Ahwatukee Foothills News 07/12/2023

Wednesday, July 12, 2023

Survey ranks Phoenix 18th best

BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor

When it comes to a wide range of leisurely pursuits – from parks and playgrounds to restaurants and theaters – residents of Ahwatukee and the rest of Phoenix have it pretty good, according to a national survey released last week.

Among the 100 largest cities in the nation,

BY COTY DOLORES MIRANDA AFN Contributor

It all began on Sandra Marshall’s birthday in 2022.

The Ahwatukee artist and author and her children were still grieving the passing of their pet of 13 years, a Chihuahua named Jojo.

Yet when her daughter Lena asked if they could get another dog, Marshall shot back: “We will not be getting another dog unless one shows up on our doorstep with a tiny suitcase.”

Little did she know.

Three days later, March 18, 2022, a loud, deep and single bark outside their front door rattled Marshall.

“Sitting like a stone statue was a giant dog who was scratched up and looking fully

Phoenix ranks 18th on a list of best cities for recreation compiled by the financial website wallethub.com.

Among the seven Arizona cities included in the survey, the city holds third place – behind Scottsdale (No. 6 nationally) and Tucson (No. 12 nationally).

But in terms of the total score wallethub. com assigned each of the 100 cities to arrive at the rankings, Phoenix did even better. Its total

sad and defeated. I was scared at first because he was just staring forward and not moving,” she said. “I thought for sure he had to be somebody’s lost dog.”

Try as she might over the next few weeks, she couldn’t locate his owner – or an open space at an animal shelter.

“I knew we weren’t keeping him so we just called him ‘big dog,’” Marshall explained. “I tried calling rescue groups to see if they could help and all of the shelters and rescues were full.

“I was told if we brought him in, there was a good chance he would be put down. There was no way I would let that happen,” she said.

Still Big Dog stayed, even though her family wasn’t ready

to transition from a lapdog to a good-sized pitbull mix.

Because he tended to be “rowdy,” Marshall had Big Dog neutered – which greatly improved his deportment and his acceptance in the Marshall household.

“One day my daughter said, ‘He needs a name. I’m going to call him Theodore. He looks like a Theodore,’” Marshall said. “I still wouldn’t call him ‘Theodore’ because I didn’t want to get attached to him.”

score of 50.37 wasn’t all that far behind the top city in the nation for recreation – Las Vegas, Nevada, which garnered 61.43 points.

And among the seven Arizona cities, Phoenix did even better with a 5-point spread behind Scottsdale and 1.22 points behind Tucson.

Phoenix is well ahead of the least favorable city for recreation among the 100 eyeballed

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BY HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services

AHigley Unified Governing Board school board member is one of three Arizona mothers who want permission to join the federal suit against Kyrene School District and others to defend the ban on transgender girls playing on girls sports teams.

Board member Anna Van Hoek, as well as a mother in Glendale and another in Maricopa, asked a federal judge to let them join the defendants in the case.

They said that as mothers of biological girls, they offer a unique perspective on the 2022 law that says public schools and any private schools that compete against them must designate their interscholastic and intramural sports strictly as male, female or coed.

It spells out that teams designated for women or girls “may not be open to students of the male sex.’’ And the statute says that is defined as the player’s biological sex.

The federal lawsuit challenging the law was filed by parents of an 11-year-old transgender boy who is set to attend Aprende Middle School this month and wants to try out for girls’ soccer and other teams.

Lawyers say the student has “lived her life as a girl’’ since age 5 and that the student “has not experienced any of the physiological changes, including muscle development, that increased testosterone levels would cause in a pubescent boy,’’ according to the lawsuit.

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

Van Hoek was elected in November and endorsed by Purple for Parents, a group that grew out of the frustration with the Red for Ed movement, which included the 2018 statewide teacher walkout for higher pay.

Van Hoek’s lawyer told the judge she is sending one of her two daughters to an unidentified high school in the Chandler Unified School District to play softball on the school team after playing for a Higley middle school.

“Ms. Van Hoek believes these benefits

would disappear because the presence of biological boys creates a significant obstacle to girls achieving their best performance,” attorney James Rogers states in his request to intervene, adding:

“Her two daughters have experienced these obstacles firsthand, and her younger daughter would give up on softball if she were forced to play on a team with biological boys, or to compete against biological boys.”

Whether Van Hoek and the other two moms will get to participate in the case is not clear.

The plaintiffs’ attorneys already have told Rogers they will oppose the three mothers’ move. No hearing has been set on their motion.

Kyrene has told the judge it will not defend itself in the suit – mirroring the position taken by state Attorney General Kris Mayes.

In a declaration filed May 30, Kyrene General Counsel Jordan Ellel told the court that the district and Superintendent Laura Toenjes “are obligated, under Arizona law, to apply the statutory ban against

transgender girls’ participation on girls’ sports teams unless and until the courts determine to do so would be unlawful; in that event, defendants would apply the

law as interpreted by the court.

“Defendants further assert that they are not adverse to the plaintiffs except as required by law,” Ellel wrote, adding the

district and Toenjes “take no position concerning the merits of the legal issues” and that they “will not be an active participant in this case.”

The same position has also been taken by the Tucson, State Superintendent of Public Schools Tom Horne and the Arizona Interscholastic Association, which governs high school sports.

The lawsuit claims the ban violates Title IX because it is discrimination on the basis of sex.

It also says the ban would cause the girls “to experience shame and stigma, denies them well-known physical and mental benefit that arise from playing school sports and directly contributes to negative physical and emotional health consequences.’’

Kyrene Governing Board members denounced the law when they made it part of the district’s official policy – an action they said they could not avoid because the district risked the loss of at least some state funding if they did not adopt it.

Because Mayes won’t defend the statute, state Senate President Warren Petersen,

Higley Unified Governing Board member Anna Van Hoek said she is sending one of her daughters to a Chandler Unified School to play softball and doesn’t want her to play against girls teams with transgender boys. (File photo)

R-Gilbert, and House Speaker Ben Toma, R-Glendale, have intervened.

Legal papers filed by Rogers, who is with the America First Legal Foundation, said the three mothers’ request to intervene also is are joined by and a group called Arizona Women in Action.

He argues his clients have a right to defend the law because most of the defendants won’t.

Rogers argues that while Horne is a defendant, he is hobbled by a lack of legal resources and that Horne’s job requires him to consider the needs of all public school students, including transgender females.

By contrast, Rogers says, the three women have a specific and immediate interest in upholding the law: the real possibility that their daughters will have to compete against those born male.

He told U.S. District Court Judge Jennifer Zipps, it appears that already has happened in at least two cases involving the mothers who want to intervene.

The National Center for Lesbian Rights and other attorneys are not seeking to overturn the 2022 law entirely and entitle all transgender girls to participate on girls’ teams.

Instead they are arguing that each bid by a transgender girl should be considered individually. And in this case, they say that since neither girl is experiencing puberty – one is too young and the other is on puberty blockers –they should be allowed to play with and against other girls.

Rogers said all three mothers believe that participating in girls’ team sports has dramatically benefited their daughters’ personal and social development.

“Their experiences have built their selfconfidence and allowed them to experience a type of camaraderie and friendship

that could not be replicated anywhere else,’’ he told Zipps. “If their teams also included persons born as biological makes, virtually all those benefits would evaporate.’’

The Maricopa mom, Amber Zenczak, said her youngest daughter’s basketball team already played a game against another girls team that had a biological player.

“This transgender player violently fouled Ms. Zenczak’s daughter but the referees did not make any calls on this obvious foul, evidently because of fear of accusations of discrimination and to avoid retaliation from trans activists,’’ Rogers wrote, indicating she is thinking of sending her daughter to a Kyrene school.

In a written declaration, Zenczak said the prospect of biological males in female-only spaces such as locker room would make the girls “feel self-conscious and frustrated by having to change clothes or shower in the presence of a teammate having male genitalia in the locker room.’’

Rogers argues that the three women “have standing under federal and Arizona law to sue to protect their daughters’ interests.’’

Also seeking to intercede is Arizona Women of Action, described as originating in October 2020 as a text chain and organized as a political action committee in 2021.

While it has no formal membership, the lawsuit says a survey of the organization’s email subscribers showed 99.6% support the 2022 law.

Horne contends that, puberty or not, there is medical evidence that those born male are inherently stronger than those born female at all stages of development.

And that, Horne said, makes inclusion of transgender girls both unfair and potentially dangerous to biological female athletes.

AFN contributed to this report. 

Nothing Cooler than New Flooring

ARIZONAN NEWS STAFF

The Arizona Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Committee, a U.S. Department of Defense program, has named a Chandler resident its new chairman.

Army and National Guard veteran Richard Palmatier, Jr. will assume the volunteer position, which lasts three years with an optional extra year, on Oct. 1.

ESGR develops and promotes supportive work environments for service members in the National Guard and Reserve through outreach, recognition, and educational opportunities that increase awareness of applicable laws. It also assists in resolving conflicts between service members and their employers.

“Palmatier will provide the leadership and vision for a team of dedicated volunteers throughout Arizona to carry out the ESGR mission,” a spokesman said.

Palmatier added: “I appreciate the trust

and confidence the National ESGR office is placing in me with this selection.

“I am honored, humbled, and excited about the potential in this new role on be-

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GUARD from page 6

half of the Arizona ESGR Committee.”

Palmatier retired from the Army in 2010 after a career as a judge advocate, then finished his career with the Arizona National Guard, where he served as a human resources officer and the Guard’s chief of staff.

Following his military career, Palmatier worked for a small law firm doing veterans disability cases, before joining the State Bar of Arizona in 2017.

At the State Bar, he helps provide ethics advice to attorneys, provides employment law advice to the organization, and assists with conservatorship cases for attorneys who have passed away or are no longer authorized to practice law.

Current Arizona committee chair Dan Irving said Palmatier is the right choice to succeed him.

“I could not think of a more qualified and experienced leader to take the Arizona ESGR Committee to new heights,” Irving said. “I wish Rick the best and I know he has a great team of volunteers ready to support him.”

With more than one third of the United States’ military force serving in the Guard or Reserve, Palmatier will have a direct impact on these men and women, and their civilian employers.

Palmatier joins 53 other chairs who oversee the ESGR mission in the 50 states, three territories, and the District of Columbia.

More information about ESGR employer outreach programs and volunteer opportunities is available at esgr.mil, or by contacting Volunteer Support Technician Camille Davis at 602-267-2404 or camille.s.davis.ctr@army.mil. 

Mark

Audit slams shoddy state casework for foster kids

BY HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services

The Department of Child Safety is not providing some information to local foster care review boards, leaving volunteer board members without data they need to help determine the permanent status of more than 11,000 children in out-of-home care, according to a new state report.

Auditor General Lindsey Perry said the more than 123 across the state monitor what DCS has done to carry out a child’s case plan for achieving some permanent status, whether it may be reunification or terminating parental rights.

They also provide findings and recommendations to juvenile courts judges, who make the ultimate decision on what happens to children taken from their homes.

But in a report to state lawmakers, Perry said some DCS caseworkers did not comply with the agency’s policy requiring them to attend a board’s case review sessions. That prevented some local boards from conducting complete reviews of children in foster care.

Perry also said the ability of the boards to get information has been hobbled by a 2-year-old computerized system designed to track all cases as well as the failure of caseworkers to keep those records current.

She said that the fault is not entirely with DCS.

Perry said that the Administrative Office of Courts (AOC), tasked with getting the information from DCS to the volunteer boards, didn’t get some of what it requested because the automated system made errors in the requests.

Whatever the reasons, Perry said all this impairs the ability of the boards to do their jobs.

In a written response, DCS Director David Lujan said he agrees with the findings of the auditors and will implement their recommendations.

He specifically said there will be additional training and supervision and, as appropriate, “progressive discipline guidelines for supervisors when there are staff performance issues.’’

Foster care review boards were es-

tablished by the Legislature in 1978 in response to concern that foster children were being “lost’’ in out-of-home care and staying too long in temporary placement.

The five volunteer members on each board are appointed by the court and are supposed to represent the racial, ethnic, social and economic groups of the county in which they serve.

Board members are legally required review at least once every six months the case of each child who remains in out-ofhome placement and provide a report to the juvenile court within 30 days.

All that goes to the role of boards in ensuring that there is some effort being made to achieving some permanent status for children rather than allowing them to simply languish in foster care.

And that specifically includes a target date by which a child can be returned home or placed for adoption or permanent guardianship.

To do their jobs, Perry said, boards need to review the actions of DCS.

That includes whether reasonable efforts were made to prevent the child’s removal from home in the first place and whether remaining at home would harm the child’s welfare.

The boards also make findings and recommendations about whether the out-ofhome placement continues to be necessary as well as that the placement is “safe, appropriate and the least restrictive.’’

And they also ensure there is a written case plan to establish an appropriate permanency goal which outlines the tasks for both the child and the parents and whether they are following those tasks.

But what the boards need to do that, the report says, is the cooperation of DCS.

Perry said DCS policy requires caseworkers to attend local board case reviews or arrange for their supervisor to attend in their place. But she said that isn’t the case.

Auditors picked two days to review where there were 124 case reviews scheduled. They found that caseworkers attended 86 of those.

There were another 16 where the casesee

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FOSTER from page 9

worker did not attend but notified AOC of their absence and provided a statement with case updates. And in 22 cases no one attended or notified AOC.

The information caseworkers have, Perry said, is important.

“Caseworkers can provide information and perspectives in case reviews that may not otherwise be available to local board volunteers,’’ she said, information they need to make findings and recommendations to juvenile court. And she said this is more than academic.

In one situation where a caseworker did not attend, the child under review actually had been hospitalized for suspected physical abuse prior to their first outof-home placement. She said that meant the board had no current information about the child’s health conditions or the status of any criminal investigation against the parents.

And to make her point of how valuable caseworker attendance is, Perry cited a situation where the caseworker did attend a meeting and provided the local board with some information it did not have, like the child’s current placement and target date for achieving permanency.

“Further, the caseworker was able to inform the local board that the child’s parents had stopped participating in services that were required for them to be reunited with their child,’’ she said, information the local board would not have known because it was not in the case documents they had received. Perry said that enabled the board to include the parent’s lack of participation in its findings and recommendations to the juvenile court.

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of boards to do their jobs. Perry said board members also have to get the information they need.

DCS began using its Guardian system in early 2021 which is designed for caseworkers to manage and store information about individual cases. It is that system that is used by the AOC to provide the local boards with what they need.

But Perry said a review of 13 cases from around the state for two specific dates checked showed that the Guardian system did not provide AOC staff a complete report in any of those situations. And in some cases, she said, the caseworkers’ direct supervisors actually noted that up-to-date information was not stored in the system.

“Additionally, the supervisors did not document taking additional action to hold the caseworkers accountable for creating an up-to-date case plan in Guardian, such as noting a deadline by which the case plan should be created or following up with the caseworker,’’ Perry said. All that, she said, is important.

“Without complete information about the cases of children in out-of-home care, local boards may not be able to fulfill their statutory responsibility to review these cases and submit complete findings and recommendations to the juvenile court,’’ the report says. And that can mean the boards cannot assess progress made toward the child’s case plan goals.

Perry said none of this should be a surprise to DCS, citing two meetings last year of a special oversight committee at the Capitol.

“Legislators expressed concern that local boards were not receiving case plans and that volunteer local board members were discouraged because of their inability to get the information they need to perform their duties,’’ she said. 

“One day, after I knew I loved this dog and would have a hard time rehoming him, I decided to look up what ‘Theodore’ meant,” she continued.

“I said to myself ‘if this name means something special, maybe it’s meant to be.’ When I looked up his name I actually cried. The name ‘Theodore’ means ‘a divine gift from God.’ And I remembered he showed up on my birthday. This is the moment when I knew he was meant to be a part of our family.”

Although Marshall had planned to travel for business after the second of her vegetable/fruit artbooks, “The Razzle Berry Wackadoodle Garden” continued to garner accolades – as had her award-winning “One Hot Night at the Veggie Bar,” published in 2016.

But Theodore changed all that.

“Fast-forward a year and Theodore has been my best buddy,” Marshall said. “My whole family eventually fell in love with him. With his story and how he came to be, I know he is meant to do great things.”

“As a professional artist, I felt like I was meant to help him. I started drawing pictures of Theodore’s adventures, posted them on Facebook and we had such an amazing following.”

From that reaction, Marshall decided to start a series of coloring books titled “Color Them Home,” with Theodore as a central figure.

Marshall will launch her intricately drawn book at 3 p.m. July 22 at the appropriately dog-friendly coffee/wine/beer tap house ‘Hair of the Dog’ in Gilbert.

A share of the proceeds from sales will benefit One Love Arizona, a nonprofit foster-based rescue founded in 2014.

Dana Klose, the nonprofit’s CEO/executive director said everyone is invited to attend the book launch and coloring party.

Marshall is enthusiastic about the effects “Color Them Home” can have on many levels.

“People loved his story and every day looked forward to his adventures. I would color the pages and so many people asked for them so I started thinking about it, and that’s how this whole movement came to be,” said Marshall, whose FB account, SandraMarshallArt, has 62,000 followers.

“This ‘movement,’ as I call it, is a way for people to become aware of the crisis going on in our animal shelters and rescues. I had truly no idea! Last time I checked there were over 800 dogs in Maricopa County shelters alone,” she said.

“This coloring book of Theodore’s adventures will be a way to help dogs and cats in shelters and rescues. ‘Color Them Home’ coloring books will raise funds, create awareness and help build a community of people who want to help

“The name ‘Theodore’ means ‘a divine gift from God’ and I remember he showed up on my birthday,” explained Sandra Marshall. “This is the moment when I knew he was meant to be a part of our family.” (Courtesy Sandra Marshall)

make the lives better for animals looking for their forever homes.”

“And it’s not just a coloring book; it’s a way to bring the community together for a beautiful cause through art and creating together. We’re teaming up locally and supporting restaurants and businesses with coloring parties, and doing virtual coloring parties for my Facebook followers across the world.”

“Could you imagine if we could find homes for lots of dogs and be able to get supplies from proceeds from this adult coloring book?” she wondered.

“With ‘Coloring Them Home’ we’re helping dog and cat rescues and shelters. We’re building community and helping local businesses by supporting them. It’s a win for everyone.”

She said she plans to host events “all around the Valley” to introduce the book

while raising funds to help animals. Already in the works is an August ‘Color-In’ gathering at Cupz N Crepes in Ahwatukee.

Marshall has been an artist since early childhood in New York, and credits her parents, Elaine and Richard Davis, for encouraging her.

An Ahwatukee resident since 1990, she owned and operated Be An Artist, a brick and mortar art studio on Chandler Blvd. from 2014-19, leaving that business to focus on hosting large painting events with her two Mini Mobile Art Studios.

She expanded her online teaching when the pandemic struck and grew her website with Zoom classes. It was not unusual to have hundreds of people join her online.

“A lot of people followed my Facebook page because of my food art,” she said.

see MARSHALL page 13

Marshall is launching her coloring book of Theodore’s adventures to help dogs and cats in shelters and rescues. (Courtesy Sandra Marshall)

“I’m the author of two books and I was starting my journey across the country doing presentations in schools using my children’s food art book to promote healthy eating and a secret way through the eyes of an artist. This was my big plan before Theodore showed up.”

Now her art and travels are Theodorecentric.

“Color Me Home” is printed on 9 x 12 acid-free artist paper appropriate for markers or colored pencils. Spiral bound at the top, it has 22 pages of exquisitelyrendered Sandra Marshall artworks.

The books are priced at $19.99 plus tax and are available by contacting Marshall through Instagram or Facebook messaging, or attending one of her coloring events.

She is seeking sponsorship so that she might take the books and coloring-togeth-

er programs into schools and retirement homes.

“I’ve already been visiting elementary schools with my fruit and veggie food art book, but now I have the opportunity to expand to all grade levels with this coloring book. My goal is to find sponsors who can provide books for each classroom,” she explained.

“I will personally visit each school and engage with the kids during presentations, just as I do with my food art books. We aim to include various grade levels because it benefits individuals of all ages. Additionally, it would be wonderful to introduce the coloring book to nursing homes, as it promotes mental well-being. It’s something for all ages to enjoy and for a good cause.”

Information: SandraMarshallArt. com and OneLoveAZ.org 

by wallethub: Lowly Chula Vista, California, earned that dubious honor with a 30.5 score, below second-worst city for recreation: Newark, New Jersey.

To arrive at its rankings wallethub.com assigned points to a wide variety of features it believes comprises a solid home for recreational activities of all kinds, grouping them in four categories.

Those categories include:

• Over 30 different kinds of public and private facilities, ranging from trails and even basketball hoops per capita to public beaches and pools to coffee shops and baseball/softball diamonds.

• Costs, under which wallethub included massages and grooming as well as fitness club memberships and affordable 5-star restaurants.

• The quality of parks, including such factors as the percentage of the city’s population with walkable access to them as well as acres of parkland and playgrounds per capita.

• Weather, for which Phoenix scored 17th – oddly behind Gilbert and Chandler (14) but ahead of 20thplace Mesa and dead-last Buffalo, New York.

Wallethub explained it was interested in finding the best places in the nation for recreation because “Staying active isn’t just good for your health. It’s also good for your wallet.

“The best cities have a wide range of leisure activities, both indoor and outdoor,” it said. “Those activities require varying levels of exercise and contribute to a city’s overall well-being and economy.”

It places a high value on parks – which gives Ahwatukee’s proximity to the South Mountain Preserve as well as Pecos Park and Pecos Pool a leg up over Birmingham, Alabama, and San Bernadino, California, which tied for last place.

Yet, overall, Phoenix rated only 82nd in the nation for parks and fifth in Arizona, well behind Scottsdale, which ranked tops in the state and landed in 30th place among the 100 cities.

Not everyone in Ahwatukee would necessarily give the city high marks for

parkland, considering the two-year effort by Ahwatukee Realtor Jill Ostendorp and fitness guru Carrie McNeish to secure more pickleball courts at Desert Foothills Park – and complete the construction of the park itself.

On the other hand, psychology professor Andy Lenartz of Ahwatukee thinks South Mountain is such a treasure that he wrote “South Mountain Park and Preserve” (available at amazon.com), a comprehensive guide to its trails, plants and animals.

“It is a truly unique place and a spectacular outdoor playground right in our backyard,” Lenartz said after publishing his labor of love. “While there are bigger and more extensive mountains, it is the biggest municipal park in the U.S. It is absolutely incredible that so many people in the nation’s fifth biggest city have easy access to this sprawling natural space.”

The best for parks in wallethub’s eyes? New York City, followed, in order, by Mad-

Among the Arizona cities that did in those best-worst lists were:

• Mesa and Gilbert, which ranked fifth and fourth, respectively, for least number of tennis courts per capita (Honolulu, Hawaii, ranked best).

• Scottsdale, which ranked fourth for the highest percentage of parkland as a share of total city area. Mesa made that list too, but for the fifth lowest percentage of parkland versus total total city area.

• Tucson, which has the fifth lowest bowling costs in the country.

Wallethub also called on five university professors who are experts on the subject of recreation – four with doctorates – for their thoughts on whether cities should raise taxes or deepen debt through bond issues to invest in parks and recreation.

While four cautioned that it depends on an individual city’s need, they all to a degree thought that idea is worth pursuing. The fifth expert did not answer the question.

ison, Wisconsin; Anchorage, Alaska; San Francisco, California; and Minneapolis, Minnesota.

When it came to the cost of recreation, Glendale led the nation while Phoenix scored a rank of 82 nationally and last place statewide.

Wallethub said its assessment of recreation costs also included the prices of bowling, movie tickets, booze, hamburgers and pizza and estaurant meals.

So that formula not only made Glendale the thriftiest place in the country for recreation but landed Toledo, Ohio, in second place; Fort Wayne, Indiana, in third; Wichita, Kansas, in fourth place; and Oklahoma City in fifth.

The least wallet-friendly city in the nation for recreation, the survey found, is, not surprisingly, New York City.

The website also took a deep dive to identify the five best and five worst cities in a variety of individual categories.

Phoenix made none of them.

“Absolutely,” said James Madison University’s Dr. Stephanie West, the most enthusiastic supporter of that idea. “I think every recreation professor would answer this way. Investing in parks and recreation in a community is like investing in your home. While one should be sure investments are reasonable and equitable, investing in parks and recreation increases the value of your community.”

All of which makes Phoenix on target in the budget for the new fiscal year that began July 1.

City Council and the administration added $3.6 million. and created 26 new job positions for “healthy neighborhoods and community enrichment.” Most of that was related to in one way or another to recreation – including $100,000 for special street sweeper that clears bike lanes and $2 million to hire 14 additional park rangers.

In a May budget message to the council, City Manager Jeff Barton also the Parks and Recreation Department’s spending this fiscal year “includes $16.4 million allocated for construction, renovation and repairs of park amenities and facilities.”

For the full survey: wallethub.com/ edu/best-worst-cities-for-recreation. 

The wallethub.com recreation survey didn’t give Phoenix all that high a grade for parkland among 100 of the nation’s largest cities, but anyone who has hiked or even looked at South Mountain might wonder why. (Special to AFN)

Phoenix donating unclaimed guns to Ukraine

BY OLE BRAATELIEN Cronkite News

Phoenix officials plan to proceed with an agreement to donate up to 600 unclaimed firearms in the city’s possession to the National Police of Ukraine despite a request from some state lawmakers to reverse the decision.

City Council unanimously approved the plan, which authorizes the city manager to enter a two-year agreement with the Pennsylvania-based logistics company DTGruelle, which will transfer the firearms – valued at about $200,000 – to police in Kyiv.

Two Republican state lawmakers sent a letter to Mayor Kate Gallego and members of the council, calling the plan “plainly unlawful.”

Phoenix spokesman Dan Wilson on Thursday said the city’s law team is working on a response. However, he added “the city views it differently than the way legislators view it.”

Phoenix has a 30-day policy on unclaimed property, including firearms.

If nobody claims a firearm in 30 days, Phoenix can dispose of it, according to the city’s website. In this instance, Phoenix would dispose of the guns by donating them to Ukraine.

“It’s a normal process for us, with these unclaimed weapons, to move them around to other law enforcement agencies,” Wilson said. “And so, the only difference here is that the law enforcement agency is not a domestic law enforcement agency, it’s one outside the country.”

Sending unclaimed firearms to a police department overseas might be a first for Phoenix, Wilson said.

“We believe, based on the understanding of the people in the positions currently, that it has never happened before,” he said. “But we are not 100% sure. The research it would take to confirm that would be lengthy. But based on the people who have been with the department a long time, we believe this is the first time.”

In December 2022, a proposal to continue to auction off unclaimed weapons was pulled from the council’s agenda after

Vice Mayor Yassamin Ansari objected.

At the time, the city had more than 3,000 firearms – either legally confiscated by Phoenix police or found, but never claimed – that were waiting for auction.

In January, the council met in an executive session behind closed doors to discuss what to do next, Wilson said.

It’s unclear who came up with the idea to send the weapons to Ukraine.

James Thornton, compliance manager at DTGruelle, said that while this is the first time the company has worked with Phoenix, it conducted a similar firearms transfer with Miami in August 2022. Miami sent rifles, semi-automatic weapons and handguns, according to a NBC 6 article.

In November, DTGruelle received an introduction to the city of Phoenix regarding a similar arrangement, according to Thornton.

“We had gotten the city of Miami to donate us firearms through their processes,” Thornton said. “And then the city of Phoenix wanted to piggyback off of

that and do their own initiative with us through our contact over at (the) Ukrainian parliament.”

The logistics company also partners with the Ukrainian Arsenal of Liberty, which will deliver the weapons to the police force, according to an email from a city spokesman.

Thornton added that as part of the agreement with Phoenix, the donated firearms will only be given to Ukrainian police and are not intended for the ongoing war.

“These ones are specifically slotted because that’s what the Phoenix Police Department wanted, was to have them go to the police forces. They specifically made us agree to that,” he said.

Rep. Quang Nguyen, R-Prescott Valley, and Rep. Selina Bliss, R-Prescott, both top members of the House Judiciary Committee, objected to the plan.

They wrote that unclaimed firearms may only be sold – not donated – and the buyer must be authorized to receive and dispose of the firearms under state and federal law.

State dental review board bares few teeth

BY ALBERT SERNA JR., CAITLIN THOMPSON AND MORGAN CASEY

Howard Center for Investigative Journalism

Zion Gastelum was 2 when he died days after receiving root canals on his baby teeth during a visit to a dentist in Yuma in 2017.

Lizeth Lares was 4 when she died after getting a tooth pulled a year prior at the same dental office.

And two more people died after visiting that same dentist this year, meeting minutes of the Arizona State Board of Dental Examiners show.

Yet, Arizonans would have a hard time learning about these cases from the state dental board, the 110-year old agency that regulates the dental industry, licenses dental professionals and investigates complaints against them.

Details about problem dentists are hidden under layers of bureaucracy, a tangled complaint system and a a virtually unnavigable website, an investigation by the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism found.

And in rare instances when patients die or are seriously injured during a procedure, the board does little to hold dentists accountable, the investigation found.

State audits chronicle similar failures stretching back nearly half a century.

“This is the worst-run agency I’ve been on,” Ryan Edmonson, the board’s executive director, told the Howard Center.

State laws that protect dentists and limit public disclosure of misconduct govern some of the board’s actions. But the board has leeway to develop best practices.

It comprises 11 people appointed by the governor: six dentists, two dental hygienists, two members of the public and one business member. They are each allowed to serve two consecutive four-year terms.

The board’s preponderance of dental professionals leads to decisions that help dentists learn from their mistakes, but can outrage patients’ families.

“You can’t have a much worse consequence than a dead baby,” said Mike Poli, who settled a malpractice lawsuit against the dentists and dental office on behalf of Zion’s family. “If that doesn’t motivate (the board) to get busy with regulatory oversight, then I don’t know what would.”

In 2017, Zion was placed under anesthe-

“It’s

(Morgan Casey/The Howard Center for Investigative Journalism)

sia for his root canals. He never regained consciousness. The oxygen tanks meant to supplement his breathing were empty or not working properly, the dental board found, according to its records.

At the hospital, he was diagnosed as brain dead and he died four days later.

The board faulted Dr. Aaron Roberts, Zion’s anesthesiologist, for failing to follow proper procedures, and gave him three years of probation that still let him practice under the supervision of another licensed anesthesiologist.

Zion’s dentist, Stephen Montoya, signed a non-disciplinary consent agreement with the board that required him to take 10 hours of continuing education.

Veronica Gastelum, Zion’s mother, said she was expecting harsher consequences.

“This was a child,” she said.

All courses must be approved by the board to ensure their syllabi meet the consent agreement requirements. According to the board’s policy, it’s meant to help dental professionals understand the current best practices for procedures and treatments.

But requiring continuing education is the board’s default punishment, said Craigg Voightmann, a dental malpractice attorney who has handled hundreds of lawsuits over 15 years of practice.

“Dentists have this perception that the board’s going to come out and hammer them, and I think it rarely happens,” said Voightmann. “Really, what’s happening is they’re just getting a public reprimand by a letter in their file and continuing education.”

In another case, a dentist wrote prescriptions for controlled substances for his wife, his dental assistant and his dental assistant’s daughter for more than a year, according to decision from a judge at the Office of Administrative Hearings, which sometimes reviews cases from the board.

It took the dentist almost three years to comply with the board’s order to receive an in-patient evaluation for substance abuse.

During that time, the dentist removed 13 teeth from a patient without reason and gave another local anesthesia that “exceeded the maximum dosage,” according to OAH documents.

He kept his license before the board revoked it after his failure to receive treatment.

Dr. Anthony Caputo, chair of the board’s investigations committee, defended some of the board’s decisions.

Although he was not on the board when it gave Zion’s anesthesiologist probation, he advised the board on best practices and policy. Later, Caputo supervised the anesthesiologist while on probation.

He said he believed it would have been unfair to revoke the anesthesiologist’s license because he considered the dental company the anesthesiologist worked for to be at greater fault.

Board members are concerned about the damage a serious consequence can do to a dentist’s career, Caputo said, explaining its reluctance to give harsh punishments.

“We’re sort of regulating ourselves,” he said.

The most common consequence resulting from lawsuits are restitution payments, which require the dentist to pay back their patient the money for their botched procedure, Voightmann said. Unlike the board, lawsuits can’t revoke licenses to practice.

“It’s open season,” said Voightmann. “The only consequence is really going to be a letter, a public reprimand or something.”

State auditors have criticized the board for not following important procedures such as ensuring dentists meet licensing requirements, processing complaints within 180 days of their submission, and

providing information to the public.

The main function of the board is to issue and renew dental licenses, requiring applicants to meet Arizona’s requirements. But the board has repeatedly failed to ensure people practicing in the state are licensed, according to a 2022 state audit.

The board does little to warn the public about dentists, putting the onus on Arizonans to search for information about whether a dentist holds a valid license or has complaints against them.

The websites for Texas’ and California’s boards prominently display where the public can access a list of dental professionals who are facing complaints, are on probation or have had their licenses suspended.

In Arizona, a similar public list of dentists facing disciplinary action doesn’t exist.

The information the board does list only goes back five years. State law specifies the board is only required to maintain online public records of complaints or disciplinary action for five years. After that, someone seeking details about a dentist needs to request it from the board.

“It’s a dumb statute,” said Edmonson. “It’s not protecting (the public). It does exactly the opposite of what a board is supposed to do.”

Because of the five-year limit, the public could learn that one Arizona dental surgeon Victor Trujillo was the subject of four complaints, but not the subject of 22 others.

Even the board doesn’t always know problems in a dentist’s past, Edmonson said.

Board members can’t access the board’s database to see a dentist’s complaint history or any subsequent action. During board meetings, Edmonson said he cannot provide information of pending or previous complaints against a dentist unless a member asks.

Of the 11 seats on the board, five were vacant as of March 2023, so monthly board meetings sometimes lack a quorum for business. When that happens, meetings are canceled, complaints pile up and all agenda items are moved to the following month.

In 2022, complaints were tabled or carried over 140 times.

Cases are supposed to be resolved within 180 days but the vast majority are not, the Arizona Auditor General found. One case took over 650 days to resolve or re-

The Arizona State Dental Board of Examiners is charged with licensing dentists. One dental malpractice attorney told the Howard Center that the board’s sanctions do little to deter bad dentistry.

open season,” he said.

ceive a formal hearing with the Office of Administrative Hearings.

People caught in the board’s backlog have little insight into how their complaints are progressing. They do not know the status of the case until its conclusion, which may be months or even years, and sometimes beyond the required 180-day timeline for resolution.

Edmonson attributed some of the backlog to the number of people the board contracts to investigate complaints. When Edmonson took his position in 2018, only one person was contracted to investigate complaints.

“When you average 350 complaints a year, one person is not a whole lot,” he said.

The board’s problems have been the target of the Arizona State Auditor General for over 40 years.

A 1979 audit first identified the board’s failure to protect the public, its biases in dealing with the Arizona Dental Association, a slow complaint processing system and nontransparent meeting rules and regulations.

Audits from 1981, 1999, 2014 and 2022

list similar issues, such as the board’s continued failure to inform the public of its meetings and to ensure dental professionals are held accountable when fulfilling continuing education requirements.

The 2022 audit addressed the slow complaint process. The report found that the board did not resolve 32 of 35 complaints within the 180-day requirement.

Voightmann said the board is better than it used to be, but still must do more to protect the public.

“There’s a lot of bad dentistry in Arizona,” said Voightmann. “They’re not stopping anybody.”

The Howard Center for Investigative Journalism at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication is an initiative of the Scripps Howard Foundation in honor of the late Roy W. Howard.

GOT NEWS?

Contact Paul Maryniak at 480-898-5631 or pmaryniak@ timeslocalmedia.com

Hobbs rebuffs county prosecutors on abortion

BY HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services

Gov. Katie Hobbs told 12 county attorneys last week she is on legally solid ground in rejecting their request that she rescind her executive order stripping them of their authority to prosecute abortion cases.

And that now leaves it up to the prosecutors to decide what, if anything, they will do next.

Writing to Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell, the governor told her Arizona law specifically permits her to designate Attorney General Kris Mayes as the only person who can bring charges against anyone who violates a whole series of existing laws regulating abortions.

She told Mitchell and the other county attorneys who asked her to rescind her order that they have only the authority specifically laid out in statute.

“If you disagree with the wisdom of those laws, I encourage you to engage with lawmakers in the legislative process,’’ Hobbs said.

“Similarly, if you have concerns about how future governors may utilize this statutory authority, such concerns should be addressed in the legislative process.’’

But what the letter does not mention is whether Hobbs, presented with such a change in law, actually would sign it.

The governor had said earlier last week that she would not back down.

“I will continue to use my legal authority to protect Arizonans from extremists who

want to prosecute women and doctors for their healthcare decisions,’’ she wrote on Twitter.

But now the governor has detailed her legal response and her arguments if the county attorneys decide to challenge her in court.

Jeanine L’Ecuyer, spokeswoman to Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell, told Capitol Media Services that the prosecutors, aware of the governor’s public statements, already have been conferring. But she declined to say what action, if any, is next.

At the core the question comes down to how expansive is the governor’s power.

Hobbs cited a section of law which says that the governor can direct the attorney general to “prosecute and defend any proceeding in a state court ... in which this state or an officer of this state is a party or has an interest.’’

That is not in dispute.

What is in dispute is whether that simultaneously strips all 15 elected county attorneys of their own right to bring charges when they believe criminal laws have been violated.

“Since statehood, it has been status quo in Arizona that the duty and discretion to conduct criminal prosecutions for public offenses rests with county attorneys unless a statute specifically provides otherwise,’’ the county prosecutors told Hobbs, calling her order a “sweeping attempt’’ to “interfere with the discretion

Gov. Katie Hobbs and Attorney General Kris Mayes, pictured here from a different press conference earlier this year, may be decriminalizing abortion in Arizona. (Special to AFN)

Birth control access eased for Arizona women

BY HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services

Women in Arizona are soon going to find it a lot easier to get birth control.

Sometime this month – and for the first time since birth control pills were authorized in 1960 – pharmacists will be allowed to dispense them without a prescription.

Ditto the more recent hormonal contraceptive vaginal ring and hormonal contraceptive patches.

Women will still need to answer some questions from the pharmacist to determine if the hormones will be safe and appropriate for them.

But gone will be the need to first go to a doctor for an initial prescription or annual renewals. Replacing that will be a “standing order’’ from a doctor at the Department of Health Services permitting pharmacists to dispense contraceptives if they first question would-be customers about their individual risks.

There was some concern expressed by

lawmakers about skipping medical exams when they set the process in motion two years ago. But the consensus was that the benefits of on-demand hormonal birth control outweighed the risks of not having regular doctor visits.

At the heart of the debate when lawmakers considered the issue in 2021 was how difficult it should be for women to avoid conception.

Rep. Athena Salman, D-Tempe, noted, “Right now women face barriers in our community because they don’t have access to doctors for a variety of reasons, one of which is because health care premiums keep going up. We should be making it as accessible as possible for women who want to plan their pregnancies to be able to do that.’’

During debate, no one spoke against the idea of easier access to pills and devices containing hormones that block ovulation.

Will Humble, executive director of the Arizona Public Health Association, told Capitol Media Services last week that what will be taking effect is a good balance be-

tween risks and benefits.

“On the risk side of things, there’s a chance – and probably a good chance – that some women will skip that routine care, Pap smears and things like that,’’ he said.

Beyond that, Humble said, there are some conditions that put women who take oral contraceptives at higher risk for blood clots.

The legislation requires pharmacists to ask patients to fill out a self-screening risk assessment designed to determine whether there are any indications that contraceptives may not be appropriate.

The specific form is being finalized by the state Department of Health Services.

That’s part of the reason there is no firm date for when the contraceptives will be available without an individual prescription.

By law, that form has to be based on nationally recognized guidelines.

Then there are questions about risk factors, like whether someone smokes, has diabetes, given birth within the past six weeks, has high blood pressure or is cur-

rently breastfeeding an infant younger than one month.

There was outright opposition from one particular lobbyist: Ron Johnson, who represents the state’s Catholic bishops. But he never spoke out but only signed in to urge lawmakers to kill the plan.

On Wednesday, Johnson told Capitol Media Services it wasn’t particularly because of the church’s opposition to all forms of birth control.

“We share the sentiments expressed by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops with respect to this type of law primarily because of our concern for the many potentially harmful risks to the health of women that will result from them no longer having to visit a doctor and obtain a prescription,’’ he said.

Part of the reason it’s taken until now for the 2021 law to take effect is the statute required the state Board of Pharmacy to write rules, submit them for public comment and, ultimately get final approval from the Governor’s Regularly Review Council. That is set to happen this week. 

Heat provokes warnings from county burn officials

BY ERIN MURPHY Cronkite News

Arizona Burn Center officials are warning about roads and surfaces that get blistering hot – literally –in the summer sun, after several years in which contact burns resulted in scores of hospital admissions.

The situation is particularly dangerous for the elderly, people who are homeless and methamphetamine users, who face high rates of exposure and may not be able to help themselves if they fall, said Dr. Kevin Foster, a burn surgeon at the center.

Foster warned that pavement in direct sunlight can reach 180 degrees.

“At that temperature it only takes a fraction of a second to get a second-degree burn and exposure to a minute or longer results in a third-degree burn,” he said.

According to Valleywise Health, the number of patients admitted to the Arizona Burn Center with contact burns between June and August has ranged from 68 to 92 over the last six years, with 85 patients admitted in 2022.

Foster said the center had already admitted about 20 patients in June.

He said the center has seen an increase in the number of burn patients on methamphetamine, with a record number admitted last year.

He also noted an emerging trend of fentanyl-contaminated methamphetamine,

ABORTION from page 18

of prosecutors in fulfilling their duties as elected officials.’’

They also told the governor her reliance on that section of law is legally misplaced. That law, they said, “only related to existing, individual cases and not whole categories of crimes,’’ including crimes that have not yet occurred.

which is causing users to fall unconscious, leaving them lying on the pavement for long periods of time.

“They fall down and oftentimes there’s nobody around to help them up … they remain unconscious for a period of time and then end up with really severe burns,” he said.

Last year was also the first year in which drug users accounted for more than half of all heat-related deaths in Maricopa County, according to the county health department. It said 54% of heat-related deaths in 2022 involved drug use.

Heat-related deaths of all types also set a record in Maricopa County in 2022, at 425 deaths – 25% more than the previous year.

The elderly have traditionally been the population most at risk of pavement burns and heat-related illnesses.

“It is a substantial overreach to suggest the governor may strip away prosecutorial discretion from local, elected officials,’’ they said.

Wrong, said Hobbs.

“The Legislature has expressly granted this authority,’’ she said.

The governor also said having Mayes handle all cases prevents “potential disparities in how 15 different county attor-

People aged 50 and over accounted for nearly two-thirds of all heat-associated deaths in 2022 in Maricopa County, according to the department’s data.

Of the 85 patients admitted to the Arizona Burn Center last summer, the average age was 54, with the oldest patient being 91 years old.

“That particular population is still a problem,” Foster said. “Many of them have problems with mobility and ambulation … they go down and then they can’t get back up again.”

Homeless people are also disproportionately affected, accounting for around 30% of the patients treated last year, Foster explained. He said their injuries are almost always related to exposure due to a lack of shelter, and that without somewhere to go their care becomes even more complicated.

“Oftentimes, they’re alone and nobody is watching them,” Foster said. “Then when it comes time to discharge them back to a safe place it becomes very difficult, so they are particularly challenging patients.”

Contact burns are just one of the heatrelated threats faced by people who are homeless, said Sean Little, a spokesperson for Phoenix Rescue Mission, a Christian nonprofit organization offering care to people experiencing homelessness and addiction.

Summer months are a particularly hard time for homeless people, said Little, who explained that getting water to

neys may interpret and apply abortion law from chilling or restricting access to lawful healthcare.’’

One question county prosecutors will now have to decide is whether they could be successful in seeking a declaratory judgment from a court that Hobbs overstepped her authority.

In general, judges do not like ruling on purely hypothetical cases. Instead, they

homeless people in the community is a key priority then.

The mission’s Code Red program focuses on distributing water to ward off strokes and other heat-related illnesses in the homeless population.

“We have 20 people that are out driving around the streets, bringing water around and trying to get people connected with services,” Little said. “You’ll see people with heat stroke, you’ll see people that have rashes and skin things.”

For those with burns, treatment is often a lengthy and painful process. The center reported that patients required an average of two surgeries last year, while 70% required mechanical ventilation.

Surgeries and external treatments are not always enough, Foster explained, as burns and heat-related injuries can trigger a host of life-threatening complications, including brain damage, liver failure and renal failure.

Last summer, 25% of the center’s patients required further hospitalization at separate facilities, while 33% needed intensive care, according to Valleywise Health’s “Streets of Fire” report.

“As our temperatures are getting hotter, we anticipate that it’s going to continue to be a problem and probably is going to worsen over time,” Foster said, adding that “almost all of these burns are preventable and we really want people to be aware of this problem.” 

prefer what the lawyers call a “live case or controversy,’’ where they have actual facts to determine what is and is not legal.

There is a separate law that bars doctors from terminating a pregnancy if they know the woman is seeking it because of the gender or race of the baby. Another makes it a crime to perform an abortion if the sole reason is a fetal genetic defect. 

Temperature tests conducted by Phoenix workers on traditional asphalt reflect the absorption of heat. (Courtesy of City of Phoenix)

Back to School

WWW.AHWATUKEE.COM

Tempe Union superintendent welcomes back families

BY DR. KEVIN MENDIVIL AFN Guest Writer

Dear TUHSD Families, I hope that you have all had the chance to rest and relax over the past few months. We are looking forward to welcoming students back to our schools on Wednesday, July 19.

As you may already know, we have worked collaboratively for the past two years with our Tri-District partners –Kyrene School District and Tempe Ele-

mentary – to develop a common calendar between all three districts.

The 23/24 school year will be the debut of this Tri-District calendar model.

We believe that providing a consistent experience among all three districts will best support the needs of our students and their families.

Please make yourself familiar with this year’s calendar by visiting tempeunion.org and clicking on “Calendars & Schedules” and then “Student Calendars” to view and download this school year’s calendar.

I am excited about the opportunities that each new school year brings to our

students and their families, our educators and staff, and the wider community.

The district is poised for continued excellence in all areas including the academic programming for all our schools, our varied extra-curricular activities including the fine and performing arts and our strong athletic programs, now represented in various divisions.

Additionally, our Innovation Center program will debut this school year, which will provide our students with authentic problem/project solution-based learning that both engages them and also serves the community.

Innovation Center students will work collaboratively in teams to assist community partners in solving issues and we look forward to sharing their successes with you.

This past spring, a diverse group of Tempe Union educators, administrators, staff, and community members participated in a revision of our strategic plan to develop a roadmap for the next five years.

Students and families were involved via focus groups and community workshops, and we intentionally collected feedback from as many community stakeholders as

see

Kyrene’s future course emphasizes early literacy

BY ERIN HELM AFN Guest Writer

Kyrene School District has a new roadmap for the next five years, and early literacy is front and center.

The Kyrene Governing Board approved the final pieces of the District’s next strategic plan during a virtual, public meeting on June 27. Thrive! Ready for the Future (Kyrene Strategic Plan 2023-2028) outlines the Kyrene community’s collective vision for the future, the transformation that needs to happen to realize that vision, and specific goals to reach by 2028.

Focus on early literacy

It’s a sweeping plan, but Kyrene Superintendent Laura Toenjes says it all starts with literacy. Acknowledging gaps among students nationwide, the superintendent spoke in the June 27 meeting about planting a flag around early literacy.

also putting dollars to work. The district is making an additional investment in staffing that will reduce target class sizes for kindergarten through third grade, beginning this year.

Kyrene is the only district in the state to receive a grant that will fully cover the cost for every K-5 teacher to receive a training license for Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS).

“We felt really strongly that we’ve got to get that right,” she said. “We’re going to go all in.”

Kyrene is putting more than words behind its early literacy commitment. It’s

Class size targets are not a guarantee, but classrooms that grow past the target range in Kyrene receive additional staffing and support, such as dedicated instructional assistants, to ensure all student needs are met and that students continue to receive individual support. Additionally, Kyrene will be covering the cost for teachers to earn a new state-mandated Literacy Endorsement by 2028.

Completion of the LETRS training fulfills the coursework requirement for Arizona’s Literacy Endorsement and will provide teachers with a deep understanding of the processes and research behind learning to read.

Blueprint for progress

Kyrene began the strategic planning process in the 2021-22 school year by engaging stakeholders through focus groups and visioning surveys, to better understand the community’s aspirations for Kyrene students.

Over 4,000 families and staff members participated in the survey and hundreds more stakeholders, including students

Kyrene administrators and the governing board developed this “portrait of a Kyrene Kid” to illustrate the district’s ultimate goals for each student. (Kyrene School District)

possible to develop a robust plan to guide our next five years.

You will hear more about this work, including our revised mission and vision statements and core values, at upcoming TUHSD Governing Board meetings.

In the coming months, work will begin on long-needed overhauls to our performing arts venues and athletic tracks, among other items.

These improvements are thanks to the tremendous support of the voters in our District who voted “YES” on our override and bond initiative in last November’s election.

All three ballot questions were passed by double digit percentages, which tells me that you have faith and believe in your

neighborhood schools.

We look forward to keeping you apprised of the ongoing work that will be made possible as a result of the bond passage.

None of this work would be possible without the support of our community.

Whether you have volunteered your time on a committee, attended a performance or athletic event, attended a school board meeting, or supported our schools in other ways - we thank you for your time, dedication and involvement with Tempe Union.

We look forward to welcoming your student(s) back to school on July 19!

Dr. Kevin J. Mendivil is the superintendent of Tempe Union High School District. 

How Kyrene stays ahead of teacher shortages

BY CAROLYN WOOD AFN Guest Writer

Finnian “Finn” McLarnon may be one of Kyrene School District’s newest teachers, but he’s a familiar face to the students and staff at Kyrene de las Manitas Innovation Academy as he returns for a third year in a row – this time as a kindergarten teacher.

McLarnon is an example of Kyrene’s innovative recruitment and retention efforts in action.

Kyrene has stayed ahead of the curve as schools and districts across the country grapple with a growing teacher shortage. However, the district is not waiting for a crisis to arrive and has been proactive not only about recruitment but also about reimagining school staffing.

McLarnon joined Manitas as a student teacher in 2021 while finishing his degree in early childhood education and special education from Arizona State University.

Manitas is home to a unique staffing model, which surrounds students with educators, ranging from student teachers and early-career teachers to experienced classroom teachers and a teacher executive designer. The model creates a pathway of career growth for educators and is designed to attract and keep

top teachers.

He quickly fell in love with the team teaching model and the learning studios that reimagined traditional classrooms. It’s an environment he, himself, may have benefited from when he younger.

He says struggles with dyslexia and attention deficit disorders presented challenges in the standard school setting, and he didn’t always feel understood. It’s part of what drew him to teaching.

“School wasn’t really enjoyable for me until I started taking education courses in college,” McLarnon shared. “I had a hard time staying engaged, and it was a frustrating experience for me and my teachers.”

When there weren’t teacher vacancies at the school during the 2022-23 school year, McLarnon stayed on as an instructional assistant. In May, he accepted a position as a kindergarten teacher and is thrilled to be teaching within the innovative Manitas environment.

“Our goal is to serve kids in the best way we can.” McLarnon said. “This model just provides a level of collaboration and creativity to the process that you don’t always

see in regular classes.”

The team-based approach allows educators more opportunities to collaborate with and support each other than are possible in a standard one teacher per classroom set-up.

“I can’t imagine being a first-year teacher anywhere but Manitas,” McLarnon said. “To know that even on the hard days, I contributed to the success of our students. Nothing beats that.” 

Finn McLarnon received Kyrene Values award recognition in 2022 from Kyrene Superintendent Laura Toenjes (Special to AFN)

Brisas enters second year as an AVID school

BY NICOLE ASHTON AFN Guest Writer

Kyrene de las Brisas Geckos will return to campus on July 19 to hallways and classrooms that are decked out in college pennants, flags, banners, and all manner of collegiate spirit gear.

These are the signs of Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) in action, and Brisas is celebrating one year of being an AVID school.

AVID has traditionally been implemented in middle to upper grade levels as students prepare for high school, college and career.

At the elementary school level, students focus mainly on learning challenging, age-appropriate habits that will help them be successful in middle school and beyond

According to Brisas Principal Christie Winkelmann, in the past year, AVID has helped students become organized and, as a result, more capable of achieving success in school. Students’ proficiency in English

Language Arts, Math, and Science have increased an average of 10% in just one year.

Additionally, Kyrene’s Annual School Quality survey documented that 84% of students feel their teachers set high ex-

pectations for all students – a foundation of AVID – and 88% of students said staff and students at Brisas treat one another with respect.

“Implementing AVID schoolwide at

•

Brisas has helped build relational capacity between students and staff,” said Winkelmann.

“We are confident that as we continue to engage our school community in AVID’s best practices that we will build a sustainable AVID college and career readiness system that can support all students in maximizing their potential.”

Several Kyrene School District schools have incorporated AVID for several years, including Kyrene Aprende, Kyrene Centennial and Kyrene Akimel A-al Middle Schools, as well as Kyrene Traditional Academy. Aprende Middle School, which shares a campus with Brisas, was named an AVID National Demonstration school in the 2021-22 school year.

“In our first year, we focused on organizational strategies,” said Brisas Assistant Principal Melissa Taugner. “Each student from preschool through fifth grade had a daily agenda to fill out and a purple folder that they would take from school to home

Kyrene de las Brisas Geckos are happy to be part of an AVID school. (Kyrene School District)

and community partners, engaged in the focus groups. Kyrene used their insights to shape the direction of the strategic plan.

What emerged was a vision for a district that measures its achievement not only on the success of its current K-8 students but on whether they are prepared for future success in high school, college, career and life.

Technology is advancing at hyper speed, and as a result, our world is rapidly evolving. It is difficult, if not impossible, to know exactly what higher education and working environments will look like years from now.

So, Kyrene aims to equip students with the skills and traits needed to thrive in any environment.

Those traits are outlined in the Portrait of a Kyrene Kid, rolled out in 2022. The portrait became the first cornerstone of the strategic plan, along with the Kyrene Promise, which articulates the district’s vision, and the Key Values, which identify the guiding traits of Kyrene educators.

“When we say educators, we mean all Kyrene teachers, staff, and leaders,” Toenjes says. “The National Education Association’s code of ethics states that

‘the education profession consists of one education workforce serving the needs of all students and that the term educator includes education support professionals.’

Kyrene believes the same.”

Addressing all Kyrene leaders at a summer retreat, Superintendent Toenjes shared the story of President John F. Kennedy’s visit to NASA in 1962, when he asked a janitor about his job, and the janitor famously replied, “Well, Mr. President, I’m helping to put a man on the moon.”

She emphasized that every single employee in Kyrene contributes to the future success of students, and it will take everyone in Kyrene to ensure the strategic plan goals are met.

Focus on accountability

Kyrene’s goals include, in addition to early literacy: academic progress, sense of belonging, and equity.

• Early literacy: Beginning with the kindergarten class in 2024-25, at least 85% of kindergarteners will meet endof-year DIBELS reading benchmarks, so that by 2027-28, at least 85% of students in grades K-3 are meeting end of year benchmarks. [Kindergarten

Baseline in 2022-23 is 74%]

• Academic progress: By 2027-28, increase the District’s Academic Progress percent to at least 70% as measured by the weighted average of students passing, growing, and ontrack on state English Language Arts and Math assessments. [Baseline in 2022-23 is 59%.]

• Sense of belonging: By 2027-28, the percent of favorable responses on the sense of belonging items on the end-of-year Panorama survey will increase by at least 10 percentage points for students in grades 6-8. [Baseline in 2022-23 is 39%]

• Equity: By 2027-28, student groups will be more proportionately represented in advanced coursework, gifted identification, discipline referrals and in and out of school suspensions. The Kyrene Governing Board praised the accountability measures built into the strategic plan.

“I appreciate how actionable it is and how clearly laid out the goals are,” member Triné Nelson said. “People will be able to see how the dollars are aligning with our values, and I think that’s really

important to provide results and data to show progress to the community.”

Board President Kevin Walsh added, “Very rarely do districts hold themselves accountable, but that’s what we have to do. We’re going to have to look at these numbers on a regular basis and say are we achieving these goals, and if not, why not? And what do we need to do to change that?”

Next steps

The District’s new plan is organized into three focus areas, identified as strategic imperatives: Optimal Operations & Resources, Highly Engaged People & Culture, and Future Ready Schools. Under each imperative,

Kyrene has identified initiatives that represent the work to come over the next five years.

While Kyrene’s new strategic plan is focused on the future, it is built on 135 years of experience and academic excellence, a fact that is not lost on District leadership.

“Our community includes children, parents, grandparents, great grandparents, see LITERACY page 28

LITERACY from page 27

who have attended Kyrene schools, generation after generation,” Toenjes said.

“Kyrene earned its reputation for excellence by constantly evolving to meet the needs of each one of those generations. For the newest generation of Kyrene kids, that means preparing them to thrive under any circumstances, because if our students are thriving in the future, it means they’ll be making the world a better place for all of us.”

Board President Walsh echoed the superintendent’s sentiment in his intro-

BRISAS from page 26

each day.

“It has been great to see students taking ownership of their binders and recognizing the importance of staying organized.”

During the 2023-24 school year, Brisas will focus on ensuring all students have meaningful access to rigorous instruction by implementing Writing, Inquiry, Collaboration, Organization and Reading (WICOR) strategies across content areas in classrooms schoolwide.

“As we look to the 2023-2024 school

duction to the strategic plan, stating, “We built this plan together, and it will take all of us working together to put it into action. Thank you for your unwavering support as we embark on this exciting journey to ensure all Kyrene students are ready to thrive in high school, college, career, and life.”

Read more about Thrive! Ready for the Future (Kyrene School District Strategic Plan, 2023-2028) at kyrene.org/strategicplan.

Erin Helm is Kyrene School District’s executive director of communications and engagement. 

year, we are excited to continue our AVID journey,” said Taugner.

“We are going further students’ organizational skills and utilize structured, focused note taking strategies. We are going to dive deeper into rigorous instruction, so all students feel challenged and supported in their learning.”

For more information about Kyrene’s AVID schools, visit kyrene.org/avid. District Contact: Nicole Ashton, Communications Analyst, Communications & Engagement . nashton@kyrene.org 480.541.1518 

Horizon Honors starts school year July 31

Some new administrators, an outdoor learning space and a revised menu of lunch items will great students at Horizon Honors School in Ahwatukee as its high school and elementary programs begin the new school year on July 31.

Prior to that official start of the 2023-24 school year, there will be a grade 7 Parent University at 5 p.m. July 26, followed at 6:30 p.m. the same day for parents of ninth graders.

Students and parents in grades K-6 can meet the teacher 1-4 p.m. July 27 while an orientation for new students in grades 7-12 will be held at 8:30 a.m. July 28 with

an open house for all students and parents that day from 9-11 a.m. and 1-3 p.m.

Among the new things awaiting high school students is an expanded lunch program with more choices.

New vendors include NYPD Pizza, Sauce, Rusty Taco, Some Burros, Venezia’s Pizza and Chick-Fil-A.

While it won’t be ready the first day of school, Horizon spokeswoman Melissa Hartley said construction of an outdoor learning space will begin this month. It was fully funded in one day by the Horizon Honors community as part of Giving Tuesday last November.

The outdoor learning space will be located near the Horizon Honors Gymna-

sium and will be completed in early fall, Hartley said.

Some new administrators also will be joining the high school staff.

The new assistant principal is Stacy Dietz, who has been working as a secondary mathematics teacher at Horizon for 16 years.

Joshua Garrett, an alumnus of Horizon, will become dean of curriculum and instruction. He’s best known to longtime Horizon community members for his work in the school theater productions. As an Horizon freshman in 2006, he started performing on stage and then went to the University of Evansville in Indiana after graduation to major in theater.

Garrett became involved in all aspects of theater and returned to Horizon in 2014 as an English teacher. he quickly started working in all phases of Horizon Honors Theatre Arts and has directed five productions, including alst spring’s “Bye Bye Birdie.”

Another new administrator is Roger Wood, dean of student services.

Horizon boasts a curriculm that “is robust and relevant to the real world, evidence-based, aligned with college and career expectations, and includes rigorous content and skills reflecting the knowledge that young people need for success.”

For information: horizonhonors.org/ enroll for information. 

STACY DIETZ

JOSHUA GARRETT

ROGER WOOD

READY FOR THE FUTURE Kyrene School Distric t Welcomes You to the 2023-24 Sc hool Year!

The first day of school is Wednesday, July 19.

Meet the Teacher Nights

Start the new year right! This annual tradition allows families and students to meet new teachers, reconnect with friends and explore their campuses ahead of the first day of school.

Monday, July 17, 1:00 – 4:00 p.m.

MIDDLE SCHOOLS

Including grades 6-8 from Kyrene Digital Academy and Kyrene Traditional Academy

Monday, July 17, 5:00 – 6:30 p.m.

E LEMENTARY SCHOOLS

Including grades PreK-5 from Kyrene Digital Academy and Kyrene Traditional Academy, and all grade levels from Kyrene de las Manitas

Back-to-School Information

For information about family communications, supply lists, school lunches, school start/end times, before/after school activities and more, visit our website.

www.kyrene.org/BacktoSchool or

Ahwatukee designer helps rescue a rescue

BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor

Her call went out last Wednesday to collect whatever she could for a dog rescue in trouble.

Three days after her post on Ahwatukee 411, Camille Matthews was overwhelmed by the response and last Saturday carted a 14-foot trailer full of blankets, paper towels and other items to the Arizona Small Dog Rescue on Hatcher Road in Phoenix.

The no-kill nonprofit had announced July 2 that one of its dogs had been hit by canine parvovirus, a highly contagious disease with a high mortality rate in untreated cases.

It said it had to close for a couple weeks – calling it “a difficult decision that we did not take lightly” – because two dogs were infected by the disease.

So it need to close to sanitize the fa-

cility while caring for any infected dogs and sending the rest to foster parents.

But it was an entreaty by the shelter that moved Matthews – and ultimately, the entire Ahwatukee community.

“We will be in need of supplies to get us through this difficult time,” the shelter announced. “Cleaning supplies, sanitary gowns and gloves, laundry detergent, and blankets are all badly needed and can be delivered directly to the shelter.”

Matthews, principle interior designer and owner of Model Home Merchandisers, went into action as soon as she saw the rescue’s plea.

The reaction was swift, steady and sweeping as people offered to bring her towels – both paper and cloth – as well as blankets and other items. Within less than. 12 hours, 50 people had responded to her plea.

The response was a surprise and de-

light for the 7-year Ahwatukee resident, who owns four rescue dogs and two cats.

“I spent Thursday and Friday doing pickups and everything from blankets to canned food came in,” Matthews said. I think we got six dog beds, a playpen and crates, towels and harnesses. I mean just all kinds of stuff.”

The Phoenix Grand Hotel spa even helped, donating towels and robes that filled eight large garbage bags.

And the drive – the first time Matthews ever launched – also was personally rewarding.

see RESCUE page 33

Ahwatukee resident Camille Matthews was bowled over by the community’s contributions to her little drive to help the Arizona Small Dog Rescue. (Courtesy of Camille Matthews)

Ahwatukee prof seeks help for homeless outreach

As the pandemic-triggered rise in homelessness across the Valley continues unabated, an Ahwatukee professor at Arizona State University hopes people who open the hearts to the nonprofit he founded under the university’s auspices.

“The unsheltered population in Maricopa County has grown by 34% since the pandemic,” said Dr. Neal Lester, ASU Foundation Professor English and founding director of Project Humanities.

“An estimated 5,000 unsheltered people are living on the streets,” he continued. “This population is often displaced and has lost basic necessities as Arizona grapples with how to handle this crisis.”

Phoenix officials have been grappling with the growing problem for over two years as the ranks of unsheltered people grow in many parts of the city, but espe-

cially in an ear downtown.

Project Humanities has been serving this vulnerable population since 2011, aiding over 18,220 people since its inception.

Lester frames its mission as “to humanely assist unsheltered individuals in Phoenix through a year-round collaborative community service effort by providing clothes, shoes, and toiletries.”

“The object of this outreach is to aid those in need of basic life amenities and to do so compassionately, respectfully and efficiently,” said Lester, who oversees with his small staff a two-part operation to accomplish that objective.

First is the collection and assembly of donated items, especially hygiene products such as toothpaste, dental floss, disposable razors, toothbrushes, and deodorant; new underwear and shoes in all sizes; and clothing, especially summer pants in all sizes.

AFN NEWS STAFF

HOPE for the Homeless holding bag assembly event

HOPE for the Homeless has its next volunteer opportunity for July and as it nears the end of its fifth annual bottled water drive.

The nonprofit needs 10 volunteers for HOPE Bag assembly and meal prep 9-11 a.m. Friday, July 14, at Mountain Park Church, 16461 S. 48th St., Ahwatukee.

The bags filled with food are distributed to unsheltered people at The Andre House of Arizona, 213 S. 11th Ave. Phoenix, and 15 volunteers are needed there to help out. RSVP at ibit.ly/uwT8.

People are also welcome to drop off bottled water Thursday 8 a.m.-5 p.m.or Sunday, July 16, 8 a.m.-noon, at Mountain Park Church. Go to hope for the homeless on Facebook to donate money to the water drive and to buy raffle tickets for the Nov. 25 raffle of a 1971 Chevrolet C10 Stepside Pickup.

It has recent frame off restoration, 350ci small block engine, turbo 400 transmission and Wilwood four wheel disc brakes.

Ahwatukee Comedy Club offers ‘clean fun,’ drink specials

The Ahwatukee Comedy Club will fea-

AROUND AHWATUKEE

ture four comedians – Keith Ellis, Ron Morey, Nancy Yeamans and Floyd Haas – at 7 p.m. Saturday, July 15, at the AMA Room in Lights Action Discover, 4825 E. Warner Road.

Admission is $10 cash at the door.

Meet new people, learn new things with AFFAN

Women are invited to join the Ahwatukee Foothills Friends and Neighbors for a breakfast buffet at Biscuits from 10 a.m.- 1 p.m. July 25.

Contact affanwomensgroup@gmail.com for more details and to register. The cost is $20 and must be prepaid by July 15 to attend. Information: affanwomensgroup. org/public.

Find new friends while enjoying activities such as team trivia, dining on the town, wine tasting, explore Arizona trips, book club, bridge, Mah Jongg and other interesting groups.

Armer Foundation slates casino night fundraiser, blood drive

Attendees can roll the dice to benefit local families whose children have chronic

or life-altering diseases.

The Armer Foundation for Kids will host a casino night fundraiser 6-10 p.m. July 29, sponsored by Spencer 4 Hire Roofing, at Lights, Camera, Discover, 4825 E. Warner Road, Ahwatukee.

Along with poker, blackjack and craps, the event will also include a silent auction.

“This is a fundraiser for us to raise much needed funds for the families we support who have children with life-threatening illnesses – the treatments for which insurance does not always cover,” said foundation founder Jennifer Armer. “It’s a great opportunity to have a fun night out, while knowing that you are making a difference in the lives of so many families who are struggling to pay the bills that will save their children’s lives.”

Ticket ranges are: $500 for $5,500 in chips and five drink tickets; $200 for $2,000 in chips and four drink tickets; $100 for includes $750 in chips and three drink tickets; and $50 for $250 in chips and two drink tickets.

Purchase tickets at armerfoundation. org/casinonight.

The foundation also is sponsoring the

East Valley SOS Blood Drive at the Grove, 2777 South Gilbert Road, Chandler 9 a.m.1 p.m. Information is under events at its website.

Ahwatukee Toastmasters offers growth opportunities

For over 35 years, the Ahwatukee Toastmasters has maintained a continuous presence in the Ahwatukee community, providing the know-how, practice and encouragement to help members improve their communication and leadership abilities.

Ahwatukee Toastmasters, which promises to “develop the skills they need to increase their speaking competence as they prepare for personal growth and professional advancement,” meets every other 7-8 a.m. every other Tuesday at Esperanza Lutheran Church, 2601 E. Thunderhill Place, Ahwatukee.

Information: call or text Ed Prestwood at 480-603-8359, or search “Ahwatukee Toastmasters.”

Ahwatukee Kiwanis Club adds speakers

see AROUND page 34

Ahwatukee man’s novel reflects on afterlife

BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor

Near 10 years ago, Rob Russin was struggling with grief.

It was in October 2013 and his mother Jane Russin had passed away, leaving him to think a great deal about what happens when one dies and what the afterlife might be like.

Flash ahead to this year and the 26-year Ahwatukee resident has produced the culmination of his reflections in the form of a fantasy novel called “Light Burns.”

The story revolves around a woman who is fatally struck by lightning and wakes up with a chance at an afterlife.

At strife with a searcher from an organization that’s looks for the recently passed, the woman is also haunted by the mistakes of her past life and her. Humiliation threatens her chance at a new life and love.

The book circles around whether the woman can move on from her earthly life or lose all hope of a second chance at life.

Russin said that after his mother’s death, “I had a vision of a raw gem that needed much work. A voice said it was the seed for a story. The memory persists to this day.”

Marking his 23rd year working for the Gila River Indian Community’s Gaming Commission as a financial compliance manager, Russin has degrees in English

RESCUE from page 31

“I’ve seen more of Ahwatukee in the last two or three days than I have the entire time I’ve lived here,” the native Arizonan and Arizona State University alumna said.

The rescue indicated it might be a few more days before it reopens and said it would keep its supporters updated on its Facebook page.

The rescue provides a variety of services, including adoptions and fostering, microchipping for $25 and animal surrenders.

It also helps connect the animals in its care with veterinarians for essential medical care, according to its website.

In all just this year alone, it says it rescue over 500 dogs and adopted out almost all of them. More information about the res-

and accounting.

But it’s the English part of his education that gives him more joy, according to this publisher, who wrote that Russin “always preferred the imaginary world of stories compared to the linear grind of accounting and auditing.

“Like all others, he has wondered what the afterlife is like. ‘Light Burns’ is his interpretation of that life.” He likes the ex-

cue is at azsmalldog.org.

Meanwhile, Matthews said her part in the effort to rescue the rescue is done, though the rescue is still hoping people can help. Information is on its website as well as its Facebook page.

But she said she will never forget the community’s response.

“I just want to acknowledge everyone in this community,” she said. “They’re so awesome.” 

panse of the desert and the force of a summer thunderstorm.”

Russin, who has lived with his wife Nina in Ahwatukee since 1997, said “Light Burns” is his first novel, though he has written some short stories.

He said the main challenge in writing it “is that we do not know what the afterlife looks like.

“In addition, I could not use the earthly

life because all things in the earthly life decay into another form,” he said. “These constraints required me to create a world out of nothing which forced me to address a lot of questions.”

Those questions included “How does a person pass through into the afterlife? What do people look like in the afterlife? What about animals? What about love and sex?”

He said a couple scenes are based on harrowing experiences in his own life –once when he was almost killed by a truck carrying bales of hay and another involving an acquaintance who nearly died from a paper cut.

Russin said he also has learned a lot about writing a novel, sometimes the hard way.

“You need to create an outline,” he said. “I didn’t do that with this book, which caused me to stumble about. Creating an outline gives you an idea where you want to go.”

He discovered K.M. Wieland’s book “Outlining Your Novel and Structuring Your Novel” and advises fledgling novelists to “read it repeatedly.”

Russin is now working on a new novel that takes place in 2035 as Phoenix is in the midst of a never-ending drought.

To buy “Light Burns,” go top olympiapublishers.com/book/light-burns. 

Ahwatukee resident Rob Russin just published his novel, “Light Burns,” which was inspired by his mother’s death in October 2013. (David Minton/Staff Photographer)

Camille Matthews delivered the donations from Ahwatukee residents last Saturday to the Arizona Small Dog Rescue’s Hatcher Road shelter. (Courtesy of Camille Matthews)

HOMELESS from page 31

People also can make tax-deductible cash donations.

Items can be dropped off at the ASU Community Services Building, 200 E. Curry Road, Tempe, 2-4 p.m. every Friday or at the ASU Project Humanities office on the ASU Tempe campus.

Project Humanities needs volunteers to help sort donations every Friday.

The sorting is an integral piece of the other major component of Project Humanities’ outreach to unsheltered people at the Human Services Campus in downtown Phoenix.

Every other Saturday, volunteers of all ages from all segments of society gather at the Human Services Campus, 1206 W. Madison St., at 6:15 a.m. The next Service Saturday outreach is this Saturday, July 15.

Why sorting is important is because all items, particularly the clothing, are arranged in an orderly fashion and each volunteer accompanies a person experiencing homeless as they make their choices

AROUND from page 32

to its schedule.

The Kiwanis Club of Ahwatukee has speakers at many of 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.

Upcoming speakers are: July 13, Luis De La Cruz, Arizona Friends of Foster Children; and July 27, Sabrina Estrada, Arizona Citizens for the Arts.

LD 12 Democrats host health care advocacy speaker

Legislative District 12 Democrats will host their month Democrats & Donuts session at 8 a.m. July 19 at Denny’s, 7400 W. Chandler Blvd, Chandler, featuring a guest speaker and raffle baskets by Judy Wade.

Next week’s speaker is Matthew Yatsayte with Healthcare Rising Arizona, an advocacy group for better access to health care. Guests are asked to arrive before 8 a.m. to place their order. Information: juliafleeman@cox.net.

Ironwood Library offers free activities for all ages in July

Ironwood Library, 4333 E. Chan-

– almost as if they were shopping with a “personal shopper” consultant.

This approach to distributing the items helps restore some of the client’s dignity.

Lester is passionate about his believe that Project Humanities’ outreach program just doesn’t give clients something. The volunteers are rewarded as well, even if they aren’t looking for a reward or recognition.

“Having shepherded this outreach for 10 years now,” Lester said, “I know well the transformative power of extending kindness, companionship, and basic humanity to those who are most often denied and through no fault of their own.”

This operation is unique because clients are treated to a “shopping experience” and are paired with a volunteer “personal shopper” to guide them through the process. “We also welcome volunteers and partners intergenerationally, cross-communally, and multi-professionally,” Lester adds.

For more information: facebook.com/ projecthumanities, projecthumanities@ asu.edu or projecthumanities.asu.edu. 

dler Blvd., Ahwatukee, presents a variety of programs for children, teens and adults. Unless otherwise noted, no tickets or registration is required.

Information: phoenixpubliclibrary.org.

Babytimes

Babies ages birth to 23 months, accompanied by a favorite adult, will enjoy songs, rhymes, books, and interactive fun Tuesdays, July 11, 18 and 25, 10:30-11 a.m. Free tickets are required and available 30 minutes before programs’ start times at the library’s information desk.

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. Free tickets are required and available 30 minutes before programs’ start times at the library’s information desk.

Full STEAM Ahead

Children ages 6-12 explore hands-on creative ways to design, experiment, and invent Saturdays, July 15 and 29, 2-4 p.m., in this drop-in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math (STEAM) program. No tickets required.

Sit and Stitch

Join fellow stitchers on July 15, 3-4:45 p.m. Knitting, crocheting, cross-stitch, needlepoint…all are welcome. No tickets required. 

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Ahwatukee water-ice store marks 15th year anniversary

BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor

Not many people passing a store stop at the place and ask the owner if he’s selling – not anything in it, mind you. The store itself.

But that’s exactly what Rocky Kumar did as he and his wife Sara were house hunting in Ahwatukee and 15 years later, they still think they made the right call.

To celebrate the 15th anniversary of Chris’ Water and Ice at 1334 E. Chandler Blvd. at Desert Foothills Park, the Kumars are raffling baskets with gift cards and other goodies that Sara has been collecting from her generous retail neighbors.

The $2 tickets will be on sale from Friday, July 14, through the following Friday, July 21, and winners will be drawn on July 22. Winners will not be expected

see WATER page 37

Rocky and Sara Kumar are marking the 15th year they’ve owned Chris’ Water and Ice on Chandler Boulevard at Desert Foothills Parkway. (David Minton/Staff Photographer)

Wild Horse Pass steakhouse saluted for excellence

AFN NEWS STAFF

Prime, A Shula’s Steak House, at Gila River Resorts & Casino’s Wild Horse Pass near Chandler, has received a 2023 Best of Excellence Award from Wine Spectator magazine.

The magazine rated Prime’s strength on the basis of four wines California, burgundy, Bordeaux and French, reporting it has 420 varieties and wine and an inventory of over 1,000 bottles.

The restaurant serves lunch and dinner and under the direction of Sommelier Troy Tranzow and Chef Adam Rzeczkowski.

Wild Horse relocated Prime from the casino second floor to the 11th floor of the hotel a few years ago to make room for its

sports book.

Its large windows with stunning views of the Estrella Mountains and breathtaking Arizona sunsets are complimented on Friday and Saturday night with the opening of a balcony lounge called 11ven at Prime.

Wine Spectator has been awarding restaurants for their service and, of course, wine selection since 1983.

The restaurant is part of former Miami Dolphins Coach Don Shula’s franchise of steakhouses.

Information: playatgila.com 

Wine Spectator magazine gave a Best of Excellence Award to Wild Horse Pass’ Prime, A Shula’s Steak House. (Special to AFN)

WATER from page 36

to attend the drawing as the tickets will ask for a cell number.

All proceeds from the raffle will go to Feed My Starving Children, a nonprofit that invites indivduals and groups to help pack specially formulated meals to reduce the staggering number of starving and malnourished kids around the world.

Sara not only believes in the cause, but explained that she, her husband and two children would often join packing events at Feed My Children’s Mesa warehouse.

The raffle itself is the Kumars’ special thanks to the community they love.

“We are so grateful to the community,” Sara said. “They have always been supportive and we just want to thank everyone.”

The Kumars moved to Arizona from Seattle and were drawn to Ahwatukee because they had heard great things about it and Kyrene School District.

While roving around looking at homes for sale, Rocky literally saw Chris’ Water and Ice, pulled over and told Sara he was going to ask the owner if he was interested

in selling.

To the couple’s surprise, Sara recalled, “The owner said yes.”

“It took us at least a couple of years to just be a part of the community and start doing events in schools, like carnivals or community events like the Festival of Lights,” Sara said.

But judging from what she feels about the community, there’s a fullfledged love affair between the business and Ahwatukee.

They’ve kept the name and have weathered the normal ups and downs of a business that sells filtered water and ice (including Hawaiian shaved ice), “nostalgic candy” and over a dozen flavors of ice cream.

They’ve also weathered the not-so-normal challenges of owning a business –like a pandemic followed by unrelenting inflation.

And while it may seem like the current torrid temperatures might bring lines out the door, this is actually a slow time for the Kumars.

“People think we’d be busy but these are the two slowest months of the year,” Sara said, explaining that many people go out

of town in search of longer respites from the heat.

Still, ice sounds like a pretty good day on a hot day and the Kumars make sure they have plenty on hand, keeping their store open 9 a.m.-9 p.m. seven days a week.

Indeed, since they’re located next to a Safeway, it’s not uncommon to get customers referred by their neighbor when the supermarket runs out of ice.

It’s that kind of neighborly atmosphere that makes the Kumars more than a little thankful to celebrate 15 years in Ahwatukee post on their website, “We consider many of the members of the community an extension of our closest friends and family.”

Information: chriswaternice.com, 480460-5041, info@chriswaternice.com 

Withdrawing money from a 401(K) is a big step

BY JOSEPH ORTIZ AFN Guest Writer

At some point, you may have more money in your 401(k) than in any other investment. And even though your 401(k) is intended for your retirement, you may one day think you have to tap into your account early.

But should you? And if you do, how should you go about it?

If it’s possible to avoid taking money from your 401(k) before you retire, you probably should do so.

You could spend 25 or more years in retirement, and you’ll need to pay for those years, so you may want to look for alternatives to your 401(k).

If you’ve built an emergency fund containing several months’ worth of living expenses in cash or cash equivalents, you could use some of this money.

If you have a Health Savings Account (HSA), you could use it to pay for qualified medical expenses.

Or you could sell some of your taxable investments, rather than going into your tax-deferred 401(k).

But if you have determined that you must look at your 401(k) plan to meet a short-term funding need, you’ll want to carefully consider how to go about it. You typically have two main choices: loans or withdrawals.

For plans that allow loans, employees can generally borrow up to 50% of the vested amount of their 401(k)s, up to a maximum of $50,000 within a 12-month period. Administrative fees may apply, and Interest will be charged, but it will be added back to the 401(k) account as part of the loan repayments. Except when they’re used for a home purchase, loans must be repaid within five years, with equal payments made at least quarterly, unless payments are allowed to be paused temporarily.

If you leave the company or don’t repay the loan according to the agreement, the loan balance will likely be treated as a taxable distribution.

Now, let’s consider withdrawals. For 401(k) plans that allow current employees to make withdrawals, the withdrawal requests are usually considered either hardship or non-hardship.

To qualify for a hardship withdrawal, you must demonstrate an immediate and heavy financial need to pay for certain expenses, including a home purchase, college, a medical issue or other specified costs, and your withdrawal is limited to the amount necessary to meet the need.

Non-hardship withdrawals can typically be taken for any purpose but usually are not granted until you’re 59½ or older.

Unlike with a loan, a hardship withdrawal can’t be repaid, while a non-hardship withdrawal can usually only be repaid by rolling over the amount to an IRA within 60 days.

But the bigger issue may be taxes. If you withdraw funds from your 401(k), any previously untaxed money is generally taxed as ordinary income and a 10% penalty will apply if you’re younger than 59½, unless you qualify for an exception.

Plus, your 401(k) plan typically must withhold 20% of the withdrawal for taxes, so you’d have to take an even larger withdrawal to meet your needs.

Before embarking on a 401(k) loan or withdrawal, you may want to consult with a financial professional and your tax advisor. Taking money from your 401(k) is a big move, so make sure you know everything that’s involved.

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

The slow road to pedestrian safety in U.S.

BY NORMA HUBELE AFN Guest Writer

Pamela Hesselbacher, a mom with two small children, died in 2016 when a pickup truck hit her in a crosswalk in Chandler. The driver ran a red light. Her death represents the thousands of U.S. pedestrian fatalities that occur each year.

And the numbers are rising.

Pedestrian fatalities from car crashes increased more than 46% in the past decade. Today, these deaths make up nearly 1 in 5 of all motor vehicle tragedies.

Now for the first time, the government is acting to protect people outside vehicles, as well as inside.

Federal regulators propose a stick-andcarrot to make this happen.

The stick, a new regulation, would force car makers to create a driver-assist system that stops for pedestrians. The carrot would try to incentivize car makers to redesign the front of their vehicles to cause fewer injuries to people walking.

Automated Braking System

The proposed driver-assist system that would stop a vehicle traveling up to 37 mph when sensors detect a pedestrian.

For example, if a driver looked at his smartphone and neglected to stop for a person crossing the street, the car would apply emergency braking.

If the U.S. Department of Transportation adopts this regulation next year, vehicles starting in model year 2027 will have to meet this rule to be sold in the U.S.

Injury assessment

The proposed incentive would become

part of the New Car Assessment Program. NCAP assigns 1 to 5 stars for safety ratings based on laboratory crash tests with dummies. The idea is that more stars drive consumer demand for safer cars — and spur carmakers to build them.

Until now, NCAP’s tests rated only car occupant protection. Proposed changes would introduce new tests to answer the question, “If there is a crash with a pedestrian, how badly will s/he be hurt?”

The tests will ram the front end of cars into adult and child dummy body parts. Any harm to the dummy parts will be combined into a score. Vehicles will get either a pass or fail for their pedestrian protection systems.

front end shapes that would cause less harm to a pedestrian.” Could any full-size pickup truck or SUV today have a prayer of passing these tests?

I doubt it.

Yet, it seems car makers need not worry. Why? Because passing or failing pedestrian tests would not affect the overall star rating of a vehicle.

A weak incentive

The NCAP proposal urges manufacturers to “utilize designs that absorb energy, reduce hard points of contact, and include

For example, a vehicle could get a 5-star safety rating and a passing grade of D- for pedestrian protection. Hardly an endorsement, but passing nonetheless.

Plus, the pedestrian grade would not appear on the dealership sticker. The only place you could find this score would be on the federal ratings website (nhtsa.gov/ratings).

In other words, only the savviest car buyers would know where to look.

Coming from behind

Walking in the U.S. is riskier when com-

pared to Canada, Japan, and European countries. This is true when you look at the number of deaths per person or per distance walked.

As deaths rose sharply here, our peers saw a steady drop in pedestrian fatalities over the past 20 years.

Why? Our peers took bold steps to redefine vehicle safety to include the safety of people walking.

A German study of the Euro NCAP a decade ago found that for each boost in a vehicle’s pedestrian protection score, there was a corresponding decline in the likelihood of fatalities and serious injuries.

In short, cars built to protect pedestrians work.

You can plainly see bigger and heavier vehicles dominate U.S. roads. And research confirms that these are the vehicles killing most pedestrians. By one estimate, 1,100 people would be alive today if cars had replaced SUVs between 2000 and 2019.

Regulators are aware of the risk pedestrians face. But once again, they are taking the slow road to safety.

[To comment on the public docket for these two proposals go to regulations. gov/document/NHTSA-2023-0020-0001 and regulations.gov/document/NHTSA-2023-0021-0007

The references on which this opinion is based can be found in my latest blog.]

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. Her book, “Backseat Driver, The Role of Data in Great Car Safety Debates” was published in August by Routledge. 

Women athletes in Valley fight for equality

BY TAYLYN HADLEY Cronkite News

The world of athletics can pose formidable challenges for women as their pursuit is often met by inequalities on many levels between male and female athletes.

The women’s team of Phoenix Women’s Rugby aims to change that.

“We’re going to fight for a seat at the table, we’re going to stay at the table,” said Jillian Sowell, who the team. “So pay us fairly.”

Although rugby as we know it today has been around since the 1800s as an Olympic sport for men, women were not allowed to participate until its removal in 1924 and reapplication for the 2016 Games.

Olympic recognition came almost two decades after the first women’s rugby world cup, held in 1991 in Wales, where USA beat England to be crowned champions.

As rugby is quickly becoming one of the most popular rising sports in America, more females are joining and creating teams.

However, funding opportunities are still not as available for women as they are for men. Women spend more time fundraising in creative ways to keep their programs afloat.

Of the 58 colleges with varsity rugby programs in the United States, there are 43 women’s teams to men’s 35. Despite this, scholarships for women’s teams equal $1,000 less per team than men’s teams.

“In college, there was a lot of discrepancy with the funding between the men’s side and the women’s side,” said Jessica Carpenter, a player for Phoenix Women’s Rugby and University of Arizona Alumni.

“Even though we were both (in) exactly (the) same sport, same club, under the same leadership.”

The Lingerie League opened its inaugural season in 2009 after a controversial halftime performance at the 2004 Super Bowl.

Later rebranded the Legacy League, the

women ditched football pants and jerseys for underwear and bras and laid each other out on the field in front of the crowd aand TV viewers.

However, lingerie football was not what it appeared to be.

“From first glance, I thought it was all about exploitation. You know, sex sells, so the less you’re wearing, the better it was going to be,” said Sareli Utley, a player for the Ahwatukee-based women’s tackle football team, Arizona Outkast. “After hearing (a former Lingerie League player’s) perspective, they do that because they felt (like) that was the only way of getting seen.”

Women also experience various forms of body shaming. Whether appearing too big, too small, too skinny or too large, women are rarely accepted as athletes independent of their image.

“’You don’t look like a rugby player,’” is just a part of what what Phoenix Women’s Rugby’s Payleigh Behan hears.

Arizona OutKast player Stacey Maydahl said she hears things like “Women are fragile.” “They can’t do those types of things.” “They’re not as athletically built as men.”

To that, Maydahl, argues: “Women are built different, but we are 10 times stronger than men because we can give birth

and they cannot.”

Women’s football has a long history and dates back to 1926, when women scrimmaged during halftime games of NFL teams such as the Frankford Yellow Jackets, Dayton Triangles and the Columbus Panhandles.

The 2000s marked the development of the Women’s Football Alliance (WFA), United States Women’s Football League (USWSFL) and Independent Women’s Football League (IWFL) as the only three 11-on-11 women’s tackle football leagues.

The WFA played its first season in 2009, hosting 30 teams around the nation in tackle football. WSFL and IWFL have seen massive decreases in production, further minimizing the opportunities for women’s football programs.

“Women, we have to work 10 times harder to do relatively anything when it comes to equality,” Utley said. “You know, we’re still fighting for that mark.”

Arizona Outkast operates under the WFA as part of its Division 3 program, which is home to 29 other teams and hosts 122 teams nationally. Players are composed of long-time football fans that never got the chance to play during their high school or college years.

“We could probably do it (athletics) better (than men),” Maydahl said. “Have you ever watched women’s basketball or women’s soccer? We are way more competitive and way more brutal than these men.”

As flag football grows in the Valley among high school girls after the Arizona Interscholastic Association sanctioned it last year, Arizona Outkast believes women’s football is here to stay and that the next 10 years will create monumental shifts in the sport.

“There’s nothing that girls or women can’t do. We can do a lot of things that men and boys can do,” said Chan Ellis, another player for Arizona Outkast. “When it comes to sports, we can do all the sports just as well as they can do (them).”

Phoenix Rugby Club player Jessica Carpenter has played on the women’s team since it was formed in 2019. (Courtesy of Phoenix Rugby Club)

Artist Richie Evans taking on the rap world

BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI AFN GetOut Editor

Rapper Richie Evans wants the Valley to be respected for its music – and he’s laser-focused on doing his part.

“I’m on this journey of trying to bring a platinum plaque to the city,” said Evans, who lives in Chandler.

“We’re not as big as LA, Chicago or New York, but I think we’re starting to have the infrastructure. There’s a lot of talent in the city and, nationwide, people need to take heed.”

The prolific Evans recently released the EP “Highly Favored,” the precursor to his debut full-length album, “The Purpose,” due out this fall.

Landing at No. 25 on iTunes chart, “Highly Favored” includes the song “Pressure,” featuring Los Angeles rappers Jay Rock and EastSide K-Boy. Over hardhitting Track PROS production, the three MCs deliver fierce verses about loyalty, respect and taking an oath to the streets.

“‘Pressure’ came about because I felt like I needed something for the streets following my R&B-inspired single “For You” featuring Vedo,” Evans explained.

“I wanted a record that would be respected for its lyrical content, but still solid enough to catch a mainstream vibe.

I tapped into the homies EastSide K-Boy and Jay Rock from TDE (Top Dawg Entertainment) because I knew they could embody a classic West Coast sound with both raw lyrics and clever wordplay.”

Earlier this year, Evans released “For You,” featuring platinum vocalist Vedo and produced by The Olympicks (Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Kendrick Lamar). The song gained Urban Radio airplay across the country including DJ Self at Power 105 in New York, V103 and Hot 107.9 in Atlanta and Power 92 in Chicago. The song also landed on music blogs AllHipHop, ThisIs50, RESPECT, HipHopSince1987 and Hype Off Life, who said Evans has

“undeniable lyricism.” The “For You” official music video was broadcasted on MTV and BET also gaining hundreds of thousands of plays on YouTube.

In “For You,” Evans puts his woman on a pedestal, proclaiming his love for her and highlighting the positive things she’s brought to his life. The song’s lyrics represent that Evans views women as essential members of his movement.

Evans is hosting a hometown show with Jim Jones and Juelz Santana at 9 p.m.

Friday, July 21, at Stratus Event Center in Phoenix.

“It’s going to be a sold-out show, hands down,” he said. “It’s going to be a lot of fun, with alcohol flowing, good energy and a lot of champagne. The city’s been waiting for me to come home and do something.”

Born in Philadelphia, Evans is the only child of Norma Jean Mitchell and Richard

Evans Sr. during their 12-year marriage. (His dad later had another child, Diante Blue Evans.) His father was in the U.S. Air Force, so the family lived around the world – including New Mexico, Germany, Italy and then Luke Air Force Base – inspiring Evans’ pursuits.

The Evans family lived in Maryvale, with Evans attending Luke Elementary School in Glendale; Sunset Elementary School in Glendale; Estrella Middle School in Phoenix; and Trevor G. Browne High School in Phoenix. After his first year at Browne, Evans relocated with his family to New Mexico.

In his mid-teens, upon his return to the States from Germany, Evans started writing poetry. The likes of Ice Cube and Nas heavily influenced his craft as well.

“I started taking it seriously,” said Evans, who played basketball at Eastern Arizona College. “I was working on fine

tuning my craft and planning to do this as a lifelong profession.”

His parents had a hand in his career, too, as they played “so much music growing up.” His father’s favorites included Phil Collins, Anita Baker, Kenny G, The Gap Band, New Edition and The Isley Brothers.

“My uncle got me into hip-hop,” he adds about Charles Thomas. “He moved from Philly to Phoenix with us. He was kind of like an older brother to me. He played Ice Cube, Public Enemy and Nas. That really piqued my interest in rap.”

He studied under multiplatinum rapper The Game, after meeting in a Phoenix nightclub. A few years into their relationship, Evans – who rapped under the moniker Juice at the time – decided to strike out on his own. The Game gave Evans his blessing, so he adopted his given name in 2016 and started rebranding himself.

Evans landed a major deal with Nike. He was endorsed by Vitaminwater. He did all that on his own, without the help of a major label deal and sans the backdrop of a major rap city.

“If you take a little bit of The Game, mix a little bit of Fabolous with a little bit of Nas, sprinkle a little bit of Ice Cube and wrap it all up, that’s what you get from me,” Evans said.

“I think charting at No. 25 is a big step into where we’re headed. It gives us a lot of credibility and validation in the world. It shows my vision is not crazy. It’s right on task.” 

Richie Evans w/Jim Jones and Juelz Santana

WHEN: 9 p.m. Friday, July 21

WHERE: Stratus Event Center, 4344 N. Indian School Road, Phoenix

COST: Tickets start at $30

INFO: 480-395-5115, maturecrowdpromotions.com

Richie Evans recently released the EP “Highly Favored,” the precursor to his debut full-length album, “The Purpose,” due out this fall. (Special to the Arizonan)

1 Ego

5 Curved line

8 Easy targets

12 Geometric calculation

13 "The Matrix" hero

14 Conspiracy

15 Elephant's ancestor

17 Sultry Horne

18 Low isle

19 Pale yellow

21 Rice recipe

24 Colorations

25 Landed

26 Magazine staff listing

30 Leary's drug

31 Skin openings

32 TiVo precursor

33 Became an expert in

35 Actress Ward

36 -- and crafts

37 Cancel

38 Where Gauguin painted

41 Football filler

42 Milky gem

43 Large dogs

48 Portrayal

49 Yale grad

50 Humdrum

51 Apple product

52 Game caller

53 Continental currency

DOWN

1 America's uncle

2 Historic time

3 Guitar expert Paul

4 Nabob

5 Tennis champ Murray

6 Old Olds

7 Mixed up

8 Swimming pool sound

9 "Roots" author Haley

10 Corn concoction

11 Jazz great Getz

16 Klutz

20 Reply to "Shall we?"

21 Tropical tree

22 "Casablanca" role

23 Pot covers

24 Long-eared hoppers

26 Philosopher Adler

27 Always

28 Rights org.

29 Colorless

31 Impudent

34 Shadowed

35 Writer

37 Perch

38 Actress Spelling

39 Each

40 Angelic light

41 "Dream on!"

44 Pub pint

45 Winter ailment

46 Distant

47 HBO rival

IA delicious legacy from a famed cooking duo

t was the 1920’s. The place, Chicago, Illinois. Francois and Antoinette Pope made they mark on the culinary scene first with the Antoinette Pope School of Fancy Cookery.

Then came the television show hosted by the couple. Finally, their cookbook, “The Antoinette Pope School Cookbook.”

I would never have known any of this had one of the Pope family members not presented me with a copy of the cookbook.

The more I read about the Popes, the more fascinated I became with their story.

Online there are even blogs about the cooking duo with comments by the many people who graduated from their school or who have called the cookbook their “go-to” cooking bible.

The crunchy top butter cake is one of the many delightful recipes from an American heritage cookbook that elevated the art of cooking to “fancy cookery.” 

Ingredients:

• Crunchy top ingredients

• 1/3 cup butter, room temperature

• 1/3 cup granulated sugar

• ½ teaspoon cinnamon

• 1 ½ cups pecans or walnuts, chopped fine

• Cake ingredients

• ½ cup butter room temperature

• 1 cup granulated sugar

• 2 large eggs, room temperature

• 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9” x 9” baking pan (glass preferred) with cooking spray. Line the coated pan with parchment paper, leaving a 2-3 inch overhang for easy lift out. Lightly spray the parchment paper.

2. Make the crunchy top. In a bowl, combine the butter, sugar, cinnamon and nuts. Using a pastry blender or fork, cut the ingredients together to the consistency of course meal. Spoon the crunchy top mixture into the prepared baking pan and spread evenly over the bottom.

3. Make the cake. In the bowl of a stand mixer, or using electric beaters, mix together the butter, and sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add adds, vanilla, milk or buttermilk and mix well. Add the cake flour, baking powder

• 1 cup milk or buttermilk

• 2 cups cake flour

• 1 tablespoon baking powder

• ½ teaspoon salt

• Icing ingredients

• 1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

• ½ cup half and half or heavy cream

• 1 tablespoon butter

• ½ teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

• 2 cups powdered sugar

and salt and mix for about 3-4 minutes.

4. Pour batter evenly over the crunchy top. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes up clean.

5. While cake is baking, make the caramel icing. In a medium saucepot, combing the brown sugar, half and half or heavy cream, butter and salt. Stir well and cook until mixture begins to boil, stirring often.

6. Pour into a large bowl. Add vanilla and powdered sugar, and mix by hand or with electric beaters. (Consistency should be thick but pourable. If too thick, add a small amount of cream. If too runny, add more powdered sugar.)

7. When cake is done, let cool for 10 minutes and then drizzle caramel icing over top.

Carvana, LLC seeks an Engineer II in Tempe, AZ for developing and maintaining automated customer communication service. Telecommuting available. Apply at jobpostingtoday.com/ Ref #95774.

GENERAL EMPLOYMENT

Thanks so much,

Carvana, LLC seeks a Product Manager, Supply Chain in Tempe, AZ. Participate end-to-end in the product life cycle, especially market research, customer dvlpmnt, & requirements gathering. Telecommuting available. Apply at https://www.jobpostingtoday.com/ Ref #94977.

GENERAL EMPLOYMENT

KLA Corporation currently has openings in Chandler, AZ for the following position (all levels/types):

Field Applications Engineers (Job Code# 4393): Provide technical applications support for the development and implementation of products. Make presentations on all aspects of products. Rate of pay: $105,300.00 - $117,800.00 per year. To apply, send resume to candidateresume@kla.com. Must reference job code 4393 in subject line.

Rate of pay reflects the min. & max. pay for this position in primary location listed on this posting. Actual pay depends on several factors, incl. location, job-related skills, experience, & relevant education level or training. KLA’s total rewards package for employees may also include participation in performance incentive programs & eligibility for additional benefits listed on https://www.kla.com/ careers. KLA is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other characteristics protected by applicable law.

GENERAL EMPLOYMENT

Sr. Consultant, Financial Reporting at Equity Methods, Scottsdale, AZ. Perform tech. accounting GAAP research and implement new equity comp reporting projects. Reqd: Mast in Accounting, Finance, Economics, or related & 3 yrs exp (or bach & 5 yrs exp) in role involving equity comp accounting. Multiple openings. Apply at equitymethods.com