for.’’

Beyond the merits of the dispute, Petersen also took a swat at the National Center for Lesbian Rights, one of the law firms representing the two plaintiffs, calling it “a radical activist organization.’’

Rachel Berg, a staff attorney at the organization disputed that description.

“NCLR is a legal organization for LGBTQ people and their families,’’ she said, saying it has fought on their behalf for more than 40 years. Petersen did not respond to questions asking that he justify his description of NCLR.

That issue of gender identity is back before Arizona lawmakers again this year.

SB 1040 would require public schools to provide a “reasonable accommodation’’ to any person who is “unwilling or unable’’ to use a multi-occupancy restroom

or changing facility designated for that person’s sex. And that is defined as someone’s “immutable biological sex as determined by anatomy and genetics existing at the time of the person’s birth.’’

SB 1001 would bar school employees from addressing a student younger than 18 by a pronoun that is different than the person’s “biological sex’’ unless there is first permission from a parent.

Both measures have been approved by the Senate and await final House action.

Gov. Katie Hobbs already has vetoed SB 1005, which dealt with the ability of parents to sue schools over perceived violations of parental rights while minimizing the risk of being held liable for legal fees. The Human Rights Campaign said the measure would have increased the threat of schools being sued for providing support for LGBTQ students.

Zipps has yet to set a date to hear the legal arguments. 

ARMSTRONG from page 1

from his own Scottish-Irish roots.

His passion for learning all he can about his ancestors also led him twice in the last six years to a small village in Ireland, where the townsfolk have been swept up by his reverence for history and joined him in a small crusade.

Their goal: restore the final resting place of their ancestors as well as some of those from the Armstrong Clan.

Armstrong’s crusade began fittingly on St. Patrick’s Day in 2017, when he, his wife Sky, sons John and Joe and a couple others traveled to the tiny village of Ballinamallard in Northern Ireland.

Years of meticulous and relentless searches online and visits to cemeteries and other places in America and Canada had convinced him that a significant part of his ancestry literally was buried there.

He had learned that his great, great, great grandfather Christopher Armstrong told a minister on his death bed that he was born in Ballinamallard.

After years of research, he also became convinced Christopher had been baptized in the local church called Magheracross.

Prior to his first visit in 2017, Armstrong already had been in contact with Henry Robinson, the head of the Ballinamallard Historical Society who had written a book about the village’s history that included references to a mill owned by Armstrongs. He also had a letter dated in the 1840s from the village referring to “tough times” and an old mill owned by a family named Armstrong.

“That was the last recorded knowledge of them being there,” Armstrong said. “Because they were of some prominence being mill operators, I made the assumption that they would have a burial place there.”

Having visited every cemetery in the United States and Canada where an Armstrong had been buried, he hoped to discover evidence of his earliest ancestors in the Old Magheracross Church Cemetery.

The records he did find along the way also indicated at least 11 ancestors were buried there from as far back as the 1700s.

But that cemetery is over 500 years old and untold decades of neglect had rendered it captive to weeds, vines, moss and trees that left only some headstones visible.

“It kind of made me sad,” Armstrong said of his first trip. “I knew so many people were buried there and it had just been forgotten. You could hardly walk through

it and we couldn’t find anything.

“It just struck me that there are so many people looking for their family and they’re right there but we can’t do anything. It was overwhelming.”

Armstrong said his research suggested as many as “400 or 500 souls” were buried there – with possibly another 1,800 others laid to rest outside its boundaries without grave markers because they didn’t belong to Megheracross Church.

Undeterred by the heavy overgrowth and the dearth of reliable records, Armstrong and his wife began walking the Magheracross Cemetery.

They uncovered grave markers and read inscriptions in search of his clan’s name.

“I can tell you it takes a lot of time to dig down in front of a stone through rocks and roots,” he said. “You have to be very careful not to hit the stone with your digging instrument.”

He had also developed a process that could resurrect the time-worn etchings on some of the tombstones and markers so that he could read the weather-beaten inscriptions.

They uncovered markers for 10 more Armstrongs – nearly twice the number that existed in any official record.

Robinson and Armstrong also hatched a plan to restore the graveyard and uncover all the grave markers.

They decided they could then post the information on findgraves.com and ancestory.com “to flush out people that would have information on those buried there.”

Over time, that has worked the other way, too: One Armstrong family in New Zealand discovered online that the restoration project uncovered an ancestor’s grave in Megheracross Cemetery.

Through his numerous online forays in search of his roots, Armstrong also met a California cousin, Kevin Armstrong, who had also had been searching for information on his great, great grandparents.

Together last year, they returned to Ballinamallard, where some of its 1,500 residents had already embraced their campaign to restore the cemetery, spurred on by Robinson of the historical society.

Armstrong also established a fundraising effort at givesendgo.com/magheracrossproject with a $13,000 goal for the Old Magheracross Cemetery Restoration Project. So far, they have raised a little over $1,000.

The website explains, in part:

“For over a century people have visited small villages in Northern Ireland searching for their descendants, only to be met by an overgrown cemetery unwilling to give up its secrets.”

“This cemetery holds the family’s secrets that for centuries now people have been searching for. It’s time to bring light to those souls who are buried there. And to restore and read the inscriptions so that future families will have them permanently saved.

“Along with the Historical Society of Ballinamallard, and members of two local churches, we are hoping to raise enough money to restore stones and pathways, clean out all the brush and growth, and add signage to allow visitors to find their loved ones and make it safe for seniors to visit.

“Join Jack Armstrong to find his family and to liberate all the other souls there to be reunited with their searching loved ones.”

During last year’s visit, Jack and Kevin also toured other nearby cemeteries where Armstrongs are buried as they continued to learn what they could about their clan’s ancient migration from Scot-

Jack Armstrong said he has been “blown away” by the help that residents of Ballinamallard have provided in uncovering buried grave stones and re-positioning others in a 500-yearold cemetery in the Northern Ireland village. (Courtesy of Jack Armstrong)

This aerial photo captures the part of the Old Magheracross Church Cemetery and some of the grave markers Jack Armstrong and volunteers have uncovered. (Courtesy of Jack Armstrong) see ARMSTRONG page 14

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land to Ireland. That migration began over 600 years ago and eventually created what is called Ulster County today.

The two men attended a festival and spoke there about their project, hoping to enlist more help.

Some residents already had been doing what they could to clean up gravesites.

“We were kind of blown away” by what those people already had done when they visited last year, Jack said.

“They’re pulling off vines and chopping down bushes,” Armstrong said. “It’s just really hard work.”

He said Robinson “just embraced my enthusiasm for this project.”

“He’s a saint in my book for all that he’s done,” Armstrong said.

Asked why he spends so much of his free time and effort to uncover the secrets of a graveyard long forgotten, Arm-

COMPLEX from page 1

stretch of 50th Street once the two projects are completed.

A traffic study for developer Via West said the Converge Logistics Center will generate over 1,700 vehicle trips a day, mainly from trucks – with about 200 occurring during each rush hour.

Foothills Holdings’ traffic study projected the apartment complex also will add 200 vehicle trips to the morning and evening rush hours.

Together, that means a combined impact of 400 more vehicles in each time period.

Those projections were enough to prompt two area homeowners to file written objections to the apartment complex.

Calling “the idea of having more apartments – and a lot of them – …mind boggling,” Andrew Harmsen contended, “There is not enough street infrastructure to accommodate this.”

“The already significantly used dual left turn lanes (on Ray Road) onto 50th Street and the single right turn lane onto eastbound Ray Road will become a mess of large trucks and even more vehicle trips every day.”

Warning of “bad gridlock in the area regardless what is done to fix traffic light timing,” he said both thoroughfares “will become impossible to maneuver.”

“People are impatient drivers,” he added. “They cut over three lanes of traffic

strong replied:

“I guess it’s uncovering the unknown, the mystery of it. Through the centuries, people have done what I am doing and what Kevin has done to uncover the truth.

But they didn’t really have the skill sets to do it and I do have those skill sets.

“So, I would regret not doing what I know I can do for future generations.”

But he also has a broader, more spiritual goal.

He hopes his effort inspires people to know that “when they hit the wall like we did, there’s more you can do – get out and get dirt under your fingernails. Don’t give up.” 

To learn more about the restoration project: facebook.com/Old.Magheracross.Project facebook.com/armstrongmmarc youtube.com/watch?v=Exz7ptiEPyw

Besides uncovering grave markers buried beneath decades of vegetation, the restoration work also involves cleaning up tombstones and grave markers so their inscriptions can be ready. Jack Armstrong said he developed a process for reviving the etchings that he plans to make that process available to owner-operators of cemeteries in the United States so they can restore similarly weather-beaten markers. (Courtesy of Jack Armstrong)

when they get off the I-10 so they can turn south on 50th Street. Their attitudes will get worse with all the large trucks and additional traffic of these apartments.”

Michael and Carol Kolodziej wrote, “The community cannot absorb another 417 families at that particular location” and wrote, “More crowding on our roads and at our restaurants is hardly a benefit.”

But in appearances before the Village Planning Committee and at a Nov. 1 neighborhood meeting – as well as in their application to the city – the developers gave an upbeat forecast of the project.

“We focus all our developments on really high quality, highly amenitized communities in markets that really have a need for

housing,” P.B. Bell Principal R. Chapin Bell said at a sparsely attended neighborhood meeting.

In all, there would be four clusters of buildings “with ample resident parking and guest parking,” Bell said, “with lots of beautiful access drive aisles” that would “minimize any walking that needs to be done.”

The buildings “are designed to envision a timeless modern architectural style for the community,” he added, “through a mixture of extra materials that includes faux wood siding, stone veneer, brick veneer and each of these materials complements the modern design which you’ve seen put there a lot lately.”

“We cater to both old and young business professionals that have high incomes and who can afford to live in these communities but really want to live near the areas where they work,” Bell added.

Site plans show 200 one-bedroom, 183 two-bedroom and 34 three-bedroom units representing a distribution of 48%, 44% and 8%, respectively. A total 781 parking spaces will be provided.

Bell also said the complex would “strengthen the retail in the area” and attract tenants who work in nearby office complexes.

But they won’t be working at Foothills Corporate Center II, which will be razed to make way for the apartment complex.

Everest Holdings and P8 Phoenix Foothills Holdings LLC say the complex has outlived its usefulness.

Everest Holdings bought the twobuilding Foothills Corporate Center II in 2017 for $18.4 million – almost half the $29.5 million that seller Fort Properties Management of Los Angeles paid for it 10 years earlier.

“As workplace preferences shift and the Phoenix housing market remains strong post-pandemic,” developer attorneys Gammage & Burnham told residents in an Oct. 4 letter, “it has become apparent that the existing business park, which was built in the late 1990s, is no longer the best use for the property.”

Developers have promised a “highly amenitized” 417-unit apartment complex on 50th Street between Ray Road and Chandler Boulevard that won City Council approval May 3.

(AFN file photo)

Elder care facility proposed on grounds of St. Benedict’s Church

BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor

St. Benedict’s Catholic Church hopes to build a high-end 138-unit senior housing facility on its 19.2-acre campus on 48th Street south of Chandler Boulevard.

Acting on the church’s behalf, Shea Connelly Development of Scottsdale has submitted a rezoning request to the city Planning and Development Department to rezone 4.62 acres to accommodate the facility.

Shea Connelly has scheduled a required neighborhood meeting for 6:30 p.m. May 16 at Pecos Community Center, not far south of the church, to discuss the project.

In a letter to area homeowners, it said the facility would house 66 independent living units, 44 assisted living quarters and 28 memory care residences.

“Senior facilities are in high demand and providing these housing options on a church campus affords a unique opportunity to serve and support the medical and spiritual needs of the city’s elder community,” the developer wrote neighbors.

“The project has been proposed by St. Benedict’s Church and has enlisted a national senior care housing leader, Cogir Senior Living, to manage the facility,” the letter stated. “The goal is to being a state-of-the-art senior care facility to the church’s existing campus near 48th Street

COMPLEX from page 14

When the project came before a December VPC meeting, several committee members expressed concerns not only about the traffic impact of the apartment complex but also how it would affect the city police and fire departments.

“You’re bringing in a ton of people into the community,” Chad Blostone told developers.

“It’s not just on the site. I don’t know that they would consume less public safety resources than what the office complex does just because their socio-economic status is high. I don’t think they would use less fire, right? Fire doesn’t discriminate that way.”

But attorney Majula Vaz of Gammage & Burnham, representing the developers, noted that city planning staff had ex-

and Frye Road.”

Besides the church, which is undergoing an extensive interior and exterior renovation, the campus also is home to St. John Bosco Catholic School and a smaller building behind the church.

The facility apparently would replace that small building as the site plan indicates its location directly behind the church.

Shea Connelly is seeking a rezoning of the parcel from a Commercial Park/General Commerce Park classification to an R-3A residential zoning, which it says is compatible with the zoning of the area north and east of the campus.

“Approving this application will bring a much-needed housing option for seniors in and around this area of the city,” its letter to homeowners said.

Site plans submitted to the city show that the facility would have three

pressed no concerns about an adverse impact on public safety resources.

“I think this project is just paying for itself in terms of bringing in more people,” she said.

The project will generate an estimated $1.5 million in development impact fees that must be spent in Ahwatukee and another $300,000 in sewer and water impact fees.

“I can’t speak to exactly that it will be better or worse from a public safety standpoint, but that hasn’t been what we’ve heard from the city,” Vaz said. “We’ve heard support from the city and I do think that it will help redevelop the area.

“I can’t imagine it would cause a greater problem. Typically, these new types of apartment complexes are not any more of a problem than an office building.” 

stories and stand almost 600 feet from 48th Street.

It would be “discretely located in the rear of the campus and wellscreened from view,” the developer’s letter stated, adding that will “give residents a feeling of privacy and mitigate any perceived impact on the neighboring community.

“The elder care facility will boast three enclosed courtyards with a combined total of approximately 21,417 square feet, which is nearly double outdoor space required by

city code.”

Montreal, Canada-based Cogir Senior Living Communities owns or manages 63 facilities in eight states and Canada, according to its website. It owns eight senior facilities in Arizona, with two each in Scottsdale and Mesa and one each in Peoria, Marana, Glendale and Chandler.

Cogir Senior Living is part of Canadabased Cogir Real Estate, which was founded in 1995 as a multifaceted real estate

see BENEDICTS page 17

Shea Connelly’s site plan states the elder care facility on St. Benedict’s grounds will have three enclosed courtyards with a combined total square footage that is nearly twice the amount required by the city. (Shea Connelly Development LLC)

The apartment complex would be located not far from three light industrial buildings totaling 510,000 square feet that are already under construction on 50th Street near Thistle Landing Drive. Together, the two projects will generate an estimated 2,000 new vehicle trips a day, according to traffic studies. (AFN file photo)

The three-story senior living facility on St. Benedict’s campus would have a mix of three types of residences. (Shea Connelly Development LLC)

EV mega-park owners file for bankruptcy

BY SCOTT SHUMAKER AFN Staff Writer

The owner of Mesa’s financially troubled Legacy Park, formerly known as Bell Bank Park, last week filed a petition for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court of Arizona.

Chapter 11 provides temporary protections from creditors while an entity attempts to reorganize in the hopes of returning to solvency. It is different from Chapter 7 bankruptcy, in which an entity’s assets are liquidated to pay off outstanding debts.

In a statement following the filing, park owner Legacy Cares said it intends to use Chapter 11 bankruptcy “to protect and support the park’s business operations and address Legacy Cares’ debt obligations while working towards an orderly and efficient possible sale of Legacy Cares’ assets in a manner that maximizes their value.”

In the filing, Legacy Cares states that it currently owes $366 million to bondholders, contractors and various service providers.

The filing says it currently possesses $242 million in assets, mostly from the $229 million it figures the structures and improvements at the 320-acre park are worth.

Its assets don’t include the land under the park, which Legacy rents from landowner Pacific Proving for about $300,000 a month.

Legacy reported it had $1.4 million in cash or cash equivalents as of late April

BENEDICTS from page 16

development and management company. Its senior living arm boasts that it is “passionate about customer service – with a human commitment.”

“As part of a well-known name in Canadian real estate, COGIR Senior Living draws upon 20 years of residential and senior living management, as well as hospitality expertise,” the company states on its website.

“It is this combination of French-inspired je ne sais quoi and West Coast spirit that make COGIR Senior Living residences so indefinably unforgettable.”

and says it also owns $8 million in furniture, fixtures and equipment.

The filing shows that a considerable portion of the technological bells and whistles at the park’s fields are leased: $17 million in leased fixtures and equipment, including scoreboards and audio/visual equipment, are detailed in the filing.

Legacy said it “anticipates” finalizing a sale of its assets in the park by August 2023. Until then, the park “will continue to be open and operate in the normal course of business” during the bankruptcy case.

In the statement released following the filing, Legacy Cares said “all (employee) wages will be paid on time and in full” and all vendors doing business with the park after the filing will also be paid.

The organization said it is working on securing debtor-in-possession financing from its existing lender, subject to court approval, to support its day-to-day operations in the coming months.

Debtor-in-possession financing is a specialty loan for companies in Chapter 11 bankruptcy that takes priority over other debts and allows the organization to continue operating.

The bankruptcy filing requires Legacy to detail many of its expenditures during the year prior to the filing and the document reveals large compensation packages for the principals of the park.

The filing shows that Legacy Cares Presi-

see LEGACY page 18

Like many high-end independent living facilities across the nation, it boasts fine dining options and other “amenities you’d expect at a fine hotel.”

Shea Connelly also developed a range of commercial and residential projects, including three senior living facilities in the Valley.

Like any rezoning request, its neighborhood meeting is the first step in a process that also will include public hearings before the Ahwatukee Foothills Village Planning Committee and city Planning Commission for recommendations to City Council.

Connelly said the hearings have not yet been scheduled. 

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dent Douglas Moss was paid $298,982 in salary and expense in the past 12 months.

It also indicates that Legacy Cares had a “fee agreement” for an undisclosed amount with a company Moss owns called Kingdog Enterprises in Scottsdale.

Legacy paid its Chief Financial Officer Lawrence White $641,012 in “professional fees” rather than a salary, according to the filing.

The nonprofit Legacy Cares owns the park, which was necessary for it to sell tax-exempt municipal bonds to investors through the Arizona Industrial Development Authority.

But it was managed until last month by Legacy Sports USA, a for-profit whose principals included Randy Miller and his sons Chad and Brett, the masterminds of Legacy Park.

According to the filing, Legacy Cares paid Legacy Sports $3.5 million to manage the park in the past year.

Last month, Legacy Cares announced a management change, ostensibly firing Legacy Sports and hiring a new manager, Elite Sports Group LLC, an entity formed just two months ago.

As the park has wrangled with its creditors over the past months, there had been talk of the senior bondholders requiring management changes if they were to continue forbearing on their rights under the terms of the loan default, but it’s not clear to what degree Elite Sports Group actually represents new management.

Elite Sports Group did not respond to request for more information about it and the names of its principals.

A document included in Legacy’s Chapter 11 filing lists Brett Miller as a managing member of Elite Sports Group, suggesting the Millers have not exited the park yet.

Online, Legacy Sports’ website redirects to Elite Sports’ website, which is very similar in look and design as the Legacy Sports website.

Legacy Sports’ social media feeds have also seamlessly transitioned to Elite Sports Group content.

Whatever Elite Sports Group’s connection to Legacy Sports, Legacy Cares said one of its own employees, Rodney Reese, would “oversee the day-to-day management.”

Reese previously worked at the park as director of sports business development under Oak View Group, a national sports and entertainment company that had a management agreement with Legacy Sports.

He left the park when the management change occurred last month.

The general manager and executive chef at the park under OVG are no longer at Legacy Park.

Legacy Cares’ bankruptcy filing fulfills a prediction made by an accountant in Rhode Island eight months ago at a time when people associated with the park were still puffing up the project and local officials eyed the promise of youth sports tourism filling up hotel rooms.

Griffin saw trouble brewing after he read about the park and caught the attention of federal agencies. He is assisting the SEC and others on fraud-related investigations.

Griffin said he doesn’t think the bankruptcy filing is anywhere close to the end of the story for Legacy Park and its developers.

“I think we are only in the second inning,” he said. “The bankruptcy process will be messy and lengthy. However, civil litigation will begin to fly in multiple directions.”

“In addition, regulators will step into the mix due the amount of the losses and nature of the securities (tax-exempt bonds) via a conduit such as the Arizona Industrial Development Authority,” Griffin continued.

He said the park’s primary investors are large institutional investors, including Vanguard and PIMCO, which manage retirement accounts and pensions, Griffin said.

Vanguard and PIMCO “simply managed money for Main Street investors (like) retirees and widows,” he said. “$284 million is a sizeable amount to flush.” 

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Fast-growing reed threatens Arizona waterways

BY BREANNA N. STEELE Cronkite News

Agiant reed that can grow 4 inches per day is choking Arizona rivers, creeks and lakes.

The stubborn Arundo donax plant, an invasive species brought to the U.S. from Southeast Asia, is wreaking havoc in about 30 mostly warm-weather states in the South and West, including Arizona.

According to the University of California, Riverside Center for Invasive Species Research, Arundo was first planted in California in the 1820s to provide roofing and erosion control in the Los Angeles area.

Willie Sommers, invasive plant program coordinator for the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management, says nonnative plants can be described as outof-control “biological wildfires.”

His program provides grants to groups working to remove destructive plants, including Arundo, and is responsible for prioritizing invasive plant treatment.

In particular, Arundo uses a lot of water,

makes fires burn hotter, crowds out native species and increases the threat of flooding, he said.

Not only is it bad for the water supply but it “can easily spread wildfires because it can carry and burn hotter than our Arizona plants,” Sommers said.

When Arundo grows, it creates a root base around native plants, causing an uplift by raising plants and disrupting the natural floodplain, said Lauren Monheim, program manager for Watershed Management Group’s River Run Network.

“It also changes how a river flows because it creates a thick wall, making the water squeeze through a smaller gap,” she said.

The best way to get rid of a giant reed plant is to dig it out by its roots or do a “cut-stump treatment” where the plant is cut near the base and sprayed with herbicide if the roots are too thick to dig up, Sommers said.

But the plant, which resembles bamboo,

see

WATERWAYS page 21

The giant reed can grow as tall as 30-40 feet. It grows close together, crowding out native plants, and slows river flows. (Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management)

can be aggressive when replanting itself, especially if not disposed of properly.

“You have to be very diligent about removing all of it and taking that material out of the river system or away from the water and disposing of it in some way,” Sommers said.

If not properly disposed of, Arundo will replant and start new roots, especially if it is left flowing down the river, he said. The water will help it regrow fast and start new growth in another part of the river.

One of the department’s grants is helping to remove Arundo in the Tanque Verde Creek in east Tucson.

Watershed Management Group has a program called the River Run Network that removes Arundo around creeks and rivers.

It received a grant in 2021 and has removed about 100,000 pounds, or 50 tons, of Arundo canes since, with 290 volunteers helping out, Monheim said.

The group was recently granted funds for another three years to continue its efforts, which help restore groundwater levels and surface flow in the Tanque Verde Creek.

“In a lot of ways, some of this Arundo is people’s personal plant, it’s on their private properties,” Monheim said.

“We would not recommend removing it if you see it around your neighborhood, but you can definitely talk to your neighbors and educate them on why it’s so bad.”

Watershed Management holds volunteer sessions every Saturday morning

through May to remove the giant reed along the Tanque Verde Creek.

After volunteers collect the Arundo in giant trash bins, the canes are donated to places to use for fencing and even to feed someone’s lucky goats.

Volunteers can view upcoming events on the group’s website. Later this year, the group will begin replanting native riparian trees and shrubs in areas where Arundo has been cleared.

Friends of the Verde River near Cornville also have benefited from Department of Forestry grants.

Tracy Stephens, program director for Friends of the Verde River, said their removal work attempts to decrease the risk of fire. Once the plants are removed, they are put through a wood chipper and the chips are used to cover trails or parking areas.

Additionally, Friends of the Verde River has received two grants from Forever Our Rivers to help remove Arundo along Oak Creek, which flows into the Verde River from the east.

The Arundo Free Oak Creek project removes Arundo as well as other invasive species, including tamarisk, Russian olive and tree of heaven.

“Arundo is just one of many invasive plants, but it’s certainly a giant grass that, once you see it and get to know it, you’ll see it around the state,” said Sommers.

“It’s a challenging one, but fortunately we have organizations and agencies out there keeping an eye on it and doing their best to control it.” 

Colleges try to fill gap in veterinarian positions

BY SARAH MIN HELLER Cronkite News

Veterinarians and students dashed around and huddled over exam tables, as caged dogs and cats awaited or recovered from treatment at Midwestern University’s College of Veterinary Medicine

“I like making an impact on animals, as well as the people who care for them,” said Jazmine Kim, who plans to graduate in 2024. “The opportunities that I’ve had here are ones that I will carry with me forever.”

Kim, 32, was a vet tech before starting at Midwestern. She planned to work with wildlife, but found she enjoys dogs and cats. And because Arizona has made veterinary school affordable through a new loan repayment program, she is planning to practice veterinary medicine in Arizona for at least four years.

Kim is helping to bolster the shortfall of veterinarians in Arizona and the United States.

There has been a recent decline in vet-

erinarians and vet technicians nationally, said Stephanie Nichols-Young, president of the Animal Defense League of Arizona.

Employment of veterinarians is projected to grow 19% from 2021 to 2031, compared to 5% for all occupations, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s in large part because new veterinarians are needed to replace ones who are retiring or leaving the occupation.

The American Animal Hospital Association estimates about 2,000 veterinarians retire each year in the U.S., while others leave

LA CASA DE JUANA

the often-demanding field, and only about 2,600 veterinarians graduate annually.

To help fill the gap, Arizona’s Legislature passed SB 1271 in 2022, creating the Arizona Veterinary Loan Assistance Program.

It includes up to $100,000 of student loan reimbursement for veterinarians who obtain a degree after Jan. 1, 2023, and work in Arizona for at least four years.

Two years must be at a municipal, county, or nonprofit shelter, or in an agricultural practice designated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as having a shortage of vets.

The Arizona Humane Society, which pushed for the legislation, said, “Animal lives have been at risk because Arizona doesn’t have enough veterinarians to provide lifesaving services at public shelters and private clinics — in both urban and rural areas.

“This has negatively affected pet owners, ranchers, private veterinary practices, and animal shelters and rescues across the state.”

Compounding the problem for decades was the fact that Arizona had no official veterinary schools. There are only about 32 accredited ones nationwide, according to the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges.

In 2012, Midwestern University College of Veterinary Medicine started a four-year program and expects 125 vets to graduate this May.

In 2020, the University of Arizona created a College of Veterinary Medicine and started a three-year program, enrolling

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Midwestern University’s mobile veterinary clinic sits outside the university’s Animal Health Institute. The pop-up has the ability to move locations. (Izabella Hernandez/Cronkite News)

VETS from page 22

110 veterinary students out of about 518 applicants.

The two schools will graduate a combined total of about 230 veterinarians this year, and they continue to get more applications than they can accommodate.

Midwestern alone said it gets more than 1,400 applicants annually.

At Midwestern — a private college with a main campus in Downers Grove, Illinois — students learn early on how to neuter an animal, which covers many surgery basics, according to Dr. Rachael Kreisler, associate professor of shelter medicine and epidemiology at the school.

“Our students are our primary surgeons for our cases,” said Kreisler. “We’re out here, trying to help the community.”

Midwestern works with nonprofits such as St. Vincent de Paul, the Humane Society and some tribal entities, including the Navajo Nation, Kreisler said.

They schedule patients’ pets for students to learn and practice their skills in the college’s seven-year-old mobile surgery clinic and a pop-up clinic for nonsurgery cases introduced in 2019.

It also has the Companion Animal Clinic building where people can have their pets treated.

UArizona has a three-year, year-round course, said Dr. Nellie Goetz, associate professor of practice at its College of Veterinary Medicine. A doctor of veterinary medicine degree typically takes four years with summer breaks.

“The design of the vet school being three years was intended to address the vet shortage,” Goetz said. “They’re done a little earlier, so they’re not spending as much time in school, and also … they’re not spending as much money on school.”

There is no teaching hospital for students on campus.

“We’re sending the students out to general-practice clinics where they see things that they’re going to see every single day once they graduate from vet school,” said Goetz, adding that rather than a curriculum full of lecture classes, UArizona students engage in active learning and check their knowledge with a team of classmates.

“They stick in those teams throughout the entirety of their school education until they get to their clinical year,” Goetz said. “

The school also has been trying to teach students about the overall challenges of veterinary medicine and run-

ning a practice.

A 2018 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found veterinarians in the U.S. at increased risk for suicide — a trend that has spanned over three decades.

Factors cited in the study included long hours, work overload, difficult practice management responsibilities, poor worklife balance and access to euthanasia used for animals.

UArizona isn’t ignoring issues of worklife imbalance, Goetz said.

Both Midwestern and UArizona encourage veterinary students to nurture their mental health.

UArizona students get mental health breaks, a gym, counselors, learning specialists and mental health specialists. Midwestern has free counseling and a mental health hotline, and the school works with a chapter of Not One More Vet, a mental wellness organization for veterinarians.

“The school is very forward-thinking about those kinds of things,” said Goetz, “and really making sure they’re paying attention to what the students are feeling and thinking and what they’re going through.”

One side effect in Arizona of having fewer vets is an inability to offer adequate basic community services like trap-neuterreturn to help lower the feral and stray cat population.

When cats with microchips get trapped, their owners are contacted and asked for permission to neuter them, said Kelsey Dickerson of the Arizona Humane Society.

Because Arizona’s loan repayment program is new, it isn’t yet clear how effective the program will be.

Other states have repayment programs that encourage rural veterinary practice and the U.S. Department of Agriculture offers a national Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program.

Dr. Steven Hansen, president and CEO of the Arizona Humane Society, said veterinarians are able to apply for Arizona’s loan repayment program after they get a state veterinary license.

They must practice for four years in the state, after which they will receive the loan repayment funds, Hansen said.

Veterinary student debt averaged $157,146 in 2020, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association. Veterinarians’ median pay was $100,370 per year in 2021, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics 

Electric scooters pit cops

BY CECILIA CHAN AFN Staff Writer

Dominique Hypolite purchased an electric scooter from West Coast Scooters in Gilbert last year for her son’s 16th birthday.

“He didn’t have his license yet and quite frankly I didn’t have the funds to buy a car,” she said, telling Gilbert Town Council May 2 it is her son’s only way to go to school, the gym and work.

But Hypolite and others at the meeting said Gilbert Police has been confiscating the scooters and issuing tickets because the Town considers the electric devices to be motorcycles – meaning a license, registration and insurance are required and they can only be used on the road.

But West Coast Scooters co-owner Scott Risley begged to differ.

He told the council the Arizona Department of Transportation doesn’t classify the scooters like Gilbert PD does and won’t register them, putting the scooter owners in no man’s land.

“What I’m confused about is the clas-

kids, parents

sification of an apparatus that can’t even be titled or insured or licensed because it doesn’t have a VIN number,” Hypolite said.

“My son as a young African American –is he supposed to be riding around in fear that he’s going to get pulled over… it’s going to be confiscated and his mom is going

to be hit with a $1,900 ticket?

“I’m trying to figure out how do we come to a solution so that my son isn’t taking two extra miles taking back roads coming home from work at 11 at night because he’s scared that he’s going to get pulled over.”

Because Hypolite spoke during public comments, the council was prohibited under state law from responding to an issue not on the agenda.

“Everyone who is a parent in this town knows that there’s a transportation gap between teenagers and 16-year-olds,” Tyler Sundsmo told council members. “They still have places they need to be. They have limited ways to get there.

“West Coast Scooters has provided an incredible way for people to get from Point A to Point B using green technology. There’s no motor that’s driven. It’s all electric.”

Sundsmo said his son goes to a gifted program but there is no bus to get him there and both he and his wife work.

But compounding the issue is that his son was hit by a car while riding across

Co-owner Scott Risley of West Coast Scooters in Gilbert said the Arizona Department of Transportation won’t register motorized scooters like the ones he sells or issue operator’s licenses for those who use them even though Gilbert Police say they must be. (David Minton/GSN Staff Photographer)

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a residential street and police told him that the driver can’t be cited because the scooter “is illegal,” he claimed.

And police told him that because it was an unclassified device, liability could not be determined.

“I got a $2,600 ER bill, his scooter is absolutely totaled,” Sundsmo said. “I already have the headache of my son recovering from this accident and now I have to figure out the insurance part of it when there’s no liability established from the Police Department.”

Gilbert Police did not respond to questions about the scooters.

Co-owner Scott Risley has been operating West Coast Scooters in Gilbert for seven years and said he first heard of police going after the scooters last October from his customers.

The Gilbert resident claimed police action was triggered by angry phone calls from Morrison Ranch residents complaining of teenagers on electric scooters and e-bikes tearing up the common areas.

Risley said 10 of his customers so far have been given tickets and their kids’ scooters were impounded by police.

“All the ones who got pulled over were doing nothing but riding,” he said. “Not doing anything wrong. One was going to a golf range and another girl was going to practice or something, just riding on the sidewalk.”

Although most of the enforcement has been occurring in Morrison Ranch, an adult recently was pulled over while riding his scooter to work and was given a warning, Risley said.

He said that the Town is trying to classify the electric scooters “as something they really are not in order for them to take care of the issue of kids in Morrison Ranch.”

“They only go 20 mph, there’s no VIN, you can’t register them,” Risley said. “They’re not meant for the road. I’d never ride this down Ray Road where it’s 45 mph, I’d get run over. It’s just ridiculous.

“We’ve been invited by Gilbert every single year to do events. We’ve been in the Gilbert Day Parade for five years now. I’m just really confused and bothered how the city has treated our business.”

He claimed the scooters were always classified by the state as class 2 electric bicycles.

He said his friend has been selling the same scooters in a beach community in California, where they're classified as e-

bicycles.

“I just want to know how this is supporting small business in the Town of Gilbert, said Danny Bassett, a town resident and co-owner of West Coast Scooters. “We have done nothing but good for this town.

“We bring in revenue, we bring families together. We give people opportunities to get around other than driving their cars. We have special-needs adults and children, they use our scooters.

“It’s very frustrating as a business owner. I want to also protect the 500-plus customers that we have out there that ride our scooters and now they’re not. They are just sitting in the garage in fear they are going to get pulled over, impounded and get a $2,000 ticket.”

Bassett last week told the council that he tried to comply with the town’s request by taking a scooter to the Arizona Department of Transportation. “I took it to the state, ADOT to do a level 1 inspection,” he said. “I was laughed out of there. They told me there is no way these should be on the road. They are not DOT-certified.

“We have an importation document stating that they are not for roadway use. I don’t know why these are trying to be pushed on the road. It’s too dangerous. This is not where they need to be.”

He told the council that the town should instead be dealing with kids misusing the scooters on a case-by-case basis.

“We need to move in the direction of EV anyways,” Bassett continued. “This gives people so many opportunities to save money and get around in town in an efficient manner. I just want to know what we can do to resolve this.

“We are not trying to fight the town. We want to come to a conclusion and

a resolution to this problem. It’s just getting worse and worse and worse for us and our customers.”

Risley said West Coast Scooters lost about $150,000 in sales over the past five months due to the situation because they rely mostly on referrals.

Town officials did not respond to the Ahwatukee Foothills News for comment, but Councilman Jim Torgeson said state statute classifies the scooters as motorcycles and that any changes must come from the state Legislature.

“We don’t have that choice,” said Torgeson, who’s met with the owners over the issue. “If we don’t enforce it and something goes wrong, we are liable. If we allow it to occur, the town is liable.”

Torgeson said he’s advised West Coast Scooters a number of times to get in touch with their state representatives and that he’s even contacted Rep. Laurin Hendrix, a former Gilbert councilman, last week to reach out to the business.

“We don’t control the classification of what is acceptable,” Torgeson said. “The state controls that classification.

“Right now it seems smarter to have the state change that minor classification issue than for us to break the state law and be on hook for anything that happens by non-enforcement.”

Torgeson sympathizes with people who’ve had their scooters impounded given that the cost of getting them back is about the same as buying a new one.

“So it’s caused a problem that needs to be addressed at the state Legislature,” he said. “I would much more prefer to put a boot on it and have the parents pick it up later.

“It has to be impounded. If my car is unregistered and I get pulled over after six months of non-registration, they are required to impound my car. I can’t give the keys to my wife.”

Mesa Police spokesman Richard Encinas said that because of the scooters’ speed and lack of pedals, they are considered motorcycles in his city.

“MVD will not register them as of now,” he said. “That may change in the future but that is up to MVD. If they are ridden on the street, bike lane or sidewalk that will be a violation.”

Encinas said the scooters can be ridden on private property only.

In Chandler, electric devices are regulated depending on their size.

For example, smaller ones or those that only reach low speeds are considered motorized play vehicles and is prohibited on any public street where the speed limit exceeds 35 mph, said police spokeswoman Emma Huenneke.

“If it’s a bigger style motorbike with a bigger engine or modifications, it could be considered a scooter that requires an Arizona Drivers license to operate and at some point, possibly a motorcycle endorsement,” she said.

Scottsdale considers electric miniscooters as micro mobility devices that may ridden on streets or roads with speed limits less than 40 mph, bike lanes, public shared-use paths and sidewalks.

“We could move out of Gilbert and go to Chandler or Queen Creek,” said Risley, who still rides his scooter around town. “But we feel we owe it to our customers to fight for them.” 

Gilbert resident Dominique Hypolite told Town Council she is fearful that her 16-yearold son will get ticketed and his scooter impounded. (YouTube)

West Coast Scooters in Gilbert offers an array of electric scooters. (David Minton/GSN Staff Photographer)

Ahwatukee nonprofit strives to help unsheltered people

BY COTY DOLORES MIRANDA AFN Contributor

The acronym HOPE in the Ahwatukee nonprofit ‘HOPE for the Homeless’ has an emphatic and personal definition to founder Tim Berry.

“Humbly Offering Positive Encouragement” emerged from Berry’s own “nearly homeless” experience as well as his compassion for those on the streets struggling with addiction.

Berry said he thanks God that he was able to not only overcome his own dark time of his life, but to overcome it to help others.

“I was never actually on the streets, but real close,” he explained. “After losing my home, I went into chemical dependency treatment for three months and then a transitional living home for three months. That’s why I refer to this time as ‘essentially homeless.’ I rebuilt my life through faith in God.”

The nonprofit was incorporated as a nonprofit in 2018 at Mountain Park Church and every month up to 100 volunteers gather at the church to pack 1,500 to 2,000 HOPE bags with toiletries, snack packs, socks, survival blankets, first aid kits and more.

The bags are distributed to the

homeless the following day, Sunday, at Andre House in downtown Phoenix, where HOPE volunteers lead a Recovery meeting that’s followed by attendees being served a hot homemade meal.

HOPE for the Homeless packs “Hope bags” for unsheltered people once a month at Mountain Park Church in Ahwatukee for distribution to at the Andre House in Phoenix. Volunteers are welcomed to the next packing event May 20, 9 to 11 a.m. at Mountain Park Church, located at 16461 S. 48th St. Ahwatukee. (Special to AFN)

DV Choir revives era of disco queens and jive talkin’

BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor

Their grandparents might remember like it was yesterday: sliding a tape from Tower Records into a cassette deck to listen to the new single by Fleetwood Mac, Stevie Wonder or ABBA.

But the Desert Vista High School Choir members? Teens who might rank a cassette deck right there with a rotary phone under “prehistoric”?

Even their director for the last eight years, Margaret “Meg” Palermo, wasn’t born until the ‘70s had faded into oblivion.

Nevertheless, the 130 or so students who comprise the choir overwhelmingly voted to devote their annual spring pops concert to the songs of the ‘70s when they perform at 6:30 p.m. Friday, May 12, at the school, 16440 S. 32nd St., Ahwatukee.

For a mere $5 cash at the door, guests will be entertained by 24 hits from the disco decade in a concert that begins with a warm-

up performance by Dodge the Caravan. The Ahwatukee band – with Eva Bush on vocals, Zach Brown on guitar, Caleb Walker on bass and Noah Ankeney on drums –will play at 6 p.m.

During their half-hour set, people can buy choir merchandise and raffle tickets for baskets and jump into a silent auction with all proceeds benefitting the choir. Members of the five singing groups that

comprise the choir – Jazz/Madrigal, Bella Voce, Cantaremus, Vox and A Capella – will each sing several ‘70s hits. Also performing is the after school club, DaCapo, as well as several dozen choir members who have solo parts in some of the numbers.

Among them, the A Capella singers, who recently performed at legendary Carnegie Hall in New York City, will present a disco medley. Jazzmad will sing “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” by Elton John. Cantaremas will belt out “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” by Stevie Wonder. Bella Voce will perform Sister Sledge’s “We Are Family.” Vox will sing Queen’s “Somebody to Love.”

And the seniors in the group will sing Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide.”

Even the audience will be invited to join in a curtain call rendition of The Village People’s “YMCA” with the entire choir.

The show includes eight costumed arrangements with costumes, choreogra-

The Desert Vista Choir is ready to put on a full-blown homage to the hits of the 19070s in its spring pops concert Friday. (Courtesy of Margaret Palermo)

‘Good Fest’ to benefit Armer Foundation

AFN NEWS STAFF

Two Tempe business are sponsoring a festival Saturday, May 13, to benefit Ahwatukee-based Armer Foundation for Kids and in honor of an Ahwatukee youngster who passed away two years ago from leukemia.

The inaugural Good Fest will be presented by the Shop Beer Co. and Pivot Cycles 3-8 p.m. Saturday at the Shop Beer Co., 922 W. First St. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 the door. They can be bought at armerfoundation.org/goodfest or 480257-3254.

Children are free and they will be able to enjoy games while adults can expect “good music, good food and good brews,” according to the organizers.

The Shop Beer Co. will release a limitededition brew with a one-of-a-kind can designed by artist J. Pierce. There will be a raffle of a custom-painted Pivot Bike mimicking the design of The Shop Beer Co.’s famous “Church Music” beer, food from Bacanora, Bad Jimmy’s and Il Bosco Pizza, and live music by local bands.

Proceeds will help the Armer Foundation continue its mission – of supporting local families with children facing catastrophic medical illness.

The event also is being held in honor of

Logan Gidley who died at age 13 in 2021 following a long battle with leukemia.

“What The Shop Beer Co. and Pivot Cycles are doing to help us raise awareness and funds to help families like Logan’s is incredible,” said Jennifer Armer, founder of The Armer Foundation for Kids.

“Our mission is to financially support families whose children are facing life-

altering diagnoses, and this could help us double the number of children we support.”

The Shop Beer Co.’s limited-edition beer, made in collaboration with Missouribased Boulevard Brewing, is a Double Hazy IPA called “Good Good.”

Pierce designed the can to incorporate some of Logan’s favorite things, including

cycling, music and gaming.

“We personally know many of the families the Armer Foundation has supported over the years and want to do our part in giving back to help even more of our community members whose children are facing life-threatening illnesses, like Logan,” said Mikel Anne Arnce, co-founder of The Shop Beer Co.

Pivot Cycles’ custom-painted bicycle also commemorates the teen’s love for biking.

“Logan loved hitting the trails and enjoying the sunshine and it really inspired us to not only give back a bike but also continue Logan’s legacy with an #iridewithLogan challenge,” said Rachel When, athlete coordinator for Pivot Cycles.

Beginning May 1st, Pivot is challenging riders of all ages to ride 13 hours before the Good Fest in honor of Logan.

Participants can Join the Pivot Cycles Strava group, log each ride on Strava, then show their Strava account at Good Fest to receive some swag.

To find Pivot Cycles on Strava: strava. com/clubs/1126157.

Founded by Jennifer Armer and her husband Matt of Ahwatukee, the Foundation For Kids lists the children whose families it has helped at armerfoundation.org. 

TU Board president earns 3 degrees at ASU

AFN NEWS STAFF

Tempe Union Governing Board President Armando Montero earned degrees in political science, economics and mathematics with a focus in statistics when he graduated Monday from Arizona University.

An Ahwatukee native and Desert Vista High School alumnus, Montero was a student in ASU’s Barrett, The Honors College as well as a 2022 Harry S. Truman Scholar representing Arizona.

“Throughout his undergraduate experience, he found multiple ways to get involved in political and community engagement,” ASU said in a release.

In his first two years alone, he was involved in Undergraduate Student Government, the Refugee Education and Clinic Team, the Arizona Students Association

ASU Chapter and ASU Young Democrats.

He also took part in the SPGS Junior Fellows program with James Strickland and

studied lobbying at the state and local level and held an internship involving a collaboration between ASU and the Grand Canyon Institute to research the economic variables and policy solutions to the rise in discouraged workers in Arizona.

At the Arizona Students Association, Montero worked as a regional director, helping lead voter registration and youth engagement on ASU’s campus.

He also was elected by school board members across the county to serve as the Maricopa County co-director on the Arizona School Boards Association board in 2022.

In 2021, he worked as a policy analyst on ASU’s Enterprise Policy Analysis Group, led by Max Goshert and housed in the Office of University Affairs.

ASU said Montero had planned to go out of state for college, “but as he got

closer to graduation he began to see all of the opportunities and resources ASU had to offer.

“As someone who ended up wanting to find ways to make a positive impact on the community he was raised in and having been involved with local politics for several years already, he said that ASU provided the best possibility to get a world-class, purpose-driven education that complimented the work he was able to continue to do in the surrounding community,” the university said.

“I began ASU just as a political science major, which I knew I wanted to pursue since my sophomore year of high school,” he told ASU, noting he had been a vocal advocate for increased mental health services in the school district when he was

see MONTERO page 31

This hand-painted bike by Pivot Cycles in Tempe is valued at $3,000 and will be raffled at the Good Fest slated Saturday in honor of an Ahwatukee teen who died of leukemia and the Armer Foundation for Kids, the Ahwatukee nonprofit that has helped numerous families with children facing catastrophic medical issues. (Special to AFN)

ARMANDO MONTERO

Ahwatukee-based comedy club rolling with weekly fun competition

HaHaTukee Comedy, a weekly comedy club that presents shows at Cactus Jack’s at 4747 E. Elliot Road, Ahwatukee, has launched a 17-week Funniest Person in the Valley Comedy Competition. Local comedian Anthony Solimini and Comedy School founder Tony Vicich are sponsoring the contest, which will be held at 7 p.m. every Tuesday.

There’s plenty of time to enter by texting 818-571joke (5653) or emailing comedyschools@hotmail.com. More information is at comedyschools.com.

There are 10 weeks of preliminary rounds, four weeks of quarter finals and two weeks of semifinals before the grand finale and, of course, even if you don’t consider yourself funny, you probably could use a good laugh and the public is invited to watch.

One comic will be chosen each week to close the following week’s contest. The grand prize winner will get $1,000 while second place will garner $300 and third place $250.

Along with cash prizes, bookings at the Tempe Center for the Arts, along with bookings at other comedy clubs, and out of state comedy clubs will be awarded. Judging during the preliminaries will be done by three judges of the producers choosing.

Ahwatukee Kiwanis Club lists speakers for coming weekly meetings

The Kiwanis Club of Ahwatukee has a series of speakers lined up at its weekly meetings at the Original Biscuits Restaurant on the southwest corner of Elliot Road and 48th Street in Ahwatukee.

The public is invited to attend. The meetings start around 7 a.m. and usually don’t last more than an hour.

Speakers include: Juan Te Dailey of Dsquared Homes for the Homeless on May 11l Audrey Partridge, Goldfish Swim School, May 25; and Emily Gesell, Boy Scouts of America, June 8.

Democrats and Donuts meeting next week in Chandler

LD12 Democrats & Donuts meets at 8 a.m. on the third Wednesday of each month at Denny’s, 7400 W. Chandler Blvd., Chandler.

Guests are asked to arrive ahead of the start time to place their order. Hosts will be there by 7:30 p.m. Information: Julia Fleeman at juliafleeman@cox.net.

Ironwood Library offers free activities for all ages in May

Ironwood Library, 4333 E. Chandler Blvd., Ahwatukee, presents a variety of programs for children, teens

and adults. Unless otherwise noted, free tickets are required and available 30 minutes before programs’ start times at the library’s information desk.

For more information: phoenixpubliclibrary.org.

Babytimes

Babies ages birth to 23 months, accompanied by a favorite adult, will enjoy songs, rhymes, books, and interactive fun Tuesdays, 10:30-11:10 a.m. Space is limited to 12 families.

Toddlertimes

Toddlers ages 24-36 months, accompanied by a favorite adult, will enjoy songs, rhymes, books, and interactive fun Thursdays, 10:30-11:10 a.m. Space is limited to 12 families.

Full STEAM Ahead

Children ages 6-12 explore hands-on creative ways to design, experiment, and invent May 13 and 27, 2-4 p.m., in this drop-in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math (STEAM) program. No tickets required.

Next Chapter Book Club

This inclusive community-based book club is designed for people over 12 with intellectual and developmental disabilities who have a desire to make friends, explore their community, and read (regardless of current reading ability). This weekly gathering is free and occurs every Wednesday in May, 3:30-4:30 p.m.

Next Chapter will take a break for the summer and resume in the fall. Registration is required and available in the library or online in the Calendar section of the library’s website.

Book Club

Adult readers over 18 can meet up with fellow bibliophiles to share their thoughts about each month’s selection the first Wednesday of each month, 5-5:45 p.m. The book today, May 3, is Turtles All the Way Down by John Green, and on June 7 The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave. No tickets required.

Con-Fusion 2023

This full-day extravaganza celebrating western and steampunk genres includes local author panels discussing their genres and books; vendors selling signed copies of featured author books and art from local western, southwestern and steampunk artisans; as well as opportunities to learn about Native American art techniques and get creative with crafts.

Cosplay is encouraged, but prop weapons are forbidden. May 20, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. No registration or tickets required. 

still a Desert Vista student.

“After going through many of my own struggles at the beginning of high school and losing a friend of mine, I became more galvanized to raise awareness and work to create change at the local level,” he explained.

“It was these interactions that allowed me to see the positive impact that policymaking and the law can have on others’ lives and how it can be a conduit to create real, lasting change.”

He credits Dr. Derrick Anderson with challenging him “to think outside the box through an honors contract for another way to create a cross-disciplinary approach to my education.”

That led him to see math as a “chance to bolster the quantitative skills for analysis in political science and economics (and vice versa) but to also take advantage of the logic-based thinking and other skills utilized in that field to combine ways to think and respond to complex issues from different perspectives.”

He said one of the most important things he learned at ASU “is that there are no bounds to what you can accomplish given the right amount of dedication, commitment and passion.

“As someone who struggled through much of high school, I would have never believed that I would be graduating with three degrees, let alone simultaneously running for and holding public office.”

“My time at ASU truly opened my eyes and motivated me to push beyond what

we might traditionally think is beyond our reach and to not underestimate the im pact that we as individuals can have.”

He added that the university “has taken the mantle of breaking down many tradi tional barriers and assumptions to educa tion and takes seriously the drive to have a positive impact on the surrounding com munity and world.

“I truly believe ASU provided the struc tures and encouragement to pursue a cross-disciplinary education in three dif ferent fields, all while building the skills to simultaneously create a positive impact on the surrounding community through various roles.

“While there is often a stigma around state universities, ASU has broken it down and led the way to create a new frontier in higher education, and I was glad to see the impact of that during my four years here.”

As for future university students, Mon tero advised, “Take a step back and take advantage of the endless amount of re sources, connections and opportunities that are available.

“The time goes by fast, and we often are so focused on the future that we miss the opportunities that are right in front of us. These four years are a unique opportunity to take risks, try something new and find what you are passionate about.”

This summer he’ll be working with the Truman Foundation and take a year away from educational institutions before enrolling in ASU’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law in fall 2024, which he hopes to use as a springboard to work in educational law. 

The remaining packed HOPE bags –emblazoned with their logo and major sponsors on the opposite side – Sunday’s meal are forwarded to ministry partners throughout metro Phoenix.

The next HOPE Bag packing is scheduled for Saturday, May 20, 9 to 11 a.m. in the lobby of Mountain Park Church, located at 16461 S. 48th Street, Ahwatukee. Volunteers are welcome.

Even as the bags are being packed, other volunteers work preparing the meal for the following day’s post-recovery meeting dinner.

Overseeing it all is Berry who, with his brother Scott Berry, own and operate Precision Auto Body in Chandler and Tempe.

This is the business that Tim Berry nearly lost when his life spiraled downward after becoming addicted to opiates.

He is neither afraid nor ashamed to recount his story of how he ended up losing so much of what had been a good life with his sweetheart and now wife, Bernice.

“In 1999, I was prescribed opiate pain medication for a back injury,” he recounted. “That triggered a physical and psychological dependency that spanned almost a decade.

“It was a rollercoaster ride of multiple stays in treatment, moments of sobriety that eventually led back down the same dark path of addiction, each getting progressively worse than the last,” he recalled.

“Inevitably, the disease progressed to the point that I lost my business, home, all relationships, and almost my life from a heart attack. I ended up broke, hopeless, and homeless,” he said.

At one of his “lowest points”, Berry recounted, some strangers started taking him to Central Arizona Shelter Services (CASS) in downtown Phoenix for a recovery meeting using the 12-step program.

hope4thehomeles-

looking to host additional meetings.

To increase their mission to the homeless requires more funding.

And that requires imagination.

A car aficionado, Berry is using his interests to bring other car enthusiasts into the fold.

Cruise N Cuisine is one way HOPE for the Homeless attracts motorheads and those who appreciate vintage and classic cars.

The monthly gathering, held the first Saturday of each month, is free to the public, and funds are raised through food purchases.

In March, Boy Scout troop 301 brought out their grills to offer food choices. Other months may attract one or more food trucks. Every Cruise N Cuisine is held in the parking lot of Mountain Park Church.

The next Cruise N Cuisine is June 3, from 5 to 8 p.m.

Another fundraiser is the annual HOPE for the Homeless annual car raffle.

CASS, 230 S. 12th Ave., was founded in 1984. It is Arizona’s largest and longestserving emergency shelter program for individuals, families, seniors and veterans experiencing homelessness.

Its website’s notes that homelessness has “reached crisis levels,” with the number of unsheltered individuals in Maricopa County increasing 34% from 2020 to 2022.

Berry recalled how that following that recovery meeting at CASS, a caring gesture moved him and helped put his life back on track.

It also inspired him to help others.

“They served a meal after the meeting, and I was given the responsibility of orchestrating the volunteers to bring the food each week,” he said.

“At this point my entire outlook on life and priorities changed. The sense of ful-

fillment from serving those in need was greater than anything I’d experienced.

“Knowing that my path in life was altered by the caring of a few strangers has been the motivation behind HOPE for the Homeless,” he explained.

Berry said he’s aware that chemical dependency and homelessness often go hand-in-hand, and HOPE for the Homeless organizes and hosts 12-step recovery meetings to bring to those who could use encouragement.

“We currently facilitate a meeting every Sunday at the Andre House followed by a meal. Each Sunday is hosted by a different group or organization who chair the meeting and sponsor the meal. The third Sunday is HOPE for the Homeless’ day,” he said.

“We support the meeting attendees with food, blankets, clothes, new socks and underwear, toiletries and basic necessities that we package in our HOPE bags.”

Berry said HOPE for the Homeless wants to help even more.

“The Andre House would like to add more meetings during the week, and, in addition, the new St. Vincent de Paul shelter on Washington and 28th Street is also

The fifth annual 2023 HOPE for the Homeless raffle vehicle is a cherry red 1971 Chevrolet Stepside pick-up with full frame restoration, turbo 400 transmission and air conditioning. Full details of the vehicle are on the nonprofit’s website.

Tickets are $25 each, five for $100 or the blockbuster 12 for $200. The drawing will be Nov. 25 at the fourth annual Ahwatukee Fall Car Show held at Mountain Park Church.

Berry said all the efforts of volunteers and supporters are essential to the HOPE for the Homeless ministry.

“We shine light in our community by feeding the homeless who are hungry, meeting the homeless in their recovery journey, and loving the homeless for who they are, where they are,” he said.

Along with details on upcoming events, that is the message of HOPE outlined on their website Hope4theHomelessAz.com.

As a registered nonprofit, donations to HOPE for the Homeless are tax deductible. They are also an AZ State Qualifying Charitable Organization and as such maintains the Arizona State dollar-for dollar tax credit.

For more information see Hope4theHomelessAZ.com 

HOPE for the Homeless is raffling off this 1971 Chevrolet C10 Stepside pickup with a recent frame off restoration, 350ci small block engine, turbo 400 transmission, Wilwood 4 wheel disc brakes, Vintage Air A/C. The drawing is Nov. 25 and tickets are available at

saz.com/vehicle-raffle. (Facebook)

CHORAL from page 28

phy, harmonies, instrumental tracks and sheet music put together largely by senior Abby Gellman of Ahwatukee. She also had help with the choreography from her sister Amanda as well as Mela Miechle, Priya Hale, Robyn Burns, Mary-Late McGlone, Simon Shaw, Kieli Hauber, Kyree Hienrichs, Julia Cowley and Esmerelda Tovar.

The show obviously will to be “ your typical choral recital with people on pedestals,” Palermo said.

She noted that while other musical genres had been nominated, the 1970s won hands down when the students were deciding the theme of this year’s spring concert.

Abby, who shares the co-president’s chair with senior Jeff Rudolph, describes the music of the ‘70s with both the reverence a Studio 54 patron might have and the practicality of someone who’s no stranger to the stage.

“There is an energy about the 70s that I think everyone has been dying to do,” she said. “It’s not just electro-rap or swearing every 20 seconds. It is, in my opinion, actual music – something that we’re sort of lacking nowadays.”

Besides, she added, the chart-toppers of 50 years ago offer “many opportunities for

harmonies, which is crucial for choirs.”

She explained, “A choral arrangement really just means taking a pop song – typically sung by one to three people and in unison – and arranging it so a choir can sing it.”

That means adding harmonies.

“You can also add little add-ons that don’t usually exist in the original song and

Food drive success

a career in performing, so I want to do everything: singing, acting, musical theatre, arranging, composing/writing musicals or just pop songs.

“I like the freedom that comes with pop songs and the liberties you’re allowed to take. I also grew up with it, so it’s familiar and comforting to me.”

As for ‘70s songs, she added, “I’d have to go with Earth, Wind and Fire, or ABBA.”

The choir is led by a council of student members who include Rheana Andaya, vice president; Julia Cowley, secretary; Klarissa Stiff, Treasurer; Ruesha Paria, webmaster; Melodie Hartman, classroom manager; Emma Allauigan, fundraising chair; Cassidy Trembath and Molly Lakritz, head librarians; Patrick Corwin, spirit ambassador; and Nikki Sandoval, wellness chair.

you can take creative liberties with the song,” she continued.

“For example, if I make the verse a solo, then I can add in parts for the choir to sing that are not originally in the song. Typically to start writing an arrangement, I figure out who’s getting the melody line first.

“Sometimes, depending on range, I have to split it between two parts. Then I write the harmony line around it. I rarely write less than four parts, so I usually follow the typical block harmonies for three parts and one voice part either stays on one note or they jump around.”

Amanda Gellman is publicity chair. The Gellman sisters’ mom, Monica Gellman, is president of the choir’s parents booster club and their father Jason Gellman is treasurer. The other booster club officers are Heather McClain, vice president; and Lanna Henderson, secretary. 

“Typically, I don’t like looking at sheet music or chord charts to figure out pitches because I find it’s very easy to be influenced by what you hear and subconsciously take the idea as your own,” Abby added.

“So, I usually just listen to the song over and over again to figure out the rhythms and pitches. And then presto, you have a choir arrangement.”

Both Abby and her co-president have singing – and the stage – in their blood.

Both have performed multiple times with the Ahwatukee Children’s Theatre, which has rebranded itself as a community theater to include adults in some shows.

And both Abby and Jeff have post-highschool plans to study music.

Jeff, who is also the choir quartermaster, plans to study music at Mesa Community College and Abby is heading to Arizona State University to study popular music.

Explaining her pop music studies, Abby explained, “There is a lot of gambling with

Ob

uaries

Gloria Pearce

Long-time resident of Ahwatukee and avid golfer and member of Ahwatukee Lakes, Gloria Pearce passed away peacefully on February 10, 2023. She was passionate about her family, her grandkids, attending her grandkid’s sports activities and golf. She had golfed in all 50 US states, many Canadian provinces and many international destinations.

She is survived by her sister, her three children, her four grandkids, 2 great grandkids and a niece and nephew.

A Celebration of Life is planned at Valley Christian High School gymnasium on Friday, May 19th at 4:30pm.

Desert Vista Choir co-presidents Jeff Rudolph and Abby Gellman flank Desert Vista Choir Director Margaret “Meg” Palermo. (Courtesy of Margaret Palermo)

The Ahwatukee Republican Precinct Committee recently held its annual food drive to benefit St. Mary’s Food Bank and member Judy Taylor said generous donors included “a young man who rode in on a scooter with his donation in a back pack. Helping out were, from left, Precinct Captain Diane Feldhacker, Carole Wilson, Jeanne Herber, Terza Smalley and Judy Taylor. The members will still come and collect your nonperishable food item donation if you email AhwatukeeFoodDrive@pm.com. (Special to AFN)

Chandler sauna relies on infrared tech

AFN NEWS STAFF

It’s no secret that the pandemic posed nearly crushing hardship on local businesses while creating an opportunity for some.

It did both for Chandler residents Steve and Dodie Bell.

Homing in on their 36th wedding anniversary, the Bells saw their 27-year-old brand management company, called TAG MEDIA & INK take a major hit during the pandemic and business shrink to a trickle.

“Not only did we have no business for a week straight, once it was clear that COVID was here for a while, we started to have clients cancel orders that were already in production,” Steve recalled.

“It was a scary time… We waited a bit before cutting staff along with every expense we could think of to save money but we were drowning in red ink.”

They did more than survive the pan-

demic, however: they discovered a franchise opportunity they believe will appeal to people as the pandemic has made many become more health conscious.

Now, after opening in Gilbert last year, the Bells are opening a new Perspire Sauna Studio in Chandler in the Target Plaza on the northeast corner of Arizona Avenue and Ocotillo Road.

The infrared sauna studio combines infrared heat sauna and medical grade red-light therapy technology to detox the body, burn calories, improve sleep, ease pain and more.

The Bells are relying on their son, Andrew, who was awarded Perspire Studio Manager of the Year for the West Coast, to run the new Ocotillo studio.

“Our first studio has performed so well, and we love hearing stories from our members and guests how it’s helped

see PERSPIRE page 36

Ahwatukee company giving away a free roof to a veteran

An Ahwatukee company that stepped in as grand sponsor of this year’s Ahwatukee Kiwanis Club East Parade has launched a new campaign to honor someone who served.

Spencer 4 Hire Roofing, aka “The Roof Detectives,” is celebrating Independence Day this year by giving away a free roof to a veteran who lives in one of Ahwatukee ZIP codes – 85044, 85045 or 85048.

Spencer 4 Hire Roofing owner Nathan Spencer said at the time of the parade, “We’re trying to be more active in our community, more involved, and make sure we give back where we can.”

“We work the whole Valley, but much of our business is right here in Ahwatukee,” Spencer said. “We love our Ah-

watukee community. That’s why our office is here.”

And so he wants to give a deserving veteran some love.

“At Spencer 4 Hire roofing we believe it is essential to give back to our community and support those who support us,” his company states on its website.

“So, this 4th of July we have decided the best way to celebrate our country’s freedom is by supporting those who have afforded us those freedoms.”

The website added, “We are looking for someone who inspires and is deserving.”

The nominated veteran must own the home and self-nominations are not allowed.

While the winner will be announced July 4, nominations must be completed by June 26.

Details are at spencer4hireroofing. com.

Steve and Dodie Bell have opened Perspire Sauna Studio in Chandler. (Special to AFN)

AFN NEWS STAFF

Global tech firm opens shop in Chandler AirPark Corridor

BY KEN SAIN Arizonan Managing Editor

Intel’s expansion of its Ocotillo campus is helping, in part, to bring other tech businesses to Chandler.

And that means more high-paying jobs.

British company Edwards celebrated the grand opening of its new manufacturing facility in Chandler’s AirPark Employment Corridor on April 20.

The tour company officials gave visitors to their new 200,000 square foot facility included listing the reasons they decided to open in Chandler. Proximity to their customers was reason No. 1.

In addition to Intel’s expansion, Taiwan Semiconductor is building a large manufacturing facility in North Phoenix.

Edwards makes vacuums that help in manufacturing semiconductors because it is a global leader in cryopumps, which are used to trap gases and vapors.

Best way to think of it is the different forms of H2O. It can be solid (ice), liquid (water) or gas (water vapor). A cryopump is so cold it turns whatever gas or vapor is in a chamber into a solid form and then condenses them.

Gov. Katie Hobbs and city officials were on hand for the grand opening, celebrating the estimated 500 jobs Edwards is bringing to Chandler.

Edwards, which is part of the Swedish company Atlas Copco Group, employs more than 7,000 globally.

“Today’s opening represents another milestone in our success as a state,” said Hobbs, who attended high school in

PERSPIRE from page 35

improve their health and wellbeing. It’s what makes us confident in being able to bring the same level of experience and enthusiasm to the Chandler community,” said Dodie.

“Our goal is to provide a high-end experience in a relaxed and personalized environment that helps people to unwind and maintain a semblance of wellness in their lives.”

Chandler at Seton Catholic. “This facility represents Arizona’s burgeoning innovation economy, our growing role as a central hub for America’s supply chain and continued foreign direct investment in our state, the leading states in the nation for foreign direct investment.

“People want to bring their ideas and their business to Arizona. The world wants to invest here.”

Most of Edwards’ new facility, which it is calling Chandler Connection, is empty. The front offices are bare. The largest part

The studio also provides conciergelevel service and amenities, promising “a completely transformative 40-minute sauna session.”

Guests can alter their sessions to receive specific benefits each time.

When first introduced to the franchise, Steve said, “We didn’t understand it and had never ‘saunaed’ before. We had to try the infrared sauna first to see if we liked it and felt we benefited from it.”

“Neither of us sleep well,” he said. “Af-

of the manufacturing center is empty.

Edwards officials said during the tour they expect to be filling it up over the next 18 months or so. Eventually, it will be their largest manufacturing facility in the world. Currently, most of the cryopumps the company manufactures are being made in Japan.

“Edwards is an important part of our semiconductor supply chain, and we’re thrilled that they chose Chandler to manufacture these critical products right in our airport employment area,” Chandler

ter each sauna session we slept through the night and woke up refreshed and with energy for the day. Now our bodies crave the sauna. We feel like melting butter after each session yet refreshed.”

He added, “For every person that walks through the door, we will make sure that they are known, cared for and able to relax in an upscale, non-intimidating environment.”

That means, Dodie added, not only are patrons getting a chance to “boost their

Mayor Kevin Hartke said.

“Here, our highly skilled and passionate people will use advance automation and data solutions to disassemble, clean, inspect, repair and reassemble cryogenic pumps as well as manufacturing as well turbo pumps and dry pumps,” said Geert Follens, the president of Edwards Vacuum.

The company highlighted its commitment to the environment by using a grass backdrop on the speakers and as part of the design of the room.

One of the speakers during the tour said the company is committed to reaching a zero-carbon footprint by the year 2030.

The only part of facility that appears to be up and running is the repair section, where workers were busy as the tours took place. But that is only a very small section of the 200,000 square feet available.

“We are committed to supporting the semiconductor industry, and creating opportunities in our community,” said Najwa Khazal, who is the general manager of the Chandler Connection facility. “We’re also dedicated to environmental sustainability, and workforce development.

“We have invested in renewable energy, we’re recycling, reusing materials, and implemented energy-efficient technology. We believe our responsibilities to the environment is crucial. And we will continue to work towards reducing our environmental footprint.

“We also recognize the importance of investing in our employees, and providing them the opportunities to grow and evolve in their careers.” 

energy and immunity,” they’re getting “a completely private oasis where one can ease muscle pain, detox, improve skin conditions, release toxins or relax while watching an episode on Netflix or Hulu.”

The Chandler studio located at will be open Monday through Thursday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Information: 480-745-1674 or perspiresaunastudio.com/az/ocotillo.

Edwards Vacuum President Geert Follens cuts the ribbon to mark the grand opening of its new manufacturing facility in Chandler. Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs and Chandler Mayor Kevin Hartke were among those in attendance. (Edwards)

Long-term care insurance is protection you should consider

BY JOSEPH ORTIZ AFN Guest Writer

We all want to stay healthy and live independently throughout our retirement years. Unfortunately, that won’t be possible for some of us, so it’s a good idea to be prepared for healthrelated challenges — such as the need for long-term care.

As you may know, long-term care covers a variety of services, ranging from occasional visits from a home health aide to full-time residency in a nursing home. But while these types of care may vary in duration and intensity, they all have one thing in common — they’re expensive. Genworth, an insurance company, reports these median annual costs:

• Over $100,000 for a private room in a nursing home

• Over $60,000 for the services of a home health aide

Furthermore, Medicare typically pays very few of these expenses, which means the burden of payment will likely fall on you — or, even worse, on your adult children if you can’t afford the care you need. Of course, you could hope that you will avoid these costs simply by not requiring any type of assistance — but the odds aren’t necessarily in your favor. In fact, someone turning 65 today has an almost 70% chance of needing some type of longterm care services in their remaining years, according to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.

So, how can you protect yourself from the potentially enormous costs of longterm care?

You could decide that you’ll pay out of pocket — if so, you’ll need to incorporate into your retirement budget a reasonable estimate of potential long-term care costs, and you may need to make some significant changes to your saving and investment plans. And the earlier you begin, the better.

Your other option is to purchase some form of long-term care insurance. Essentially, three types of coverage are available:

• Traditional long-term care insurance – A traditional long-term care policy covers long-term care expenses in your home or at a nursing facility. But policies will differ in terms of what services are covered and how benefits are paid. And you may also be able to choose whether you want inflation protection. Also, with some policies, you can deduct the premiums from your state and federal taxes. (Your tax advisor can evaluate a policy you’re considering for potential tax benefits.)

• Hybrid long-term care insurance – In addition to providing coverage for home health care or a nursing home stay, a hybrid long-term care policy also offers a death benefit, so if you never need long-term care, your family could benefit from the policy’s proceeds.

• Life insurance with a long-term care rider – You can find a life insurance policy that lets you add long-term care coverage through a “rider,” or optional add-on. With this type of policy, you can use some of the death benefit to pay for your long-term care needs.

Which policy is best for you? There’s no one right answer for everyone. A financial professional can help you evaluate all your options within the context of your overall investment and protection strategies. But keep in mind that all long-term care policies tend to get more expensive as you get older, so if you’re considering this type of coverage, you may want to get started sooner rather than later.

Ahwatukee resident Joseph Ortiz is a financial planner for Edward Jones. Reach him at 480-753-7664 or joseph. ortiz@edwardjones.com. 

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Some Mother’s Day advice on electric vehicles

BY NORMA FARIS HUBELE AFN Guest Writer

Hey Mom, can I take the Ferrari out for a spin?”

Few parents are going to fall for this one. We know our kids don’t have the experience or maturity to control the high horsepower of a sports car.

Teens ages 16-19 have a fatal crash rate almost three times as high as older, more experienced drivers. In a Ferrari, our kids would be more likely passengers than drivers. The car would drive them!

But we might trip up on this one: “Hey Mom, how about buying an electric vehicle that will protect me and the environment?”

On the surface, an EV sounds safe. Early hybrids and EVs earned a reputation for being reliable and simplistic. Add in the safety inherent in a larger vehicle, like a pickup or SUV, and you have what sounds to be a perfect first car for your teen.

Add to this background the fact that your kids have likely seen the flashy ads for a new breed of EVs.

Take the GMC Hummer EV pickup for example. The “supertruck” can go from 0 to 60 mph in 3 seconds, just a fraction slower than the 2022 Ferrari F8 Spider. And, the truck’s cleverly branded Watts to

Freedom mode (yes, the abbreviation really is WTF), isn’t lost on your kids.

However, this isn’t the first generation EV.

The Hummer weighs over 9,000 pounds — nearly 6,000 more than the Ferrari. In fact, the Hummer’s electric battery weighs more than a whole Honda Civic LX. How is it possible to rocket launch such a behemoth? In a word, torque.

Torque is the measure of force that causes an object to rotate. Electric motors deliver full torque to a vehicle’s wheels directly and instantly. Internal combustion engines take longer to reach maximum torque, and that force has to travel through other moving parts, like the transmission.

It used to be that EVs could only maintain that acceleration for the first several thousand revolutions per minute. In other words, gas-powered engines had higher top speeds. But that’s changing as newer EVs pick up the pace.

The Tesla Model S Plaid can now top 200 mph.

Car buffs and safety experts are using the same words to describe the drag racing capability of these new EVs: “absurd,” “insane,” and “extreme.”

They see little practical use for this sudden acceleration, and so does GMC if you read the tiny disclaimer on their ads: “Professional driver on closed course.”

The downside of putting a beast like this on the road is obvious. There’ll be drivers

who take unnecessary risks, a phenomenon known as the Gladiator Effect. And there will be pedestrians and other drivers who have no time to escape injury.

Then there’s the matter of stopping power. Simple physics dictates that an average car traveling 60 miles an hour travels 88 feet per second. But it takes nearly a football field length — 270 feet — for the same car to stop.

That includes the time it takes for a driver to recognize the situation and to apply the brakes. Heavier vehicles like many new EVs are even slower to stop due to momentum.

That means drivers of EVs must have good judgment and act responsibly at all times. Not traits that are normally associated with teenagers.

You, as the parent, know your child best. If they have a need for speed or are prone to distraction, I recommend that you think twice before buying them a new EV.

Don’t be seduced by the recently created federal tax credits. An internal combustion engine vehicle or hybrid that’s large enough to protect them and has the latest safety features would be a better choice.

If you are still leaning toward the EV and think they can handle it, then be sure to teach them that these supertrucks and SUVs are very different from the traditional cars they likely used in driver’s education.

These new vehicles are quick off the line, but slow to stop. They have big blind spots, so it’s vital to check all mirrors before changing lanes.

And features like the vehicle’s height creates a little-known blind spot in the front of the vehicle. Caution your teens about the power they have to inflict harm on smaller vehicles and vulnerable road users (children in driveways, pedestrians, cyclists).

Indeed, it’ll be even more important than ever for your kids to practice the basics. Stay alert, control their speed, maintain a safe distance from other cars, and have an escape route to protect themselves and others from harm.

Drive like they are controlling a lethal weapon.

In short, remind them of the adage they’ve probably heard repeated many times in the movies: “With great power comes great responsibility.”

Ahwatukee resident and Chandler business owner Norma Faris Hubele is professor emerita of Arizona State University and creator of TheAutoProfessor.com, a website that helps families make safer car choices using the search tool called Auto Grades. Her book, “Backseat Driver, The Role of Data in Great Car Safety Debates” is available at Amazon.

DV’s Schnell, Visic place top two in girls’ tennis singles

BY ZACH ALVIRA AFN Sports Editor

Sydney Schnell was brought to tears after her two-hour long match at Paseo Racquet Center in Glendale finally came to an end Monday, May 1.

Some of the tears were from happiness as she had just won the Division I girls’ tennis singles state championship. Some were from the shortness of breath she experienced throughout most of the match due to the high winds and dust in the air.

Other tears were for her teammate, sophomore Natalie Visic, who she had to play for the right to become Desert Vista’s first girls’ singles champion in program history. The two were competitive throughout the match, but Schnell emerged victorious in a decisive third set (3-6, 6-0, 11-9).

“I just wanted to finish because it’s the state final,” Schnell said. “I just wanted to see what I could do. I was going in hoping I would feel good because usually I don’t in conditions like this.”

Schnell was born with Autoimmune Lymphoproliferative Syndrome (ALPS), an autoimmune blood disorder that attacks her red blood cells and limits lung function. She takes medication daily and receives weekly infusions that allows the symptoms to subside.

When she’s playing tennis, she keeps an inhaler handy. Though she said she doesn’t usually have to worry about using it in matches.

But during the state championship, her symptoms flared up. The high winds and dust particles clogged her airway, and it became increasingly difficult for her to breathe. At one point after she fell in the first set, the match was paused so a trainer could come over.

Schnell sat on the bench opposite of Visic with a cold towel over her head and tears in her eyes as she tried catching her breath.

“I usually perform better than I did there,” Schnell said. “The allergies and the dust make it tough. Because I wasn’t feel-

ing well it wasn’t as fun of a match as it could be. I feel awful about that and hope she can forgive me for it.”

Schnell was able to power through, at times coughing in the middle of games and taking a moment after each point to calm her breathing down.

But Schnell eventually found her groove after losing the first set and went on to win the second in convincing fashion. The third set, which is decided by the first player to reach 10 points and win by two, was neck and neck throughout.

Eventually, Schnell pulled through.

“I think we were both struggling with the wind and missing some shots,” Visic said. “I’ve seen her play and I know that wasn’t her best game, so I felt bad. But she pulled it through.”

The celebration was short lived. The two girls shook hands and exited the court to some cheers from Desert Vista supporters

there to root both girls on.

But those cheers quickly quieted down as Schnell attempted to catch her breath once more with her family by her side. She did after several minutes, and the two girls came together to celebrate their accomplishment.

No matter the outcome, they both represented Desert Vista at a high level.

Schnell was state runner-up in the same match two years ago as a sophomore. She wanted redemption her senior year after falling short of the title match last year as a junior.

Visic, meanwhile, has already proven to be among the state’s best at a young age. Much like Schnell did two years ago, she was dominant in some of her tournament matches to make it to the final.

She said she was proud of the way she was able to compete.

“I didn’t think I would get this far or be

this close in the final,” Visic said. “I’m excited for the next years, too. I pushed my hardest and did what I could.”

When the two girls decided they would both play singles this season, they had a feeling they could end up in the championship against one another.

They’re hitting partners at practice and have become their biggest supporters alongside the rest of the Desert Vista team. When they both won their semifinal match two days before the state championship, they congratulated each other and had little communication afterward — just like true competitors.

That same competitive nature showed in the match. Teammates or not, they both wanted to win.

Desert Vista tennis coach Bob Wakefield was proud of the way they competed. But he admitted that it put him in a difficult spot as a coach remaining neutral and trying to coach both at the same time.

“I was excited they got to the finals,” Wakefield said. “I thought I would be able to just cheer and let them play. But that was the toughest spot I’ve been in in my life, watching my two girls play like that. You try to cheer evenly and yet someone is going to be disappointed.

“They’re teammates, they’re hitting partners. I’m just so happy to see one of them get the state champion and one get state runner-up.”

Schnell now prepares to head off to Weber State to continue her tennis career as a state champion. Visic, meanwhile, has now established herself as a contender for the next two seasons.

Schnell is confident Visic will come away from her high school career with two state championships under her belt beginning next season. And while she’ll be in Utah for college, she plans to try to make a trip down to the Valley to support her should she make a run again next season.

“I know next year or senior year, she’ll be able to win it,” Schnell said. “I know next year she can do this, and I’ll make sure she knows that.” 

Desert Vista sophomore Natalie Visic, “left,” and senior Sydney Schnell battled for the Division I girls’ tennis single state championship Monday, May 1 at Paseo Racquet Center in Glendale. It came down to a third set, with Schnell emerging victorious to cap off her high school career as a state champion. (Courtesy Desert Vista High School)

Adults get into the AZ ACT with ‘9 to 5’

GETOUT STAFF

After more than 20 years of providing arts education and performances, Ahwatukee Children’s Theatre rebranded as Arizona Community Theatrical Company, or AZ ACT.

That wider focus means adults are not part of the program and the first group will get their chance to entertain residents with a Mother’s Day showing May 14 of the hit “9 to 5 The Musical.”

The cast features 26 adults – twice the number that AZ ACT Executive Director Melissa Snow had expected.

With strong feminist themes, the show will be performed at 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. Sunday at Lights, Camera, Discover, 4825 E. Warner Road, in Ahwatukee Palms Plaza.

A cash bar will feature the show’s signature drink, the Maui Wowie. Tickets are $10 and on sale at azact.org/shows-tickets.

“9 to 5 The Musical,” based on the 1980 movie of the same name and featuring lyrics by Dolly Parton.

Bibi Herran, who plays the role of secretary Maria in the show, approached AZ ACT Snow with the idea of an adults-only production because she wanted to share the musical theatre experience with her children, 5th grade twins Julia and Anders Fagerman.

“For as long as I can remember, I have loved musicals. Watching my kids have so much fun in many AZ ACT productions inspired me to ask Melissa to direct a play performed by adults. My dream came true,” Herran said.

Originally the plan was to produce the ABBA-inspired hit “Mamma Mia!” since Desert Vista High School performed it in 2021 and several parents of those students were interested in taking on their kids’ roles.

Snow had hoped maybe they would get 12 adults signed up if she was lucky, but was hesitant to license the rights to the show until she was certain they’d have enough participation.

Her plans were almost derailed when the rights management company refused AZ ACT’s license, claiming there was a competing production nearby that would pose a conflict.

“By this point, the performers were excited and committed, so Melissa did a quick search for other shows featuring an adult cast that would fit the talents involved,” said Heather Sapp of Ahwatukee, a parent who also is in the “9 to 5” cast.

But Snow discovered “9 to 5 The Musical” and her plans survived – and thrived.

Set in the 1970s, the show is about three female coworkers who concoct a plan to get even with their sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot of a boss.

The women give their workplace a dream makeover, taking control of the company that had always kept them down.

“It seemed only fitting to perform on Mother’s Day, given the number of family connections in the cast,” Sapp said.

“It truly is a family affair, boasting a mother and daughter pair, father and son, two married couples, and two sets of sis-

ters, in addition to ACT alumni and parents of ACT kids.

The daughter of the “mother-daughter pair,” Megan Snow plays Doralee Rhodes, which was originated by Dolly Parton.

Megan is a fifth grade teacher at Kyrene de la Estrella, and “9 to 5” marks a return to acting after she switched to directing the past few years.

“It has been so much fun being directed by my mom [Melissa Snow] again,” she

Rehearsing for AZ ACT’s presentation of “9 to 5 The Musical” are, from left, Andrew Egan as Tinsworthy, Eric Chen as Bob Enright, Jason Gellman as Franklyn Hart, Jr., Monica Gellman as Violet Newstead, Megan Snow as Doralee Rhodes, and Olivia Smith as Judy Bernly. (Courtesy of Heather Sapp)

said. “Growing up at AZ ACT, I was able to experience learning who my mom is as a director, so it was just like traveling back in time!”

The musical is also a homecoming for Olivia Smith, playing Judy Bernly, the role originated by Jane Fonda in the movie.

She is one half of one of the two sister pairs in the cast, joining her sister Madeline Egbert. The other sister pair comprises Sooz Rudolph and Allison Chafin.

Olivia, a nurse, began at ACT in third grade, and continued through high school, performing in approximately 30 shows, plus show choirs and dance lessons.

“My sister and I did a ton of shows together when we were younger, so it’s just like we’re kids again,” she said.

Local entrepreneur Monica Gellman, owner of Lookie It’s a Cookie, portrays Violet Newstead, the role originated by Lily Tomlin. Her boss, played by Dabney Coleman in the movie, is Monica’s husband, lawyer Jason Gellman. Eric Chen and Heather Sapp are the other husband-wife pair in the cast.

“My daughters have worked with Me-

lissa for over a decade, but it’s been a fun shift from ‘stage mom’ to performer,” Monica said.

“Added bonus is being in the show with my husband, who is hilarious as Hart but definitely playing against type. Aside from karaoke, we’ve never shared the stage, though each of us acted in high school and college before we met.”

The other cast members are Shana Schwarz, Jacob Anderson, Connor Egan, Kaitlyn Johnson, Bibi Herran, Patrick Keyser, Madeline Egbert, Jeffri-Lynn Campbell, Andrew Egan, Matt Harmon, Erin Myers, Liz O’Neill, Kaley Scott, Theresa Paganini, Amy Ash, Stacy Lang, Adrienne Hekster-Babic, Allison Chafin and Dianne Magnusson. 

Summer camp and classes

AZ ACT is offering both a full-day summer camp and a variety of theater-related classes for kids of all ages. And it also is planning a a main stage production of “Sponge Bob The Musical” that is not part of the summer camp for kids ages 6-19.

For details, see azact.org.

Wonderspaces dazzles at an unlikely place

BY ALEX GALLAGHER AFN Arts Editor

Wonderspaces prides itself on many things, including its unique origin as a pop-up exhibition in San Diego in 2016 to “bridge the gap between artists and new audiences.”

Since then, Wonderspaces has opened venues in four cities as well as several pop-ups, bringing art to luxury shopping destinations – including Scottsdale Fashion Square.

Wonderspaces has kept a steady flow of foot traffic at the mall by finding and rotating immersive artworks that can be used as the background for photos or a place to escape reality momentarily.

“Our commitment is to bring art to new audiences and to bring new art to them,” Wonderspaces Arizona General Manager Tera Tate said.

Wonderspaces Arizona recently opened two new artworks: “ELI” and “Gamelatron Gandaberunda.”

“ELI” is a short cartoon film created by Nate Milton, a New York City artist who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at age 30.

The film displays his magical thinking and manic delusion caused by his disorder though the slightly fictitious story of a 17-year-old named Elijah.

Though this is a more theatrical work than anything else on display at Wonderspaces, the intimate theater setting creates

tion bleeds onto and changes colors with each scene in the 15-minute short.

This also marks the first time that Wonderspaces Arizona has shown a short film in its space, and Tate said it’s been a hit with audiences.

She has also seen how the film has sparked conversations about mental illness among the guests.

“The artist’s mission is to talk openly about mental illness and to hopefully get the conversation started much earlier since he got diagnosed when he was 30 and he felt it opened up a whole third person, person view on himself,” said Tate.

Tate hopes that the film will allow its viewers to look inward.

“Hopefully will be the start of some great conversations with people, it’ll open people’s eyes a little bit more and it may make them reflect on things in their own life or those around them,” she said.

“It makes people maybe feel like they can have those conversations and just open their eyes in a really positive way.”

two Balinese-style cymbal arrays called ceng-ceng tuned to a non-standard 6-note scale that plays music on a loop.

Adding to the work’s immersive experience are cubed stools guests can position anywhere they want in the art space.

“When you’re in there, you feel like you’re fully immersed in a sound and we’ve had people use the cubes to create beds and just lay there, close their eyes and just take it all in,” Tate said.

“We’ve had people that take the cushions and face each set of wall hangings for extended periods of time and there was one point that we had a large group of children in there that were all hyped up from experiencing our other artwork shadow play and they immediately wound down and just sat down on the carpet.”

Though artworks are different, Tate enjoys a common thread between them.

Both redefine the meaning of art, she said.

“Art is so many different things and making artwork accessible to bigger audiences is our main goal,” Tate said. “Trying all these different things that will bring people in for different reasons and then getting them to experience Wonderspaces as a whole is where the magic happens.”

a unique viewing experience for guests. It features white walls that the film’s projec-

“Gamelatron Gandaberunda,” by Aaron Taylor Kuffner, comprises 36 hand-forged bronze gongs and

The exhibits are expected to remain on display for a year and Tate also teased some more new art could be coming to Wonderspaces Arizona as early as next month.  

Tera Tate contemplates “Parastella” by artist Christopher Schardt at Wonderspaces Arizona where she is general manager. The new venue at Scottsdale Fashion Square offers visitors some visual experiences one doesn’t normally expect at a shopping mall. (David Minton/GetOut Staff Photographer)

The walk-through piece titled “The Border” by Carolin Wanitzek delights visitors to Wonderspaces Arizona. (David Minton/GetOut Staff Photographer)

“The Immigrant” by artist Michael Murphy at Wonderspaces Arizona is a haunting portrait. (David Minton/GetOut Staff Photographer)

ACROSS

1 Standard

4 Like custard

8 Jubilation

12 Candle count

13 Crib cry

14 Verdi opera

15 “Yellow” band

17 Zorro’s marks

18 Teeny bit

19 Lincoln’s coin

20 Long-limbed

22 Wild guess

24 “How sweet --!”

25 “Light My Fire” band

29 Rock’s Brian

30 Berth places

31 Quick swim

32 “Jump” band

34 Greek cheese

35 Always

36 Gourmand

37 Task

40 Vivacity

41 Sci-fi prefix

42 “Jeremy” band

46 Privy to

47 Robust

48 Mine yield

49 Honey bunch?

50 Historic Scott

51 Evergreen type

DOWN

1 Lobbying org.

2 Previously

3 Seminary study

4 Void

5 Fancy party

6 “Today” rival, briefly

7 “Rah!”

8 Garden pavilion

9 Property claim

10 Genesis garden

11 Relaxed

16 Feet, slangily

19 Cushions

20 Schreiber of “Ray Donovan”

21 Sicilian volcano

22 Transparent

23 Seabird

25 Scrabble piece

26 Schiller poem used by Beethoven

27 Ceremony

King Crossword

28 Mast

30 Macadamize

33 Marsh birds

34 Flunk

36 Goofed

37 First bed

38 Sharpen

39 Slender woodwind

40 Hay bundle

42 Third degree?

43 Corn serving

44 Exist

45 Kitten’s cry

MWith JAN D’ATRI

This savory dish is a festival of flavor

elted cheese over steamed vegetables has always been a popular side dish. But when I came across an old Iowa Farmer’s Almanac recipe for roasted vegetables served in a cheese crust, it turned everything upside down for me and became one of my favorite ways to enjoy seasonal produce.

The instructions were as follows: “Roast over a hot fire, one handful each of four or five vegetables in season. Make a crust of cheese and cornmeal. Use crust as a plate to serve vegetables in.”

I need no excuse to channel my inner farm girl, so I went right to the task of figuring out what kind of heat would equal a “hot fire” and which vegetables would taste best snuggled in a cornmeal and cheese crust.

Whether you take my vegetable suggestions, or choose your own combination, you’re going to end up with a delicious festival of flavor in a savory cheese crust.

Sudoku

Ingredients - Crust:

• 1 cup yellow cornmeal

• 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated

• 3 tablespoons fresh grated parmesan cheese

• 1 teaspoon sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 large egg

• 1⁄3 cup milk

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Ingredients - filling

• 1 cup broccoli flowerets

Directions:

Vegetables:

Combine vegetables in a bowl. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss to completely coat vegetables. Spread vegetables evenly on a large baking sheet and bake at 475 degrees, turning often, until vegetables are browned and thoroughly cooked, about 25 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Crust:

Reduce oven to 400 degrees. Lightly butter an approximately 10-inch tart or pie pan.

In a bowl, whisk egg until frothy. Whisk in milk and oil. In another bowl, combine cornmeal, cheddar, parmesan, sugar and salt. Stir into egg mixture until well blended. Press crust mixture over bottom and halfway up the

• 1 cup cauliflower flowerets

• 1 cup baby carrots (mini’s are best)

• ½ red onion, cut in large chunks

• 1 cup small white mushrooms cut in half

• 1 cup zucchini, sliced ½ inch thick

• 3-4 Roma tomatoes, sliced thin, then sliced in half

• 1 ½ cups cheddar or mozzarella cheese

• 2 tablespoons fresh grated parmesan

• 2 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon pepper

sides of pan.

Bake for approximately 15 minutes or until lightly golden brown. (If crust bubbles during cooking process, poke down with fork or skewer. You may have to do several times.)

Assembly:

Sprinkle ½ cup cheddar cheese over crust. Pour half of the vegetables over top. Sprinkle another ½ cup cheddar cheese over vegetables.

Pour in remaining vegetables and finish with ½ cup cheddar cheese and two tablespoons of parmesan. Slice the tomato slices in half and place them in scallop design around the edges of the tart. Bake at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes or until cheese is melted and golden on top.

HIRING NOW FOR:

• General Laborers

• Shipping & Inventory

Crane Operators

• Maintenance Mechanics/ Electricians

• Production Operators And

Two Day Hiring Event

When: Friday, May 19; 9 am - 2 pm

Saturday, May 20; 8 am - 1 pm

Where: CMC Steel Arizona 11444 E Germann Rd. Mesa, AZ 85212

CMC Steel Arizona has proudly been making the steel that builds America since 2009.

Come tour our facility and learn about our openings and potentially receive an on-thespot offer! At CMC, we offer great benefits and provide all necessary training and certifications.