AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS, NOVEMBER 16, 2022

www.ahwatukee.com

Dems lock up LD12, city council race unresolved

BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor

Democrats appear to have extended their grip on Legislative District 12 for anoth er two years and the race for the Phoe nix Council seat that represents Ahwatukee appeared headed for a runoff in March.

Rep. Mitzi Epstein of Tempe appeared on her way to changing her title to Senator af ter six years in the state House after defeat

ing Ahwatukee Republican David Richardson 59% to 41%.

Her Ahwatukee running mates, Patty Con treras and Stacey Travers, garnered 30% and 29% of the vote, respectively, over Chandler Republicans Jim Chaston and Terry Roe, who each garnered 21%.

Who will be on the March 23 ballot facing former Assistant Phoenix Police Chief Kevin Robinson remained a close contest involv ing two other Ahwatukee residents and the

Arts fest, Kick-Off Party make

Say goodbye to politics. Put a hold on get ting that turkey. And leave the Christmas decorations for another day.

Two big events in Ahwatukee on Saturday, Nov. 19, are back after a two-year hiatus and both offer plenty of reasons to dedicate the day to having fun – and maybe get a jumpstart on holiday shopping.

You can easily cover both events – neither charges admission – by starting with the Ah watukee Recreation Center’s Arts & Crafts Fair at 9 a.m. and winding up at Desert Foothills Park, 1010 E. Marketplace Way, from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. for a re-imagined Festival of Lights Kick-Off Party that is marking a quarter cen tury with attractions and activities for young and old alike.

It’s been a long time coming for both events, which were halted the last two years by COVID-19.

former top aide to the councilman they are vying to replace.

While Robinson easily secured the top spot among the eight council contenders with 20% of the vote, his opponent remained a close call with Sam Stone garnering 17% and Joan Greene and Moses Sanchez capturing 16%.

A runoff between the top two vote getters is required when no candidate gets 50% of the

AFN NEWS STAFF

Carroll Dunlap uses a torch while working on a jewelry piece as Ahwatukee Recreation Center craft ers work on projects for their upcoming craft show Saturday. For details, see page 27. (David Minton/ AFN Staff Photographer

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Get your sneakers on for Tukee Trot

AFN NEWS STAFF

Ahwatukee residents looking for a way to burn off some of that Thanksgiving dinner in a safe, healthy way that’s not too far from home don’t have to look any farther than Desert Visa High School.

There, at 8:30 a.m. Nov. 25, hundreds of people of all ages will be gathering for the third annual Tukee Trot. Sign-up is at rac eroster.com/events/2022/61374/tukeetrot-5k.

You don’t have to necessarily be fleet of foot to enter or have a good time, said Hans Loudon, one of the Trot’s organizers.

“We realized that Ahwatukee needed its own local Thanksgiving turkey trot/5K, given the high number of runners, walk ers and outdoor fitness enthusiasts in our community,” he explained.

“However, we also wanted to make this event family-oriented for the holiday where we can give back to the commu nity,” Loudon continued. “One of the best parts is the 1-mile kids Fun Run around Vista Canyon park where the kids chase the Quail and also get finisher awards, all totally free.

“It is really terrific to see all the smiles on the kids taking part in this healthy fun.”

The Trot started in 2019 with long time Ahwatukee residents and running parents at Desert Vista but has contin ued blossoming to embrace people from throughout the community.

It also is becoming a significant char ity as organizers partner with the Kyrene Foundation to support its annual Winter Wonderland – a district-wide effort to make Christmas a little merrier for Kyrene families in need.

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“The needs are now more real than ever after the effects of the COVID-relat ed challenges,” said Loudon. “This is why we call it Ahwatukee’s Local Race with a Big Heart.”

To our readers

The Ahwatukee Foothills News next week will be published on Thanks giving Day instead of Wednesday in keeping with a long tradition. Look for your paper on Nov. 24.

Loudon said the group picked the day af ter Thanksgiving not just to burn calories but because “people are looking for some thing fun to do with friends and family in town and it helps to burn off the big meal.”

Moreover, he noted, “the roads are qui eter than Thanksgiving and it was better for our local Phoenix Police for road clo sures and traffic guidance. It also makes Thanksgiving less stressful especially with folks traveling in from out of town... and the Black Friday shopping craze is not what it used to be.”

The Tukee Trot organizers still enjoy Thanksgiving itself with a family meal and relaxation because they’ve spent so much time preparing well in advance for the run/walk.

“It really is all about advanced prepa rations with lots of checklists and every one pitching in,” Loudon said. “We try to get everything set after the Wednesday pre-registration and then just load the ve hicles on Thursday night. Then we just let magic happen.”

Of course, sometimes they need more than magic, as their inaugural Trot dem onstrated.

“Our biggest worry is the weather,” Loudon said. “In our first year in 2019 we had a massive rain downpour and even tornados in the Valley. But that did not stop 350 participants from showing up and making for a really great event.

“And the sun finally came out right at race time!”

Of course, the pandemic in 2020 forced the Trot’s cancellation, but it return last year with even more participants. This

year, organizers hope to see at least 500 people join the fun.

And Loudon stressed organizers consis tently look to tweak the event.

“We aim to make it better each year by building on feedback for improvement,” he said, noting they’ve added a category for participants over age 80 this year.

All finishers get medals and official Tu kee Trot mugs.

They’ve also been able to add two local sponsors since last year – State Farm and Once Upon a Child.

“We would not be able to host this event and contribute to our Kyrene Foundation charity without the support of our terrific local sponsors that align to our commu nity and fitness mission,” Loudon said.

“We aim to keep the entry fees compa rably low in the face of increasing costs and still contribute to charity in a mean ingful way - it’s the sponsors that help make that happen.

Other sponsors include Desert Vista High, Soul Sports Running one, Orfe Kelly Real Estate, Prtchette Physical Therapy, Global Bikes, and Illuminate You Fitness.

“Overall we measure progress as the number of smiles generated,” he added, calling it “ great way to have outdoor fun with family and friends on the holiday weekend while being part of a community and charity event. You can race, run, walk - whatever works for you.”

They also have teams formed by fami lies or groups of friends. Last year, the Orendorff family had a team of 11 and are back again this year to challenge for the bragging rights for largest family team.

“posted

For families, the kids under 12 can ei ther join the 1-mile fun run for free or they can do the 5K. “We have had more than a few runners completing the 3.1 mile run with ages as low as 7 and 8 years old and have a under 12 age-group awards catego ry,” Loudon said.

“So it will be really interesting to see what fast times we will see this year,” he said. “It’s fun just to watch.” 

Indeed, FOL Committee President Ra fael Isaac two years ago had declared the Kick-Off-Party all but dead.

But Isaac and a small group of business owners eventually decided they couldn’t let a pandemic defeat one of Ahwatukee’s signature events.

“Reading last year’s headlines about never returning was a hard pill for all of us to swallow and being a small commu nity, we never want to see any of our large events go away,” Isaac said. “Everyone is chomping at the bit to get out, back to nor malcy and we are so happy to be back.”

And a successful Beer & Wine Tasting Event helped them resurrect the KickOff Party, which helps pay for the holiday lights on Chandler Boulevard that are now the responsibility of the Foothills Commu nity Association.

So Isaac and the committee – composed of Morgan Vanderwall, Kimberly Bolton, Dawn Matesi, Alexandra Hughes, Chris Kracht, Janine Moeller and Maria ReyesSmith – got to work.

They moved the fest from its traditional Saturday after Thanksgiving time to the Saturday before the holiday and re-fo cused its marketplace by lining up arti sans and crafters.

Bolton “has been incredible in help ing transform Marketplace Street this year to a more holiday-focused shopping experience for guests,” Issac said. “As Ahwatukee’s largest event, we are very excited to showcase many local vendors and businesses.”

Both the tasting and Kick-Off events, Isaac noted, also “provide entertainment and a sense of community pride for thou sands of people in the area, but we are also here for a larger reason.”

Yet, he added, “It’s important to remem ber the purpose behind our two signature events which is to help provide thousands of dollars in contributions to locally fo cused charities.”

This year, proceeds from the Kick-Off Party will be shared by the Foothills HOA and the Armer Foundation for Kids.

Above all, the committee has ensured the event remains family friendly.

It is offering “Candy Cane Lane,” which will house over 30 inflatables, Santa for family photos from noon to 5 p.m. and a special area of kid-related vendors in Santa’s Workshop that will be sell ing light-ups, accessories and toys from Steve’s Toys, cups, beanies, scrunchies and tie die items.

Also on tap is a revamped beer garden, sponsored by WCKD Brewery, which just celebrated its second anniversary in Ah watukee.

The larger beer garden will have sports bar feel with TV’s for college football view ing, craft food and beer from local WCKD Brewery and a variety of wines from dif ferent regions curated by a local somme lier, champagne and seltzers. Drink tickets will be $7, or 3 for $20.

Other food and beverage offerings will be found on Food Truck Trail and throughout Candy Cane Lane, thanks to

The Kick-Off Party has grown since 2017 and this year it will be reimagined as a bigger-andbetter event that offers fun and engaging activities for people of all ages. (AFN file photo)

Hot Bamboo, Chick-Fil-A, Cuties Lemon ade, Paradise Brothers Funnel Cakes, Mini Donuts and Treats, Pita Jungle, Water and Ice Ahwatukee, I Dream of Weenies and Dominos.

The stage will be another focal point, with community groups performing from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., followed by music from DJ Emmjay and local bands Lil’ Debbie Band and Calico. Li’ Debbie Band will play 3:30-6:30 p.m. and Calico from 7-10 p.m. The community performing groups in clude Mariachi Estrella de Cobre (Copper Star), Phoenix Cooperative Dance, Classic Image Dance and Ahwatukee Children’s Theatre.

The Festival Stage will be set up on the west side of the park with a large stage, full sound system and plenty of seating in front.

Isaac said he anticipates at least 8,000 to 10,000 people will attend the event at some point during the day.

Sponsors for the 2022 Festival of Lights Kick-off Party include: San Tan Ford, WCKD Brewery, Safeway, PostNet, Canopy Mortgage, Realtor Dawn Ma tesi, Big O Tires, Buesing, Blaze Media,

Vanderwall PR, Spencer 4 Hire Roofing, the Holmes Team Real Estate, US Bank, Native Grill. Pawsitive Pets Sitters, Voic es for CASA Children, Waxing the City Ahwatukee, and AFN.

The committee could still use some vol unteers to help at the Kick-Off Party. see folaz.org for details. 

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vote plus one.

With 81,667 votes cast, Robinson had 11,231; Stone, 9,541; Greene, 9,259 and Sanchez, 9,105, according to the lat est results.

A state law requires a recount in elec tions where there is a half-percent dif ference between the totals recorded for candidates and it is unclear if that means Greene and Stone at least will have to wait for that.

The other four candidates vying to re place Councilman Sal DiCiccio are out. Labor leader Kellen Wilson received only 12%; Commerce Authority Vice President Mark Moeremans, 10%; entrepreneur Harry Curtin, 6%; and Sky Harbor Airport security guard Juan Schoville, 2%. Stone, a Central Phoenix political con

sultant, was DiCiccio’s chief of staff.

He had been trailing Greene and Sanchez initially but gained ground as more votes were counted in the days after the election.

Robinson had the support of Phoenix Democratic leaders, including the last four mayors as well as Mayor Kate Gallego.

He also had amassed a campaign war chest that dwarfed his competition, rais ing over $468,000 in a campaign that saw a combined total of more than $1.2 million in campaign contributions.

Robinson’s candidacy was challenged in court in September by Sanchez, who said the house he rented in Ahwatukee in Sep tember 2021 was not his real residence.

He and his wife own a house in Scott sdale, but Robinson said they had pur chased the home because she’s a doctor and needed to be closer to Mayor Medical Center, where she worked. Robinson pro

duced his driver’s license and voter reg istration card that showed his address in Ahwatukee.

During a forum sponsored by the Ah watukee Foothills Chamber of Commerce, Stone – who at one point listed Lakes Golf Course owner Wilson Gee one of the three major problems confronting Ahwatukee –vowed to attack “insider politics” at City Hall.

He vowed to be “the loudmouth who takes (an) issue to the public and brings attention to it because most of what the City of Phoenix does happens in the dark.”

At the same forum, Robinson noted that his early 37-year career on the Phoenix Po lice force was spent in the South Mountain Precinct and that he helped build police services in Ahwatukee in its early days, contending that gave him experience in de veloping partnerships “to ensure that we

have the things that make us a community.”

Greene, who owns her own business, not ed her longtime residency in Ahwatukee.

Stating that her grandmother was the second female to ever serve on Phoenix City Council, Greene promised to provide “a strong voice on the council” who would ensure “that your priorities are no longer ignored” and said those priorities includ ed “a safe city with strong public services” and a “city that protects our air, land, wa ter and wildlife.”

Sanchez said he was committed to “ser vant leadership” and stressed his 26 years as a combat veteran, his four years as president of the Ahwatukee Kiwanis Club and four years on the Tempe Union Gov erning Board. He said “our next city coun cil member must come from this commu nity and has to be willing to fight for this community” and promised “accessibility, transparency and accountability.”

Epstein will be filling the Senate seat oc cupied by Ahwatukee resident and Demo crat Sean Bowie, who decided not to run for re-election.

Her move left both House seats up for grabs because two-term Rep. Jennifer Jer maine opted to run for Justice of the Peace in Chandler.

Contreras, a retired City of Phoenix hu man services program manager, and Trav ers, a scientist, easily bested three other party rivals in the Primary Election.

Roe, a former cop in his final term on Chandler City Council, and Chaston, a CPA who owns his own firm, were hoping to do the same in the House seats.

Epstein, who led fundraising among all

ELECTIONS from page 1

JOAN GREENE

KEVIN ROBINSON

SAM STONE

MOSES SANCHEZ

PATTY CONTRERAS

MITZI EPSTEIN

STACEY TRAVERS

TU finance questions easily garner voter OK

AFN NEWS STAFF

Both the Kyrene and Tempe Union governing boards in January will see a new face and a familiar one, according to unofficial results from last week’s election.

And Tempe Union students and staff are big winners after the district easily won ap proval of its $100 million bond request and two capital spending overrides, those unof ficial results show.

Both governing boards saw three candi dates competing for two open seats.

And unlike most major districts in the East Valley, neither Tempe Union nor Kyrene saw candidates endorsed by the conservative Purple for Parents group, which opposes various diversity and eq uity measures as well as mask mandates.

In Kyrene, board President Kevin Walsh of Tempe and Triné Nelson of Ahwatukee received 38% and 34% of the vote, re spectively, to Ahwatukee resident Kristi Ohman’s 29%.

Tempe Union’s board will have an Ah

watukee resident on it after a two-year absence. Amanda Steele topped her two competitors by garnering 41% of the vote. Incumbent Andres Barraza of Tempe ap peared victorious with 32%, leaving be hind Ahwatukee educator Stephan Kings ley with 27%.

Walsh, a Tempe father of two who is a partner in the law firm of Quarles & Brady LLP, is in his second consecutive one-year term as the Kyrene board president.

He is a volunteer in a number of organi zations, including the Phoenix One Foun dation Board, a legal mentor for the small business organization Gangplank and the Greater Phoenix Economic Council.

He also is a member of the Volunteer Lawyers Program, the Clemency Project 2014, Valley Interfaith Project and chair of Jobs For Arizona’s Graduates.

“Kyrene is at the heart of our family,” he said early in the campaign. “My children are second-generation Kyrene kids. They come from a family of educators, and their grandma is entering her 24th year teach ing in Kyrene. I’ve served with the PTO as

a board trustee for many years, and I’m a regular volunteer in the classroom.”

Nelson has been in education for 18 years and is currently the curriculum de sign director for Arizona State Universi ty’s W. P. Carey School of Business.

She told AFN, “As a mom with children in the Kyrene district for the past nine years, I have spent extensive time volunteering in classrooms, serving on PTO boards, the Superintendent Community Council, and most recently as the co-chair for Keep Kyrene Strong, whose work is integral to the success of the 2021 M & O override continuance election.

“I am deeply committed to the contin ued success of the Kyrene School District, not just as a parent, but as a community member,” added Nelson, who lost a close race for a board seat two years ago.

Steele fills a seat vacated by Tempe Union board President Brian Garcia, who decided not to run again.

The Chandler mother is a community activist and parental advocate for public schools and students with disabilities. She

is a speech therapist and President and cofounder of EPIC Disability Advocacy .

Steele said she thanked “the community that made winning this race a possibility” and “for seeing the value in my voice and my perspective.”

Saying she appreciated that voters were “seeing the passion I bring and the desire I have to listen, to learn, and to engage with the community to better support the needs of all of our students and those guiding them, Steele added:

“I am honored to be one of your next Tempe Union board members. I will repre sent this district with integrity and pride while holding the systems accountable to innovative solutions and transformation to a more equitable experience for all. “

When she entered the race, Steele said Tempe Union “would benefit from the ac cessibility lens I bring as a mother to an autistic adult with an intellectual disabil ity, a neurodiverse woman herself, and an advocate wanting to listen to your voice.

ELECTIONS from page 12

six LD12 candidates, issued a statement Sunday thanking her supporters.

While noting 15,000 votes remained to be counted, she said, “I am comfortable

taking the position that I am Senator-elect.”

She added that she will be the assistant leader of the Democratic caucus in the Legislature, where, she said, “we can build our shared vision for a better Arizona backed by strong public schools, practical

solutions to Arizona’s climate and water issues, and the protection of all our rights, including each person’s right to choose when and with whom to have a family.”

As in prior elections in LD12, then known as LD18 before redistricting last

year, Republicans were at a disadvantage from the get-go. The total number of reg istered GOP voters in the district ranks third behind the number of those who are not affiliated with either major party and Democratic voters. 

TRINE NELSON

KEVIN WALSH

AMANDA STEELE

ANDRES BARRAZA

I’m a passionate community leader here to inspire impactful change; igniting conver sations that shift mindsets to include all.”

Another big winner in school-related elections impacting Ahwatukee was the Tempe Union district itself, which saw voters pass its bond request and overrides by a 2-1 margin with 60% of the vote.

Approval of all three measures equals a combined tax increase from .5924% this year to .7998% per $100 of assessed valu ation in the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2023 – raising taxes by about $52 a year on a house valued at $249,642, according to the district. Currently, that tax totals $148 a year.

The overrides include one for basic op erational spending that would be 15% for the first five years, then go down to 10% the sixth year and 5% the seventh. The other is a 10% 7-year override, or $8.7 million a year, for the District Additional Assistance budget that covers equipment

not included in the regular capital spend ing or bond program.

That budget would include expenses for items like books and furniture.

The bond package would cover higherticket items that the District Additional Assistance budget doesn’t cover.

At the time the board approved the measure earlier this year, now-retired As sistant Superintendent Diane Meulemans said some of the money could also fund some art room expenditures, updating auditoriums, refurbishing some cafete ria floors that need to be redone, curbs, some dugouts, fencing, locker room floors, restaurants, science labs, tennis courts, weatherization, and lighting.

District officials had indicated earlier this year they would sell half of the bond in 2023 and the other half three years later.

Projected expenses in that bond issue include $1.65 million for a construction manager “to assist (us) as we go through these projects” because “we found that has significantly helped the management

of that additional work,” Meulmans said.

It also includes a $1 million cost for ac tually selling the bonds.

The board’s approval of both overrides and the bond package also followed the recommendations of a 38-member citi zens advisory committee that studied Tempe Union’s obligations and future needs. The committee comprised differ ent stakeholders, from parents and com munity members to district staff.

Tempe Union’s current needs not fund ed by the District Additional Assistance budget would total $60.9 million over sev en years beginning July 1,2023, according to Meulemans.

She said failure to obtain voter ap proval for the operations override would force the district to cut about $4.3 million in the 2023-24 school year and another $4.3 the following school year, when the current override finally expires. The dis trict ultimately would lose approximate ly $12.7 million in operations spending annually. 

Ahwatukee Chamber slates IMPACT Awards Gala

forms can be found at ahwatukeecham ber.com.

Tickets are now on sale for a special event sponsored by the Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber of Commerce that will be recognizing local residents, businesses and organizations that have made an impact on the community in the past year.

The Chamber also is accepting nomi nations in a broad range of categories for its IMPACT Awards Gala 5:30-7:30 p.m. Dec. 8 at The Foothills Golf Club, 2201 E. Clubhouse Drive.

Tickets are $75 for Chamber mem bers ($140 for a couple) and $90 for non-members ($150 for a couple) and include a three-course plated dinner, a glass of wine and a raffle ticket. There also will be a cash bar.

Tickets can be bought and nomination

In addition to announcing IMPACT winners, the Women in Business Ah watukee Chamber and the Ahwatukee Chamber Community Foundation will award scholarships to three Ahwatukee students.

The foundation is awarding the annual “Tim Hovik Scholarship” along with two others. The foundation has a long tradi tion of giving back to the community with over $70,000 in scholarships awarded.

There are 15 award categories and nominees must be an Ahwatukee Cham ber member or, in some categories, Ah watukee residents.

An award selection committee will re view the nominations and choose up to four finalists for each category, then vote on the winner.

The categories include Women Busi ness Owner of the Year, honoring a wom an who is the chief executive, president or founder of a company or business venture that they started and significant ly grew; the Shero Award, which honors a woman leader who inspires those who work with and around them; male and female Realtor of the Year.

The Mentor of the Year award recog nizes a man or woman “who enriches the lives and careers of others by sharing the benefits of experience and knowledge” and “has founded and is running their own company.”

The Rising Star recognizes an emerg ing talent while the Champion of Change honors someone who has commitment “to raising the value of diversity and in clusiveness in their work environment.”

The Leadership in Community Award

recognizes “a woman or man who goes beyond the call to devote and volunteer time, energy and resources to support their community” while the Educator Champion Award “highlights a woman or man who has educated, encouraged, and has made a profound impact on some one’s life.”

Another award honors “a Phoenix man or woman who protects, cares for, and drives community safety.”

Awards also will be given to the mi crobusiness, and small, mid-size, corpo rate and large businesses. There also is a Business of the Year Award.

“We currently have 79 nominations across 15 categories,” Chamber Presi dent/Executive Director Andrew Hayes said. “All of the nominees have made an IMPACT on the Ahwatukee Community in their own special way.” 

Ducey continues fight over shipping containers at border

BY SHANE BRENNAN Cronkite News

Using old shipping containers isn’t a permanent or effective solution to secure the southern border, as state and Yuma officials know. Now, the politi cal stunt is embroiled in a legal battle with the federal government.

In August, Gov. Doug Ducey issued an executive order to place empty shipping containers in several gaps in the border fence near Yuma. The containers, stacked two high, are topped with razor wire. The goal isn’t to stop everyone, which Ducey said is impossible, but he’s confident the big metal boxes will slow the flow of bor der crossings.

“The idea behind the shipping contain ers is that they’re available,” Ducey said in a news conference in September. “They are affordable and they’re effective. I think the ideal situation is more of a permanent solution, and there’s no perfect solution.”

At the border later that month, the mul ticolored containers sat while steel beams that were to be installed in the gaps over the years were loaded onto 18 wheelers and shipped to other parts of the bor der where gaps exist in the fence. As the trucks crawled along a dirt path adjacent to the border, Ducey stood proudly in front of the shipping containers.

Javier Flores, who was driving one of the trucks, doesn’t think the containers work as even a temporary solution.

“Do you think they are of much use? I have a video of the people on top of the containers yesterday,” he said in September.

In August, some of the containers top pled over, which the governor’s office attributed to people knocking over the 8,800-pound metal boxes. To date, 130 containers have been placed on the border.

Rafael Martinez Orozco, assistant professor of Southwest Borderlands at Arizona State University, said policy and security involving the U.S.-Mexico bor der is too complex to respond to simplis tic solutions.

“I think it’s part of a Band-Aid solution that is only thinking about the border wall as this regiment – as this stand alone – that’s going to solve our issues,”

Orozco said.

The containers also are controversial for environmental reasons. Sierra Club borderlands director Erick Meza said the bulky containers could be obstacles for migrating animals in the Yuma area.

“I think no wall is the solution,” Meza said. “Remove some of the segments of the walls on these priority areas using technology if you want. But really, I think the keys on the solutions are on address ing root causes” of migration.

On Oct. 14, the Bureau of Reclamation sent an email to the Arizona Department of Homeland Security and the Arizona Division of Emergency Management say ing that the placement of the containers is trespassing on federal land and request ing the state stop placing containers on federal and Cocopah tribal land.

In the same email, the bureau said Cus toms and Border Protection already had awarded a contract to fill the gaps along where Arizona placed the containers. It also said the state was actively interfer ing with the process the bureau had un derway to fill the gaps – and that it was a violation of federal law.

Ducey responded with a lawsuit Oct. 21, claiming he had the power to make the decision to place the containers on the border through his gubernatorial “emer gency powers.” In August, Ducey declared a state of emergency regarding the in creased flow of migrants crossing the bor der illegally, and as a result, he authorized the placement of the containers.

According to CBP data, the Yuma sector of the U.S.-Mexico border saw more than 300,000 with Border Patrol officers in fis cal 2022. This is an increase of over 170% in encounters in fiscal year 2021, which leads the nation by a wide margin. It also is the third busiest corridor for illegal border crossings in the country, according to CBP.

Yuma Mayor Doug Nicholls said in Sep tember that despite the state’s stopgaps, they still “won’t have a dramatic impact” until federal help comes in and fills the gaps with steel beams.

The sentiment that Yuma is powerless in its immigration problem is shared by both city and county officials. Yuma Coun

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

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

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DV girls’ cross country places 2nd, boys 3rd at state

BY LANCE HARTZLER AFN Contributor

As runners began to cross the finish line of the Arizona High School Di vision I Cross Country State meet, spectators started realizing what they were witnessing.

Highland was on its way to a dominating performance in the girls’ race. Highland senior Emma Baugh crossed for the indi vidual title in 18:46.8. Then her sister Cloe Baugh followed four seconds later. Desert Vista’s Brooklyn Hanania crossed in fifth, and Bailee Christofis in eighth.

The two, along with Emily Littlefield (11th), Izzy Villarreal (20th), Ava Withem (21st), Dana Pivin (23rd) and Anna Low man (35th), helped the Thunder place second overall behind the Hawks.

It was a strong showing for a Desert Vista program, which lost its top runner to transfer this past off-season. And it showed just how elite the Thunder are on the cross country course.

“I was so proud of us,” Christofis said. “The way that we all left it out there was amazing. Brooklyn kicked (expletive) to day the way she was out in front of all of us. She definitely led the team and every one else fell into place. … Honestly, I think we can keep this going. There is no secret code to what we gotta do, just keep train ing hard like we have been doing the past five months.”

Desert Vista scored 65 points to place second behind Highland, which had seven runners in the top 15, and an even more impressive six runners in the top 10 en route to a second straight team title.

The Hawks scored a historically low team score of 20 points, which, accord ing to the AIA archives, is only recently matched in the big school conferences by Desert Vista’s 20 points in 2016.

Fitting for a team that preaches unity so heavily to go 1-2-4-6-7-9-15 in the biggest race of the season.

“Our team is always big on unity,” Emma Baugh said. “And this year, it was ‘We do not want individuals, we want team.’ And you can tell it has really helped. You could see the results. … I think it is so exciting. We wanted it real bad and our goal was to be proud of what we did, whether that means coming in first, second, third or however we wanted to be proud and we

definitely did that today.”

That unity, or ‘Hunity’ – aka Hawk Uni ty – as Cloe Baugh said her team calls it, was key especially has some adversity hit when Cloe started to feel sick by the first mile. Her sister had passed her and en

couraged her to keep powering through, and she did with her runner-up finish.

Elsewhere in the girls’ race, Xavier Col lege Prep (146), Perry (164), Hamilton (200), Mesa Mountain View (211), Queen Creek (218), Chandler (242), Marana

(257) and Rincon University (258) round ed out the top 10.

The girls were, in Emma’s words, “defi nitely amped up” heading into their race after seeing the performance from their boy’s squad on the team.

The Highland boys took home their sec ond straight team title, winning with a race low of 43 with four runners in the top 10 including two in the top four with Tim othy Willford (16:08.8) and Lucas Witcher (16:11.9) leading the way.

Desert Vista’s boys took third overall with a score of 154. Tyler Anderson had the highest placing of the Thunder boys in 13th. He was joined by Shaud Becenti, Braden Lolli, Maxton Klein, Logan Tinsley, Steven Saurini and Josh Fossett.

Red Mountain (165) took fifth, Hamilton (169) was sixth, Mountain View (179) was seventh and Chandler (235) was 10th.

“I think we handled the course with poise,” Mountain View head coach Ron nie Buchanan said. “We got some se niors, but we also got a freshman and sophomore on the team and I think we handled it well. … The (young guys) had some good examples from the seniors as well which is good.”

Earlier in the day, to get the state meet started, Valley Christian came out firing in the DIV race with a win on the boys’ side and a runner-up team finish on the girls side led by Lauren Ping’s fourth state title, her first at the D-IV level after transferring from Desert Vista in the DI.

Ping, whose 17:53.2 was the top time of the day for a girls runner, was followed by teammate Ellie Phillips in third in 19:43.1. The Trojans finished fourth as a team be hind winner Phoenix Country Day, Glen dale Prep and Northland Prep.

The Valley Christian boys were paced by freshman Jamison Ping’s second-place fin ish in 16:31.2.

The Desert Vista boys’ cross country team placed third as a team this past Saturday at the Division I state cross country meet. (Courtesy Desert Vista High School)

The Desert Vista girls’ cross country team placed second as a team this past Saturday at the Division I state cross country meet. (Lance Hartzler/AFN Contributor)

Nonprofit treats WWII centenarian to the flight of his life

BY SAMANTHA CHOW Cronkite News

Dressed in the same flight suit he wore in World War II, 100-year-old Ted Giannone stepped into a bright yellow Fairchild PT-26 trainer plane late, becoming Grounded No More’s 500th rider.

For 30 minutes, Tony Anger, owner and founder of the Mesa-based nonprofit Grounded No More, flew Giannone around east Mesa and the Superstition Mountains.

Since 2016, he has flown hundreds of veterans on such “honor flights” free of charge, with support from donations.

Grounded No More was an “accidental ministry,” as Anger puts it.

While working for the Commemora tive Air Force at Falcon Field, which offers public rides in vintage warplanes, Anger met a young man who wanted to fly in a B-17 to honor his grandfather, who flew a “Flying Fortress” in World War II.

“It was a great story right up until he went to pay,” Anger recalled. “The lady said, ‘Thank you, that will be $425. … If you’ve ever been in the military, you know that $425 is probably what you take home every month.”

Instead, Anger offered to fly the man in his Fairchild – dubbed “Amazing Grace” –for free.

After a conversation with his wife, Karen, Anger started Grounded No More and began taking veterans on honor flights in 2016.

Earlier this year, while Anger was check ing the log books, he noticed the organiza tion was approaching its 500th flight.

“We were looking specifically for some body special for our 500th ride,” Anger said. That’s when he heard about Giannone.

In 1940, shortly after he was eligible

to enlist, Giannone joined the Navy as an aircraft mechanic and gunner on a TBF Avenger torpedo bomber. He served about 30 years, active duty and Navy Reserve combined, and worked for the aerospace company Grumman as a field-based ad ministrator building the lunar module.

On Oct. 30, he added another honor to the list: Grounded No More’s 18th World War II veteran and fourth centenarian to

take an honor flight.

Dozens of people gathered at Falcon Field Airport to support Giannone and Grounded No More.

“All of this is so unbelievable,” Giannone said. “And for a guy like me? I’m just a guy, nothing special.”

That statement was quickly followed up with disagreements among the crowd.

Like many veterans Anger flies, Giannone

hadn’t been in a military plane in years.

“One thing I’ve noticed about these vet erans, especially the older ones, they get up in that airplane and they’re slow get ting in,” Anger said, “but when they jump out, they’ve gone from 100 years old back to an 18-year-old.”

And, sure enough, Giannone landed with a mile-wide grin and both arms in the air.

Centenarian Ted Giannone raises both hands in the air as he lands at Falcon Field Airport in Mesa after becoming Grounded No More’s 500th rider since 2016. (Samantha Chow/Cronkite News)

ty Supervisor Jonathan Lines knows the federal government is the only entity that can create a permanent border barrier.

“We really need them to step in and re solve this situation,” Lines said. “It’s their responsibility to take care of the borders. It’s not a state responsibility, and it cer tainly isn’t a county responsibility or a city responsibility.”

Lines, Nicholls and Ducey said the state stepped in because of the increased de mand and lack of resources that Yuma and other border cities have been facing as a result of migrant influx. Plugging holes in the border fence with the containers gives them more “operational control,” they said.

“Until you maintain control, you can’t really address the overall problem of legal immigration. You have to get control of the border of the situation first,” Lines said.

Orozco said that because of this year’s midterms, the phrase “operational con trol” is being used to appease voters’ anxi eties about the border, which becomes a “figurative character” to voters around election time and the complexities around border policy go ignored.

“I think the idea of having control of the

border is very mythical,” he said. “Opera tional control, I think, is just playing to a lot of the particulars or massaging a lot of anxieties during this election cycle.”

Lines said Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., has been the lone voice in the federal govern ment who has acknowledged the help

needed to secure the border, but no offi cial timetable has been set for when help will arrive. Kelly’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

In August, Kelly, along with fellow Ari zona Democratic Sen. Kyrsten Sinema and two other senators, introduced a biparti

san bill to increase the wages and ranks of Border Patrol agents. Kelly also has spon sored a bill to use newer technologies to deter drugs, including fentanyl, from com ing across the border.

Although Lines and Ducey highlighted drugs as the reason for plugging gaps in the fence, Nicholls said overall safety and control of the situation were top priori ties. The only option is to rely on the fed eral government, he said, and the perma nent solution can only come from them.

“The ball is in their court,” Nicholls said. “We’re always willing to be at the table.” 

Shipping containers fill several gaps in the border fence near Yuma. The bureau says Ari zona’s placement of the containers there constitutes trespassing on federal land. (Alexia Faith/Cronkite News)

EXPIRES: 11/30/2022

Economic forces continue pummeling Valley housing

BY PAUL MARYNIAK

AFN Executive Editor

The Valley’s housing market contin ues to feel the brunt of rising mort gage interest rates in just about any major category, according to one of the top leading local real estate analysts.

“Demand has been weak for several months but it got much weaker during October, driven down by the weight of continued large increases in mortgage in terest rates,” the Cromford Report said.

Noting “closed sales are down more than 38%,” it concluded, “The market is

desperately short of buyers.”

Added Danielle Hale, the chief econo mist at Realtor.com: “People are in waitand-see mode, because the numbers don’t work out.”

Some of its data underscored that point as the Cromford Report said the month opened with 20,582 listings versus 7,777 last year – up 165% from a year ago.

Sales for October totaled 5,406 versus 8,772 in October 2021.

Inflation also has made an impact, ac cording to Cromford Report’s data, which

showed that the monthly sale price per square foot was $276.51 – up 5.6% from the $261.55 average a year ago.

That translated into a 5.1% increase in the monthly median sales price of $436,000 over the October 2021 average of $415,000. But the Cromford Report said, “There is no reason for prices to rise in the near term” and predicted the appreciation rate would dwindle to zero before the end of the year.

“Things could be a lot worse however, because the high interest rates are almost as discouraging for sellers,” it added, not ing that fewer owners are even bothering to put their homes on the market. List ings in October rose 2.5% over September “due to the shortage of new sellers.”

Moreover, even though builders seem to be pulling back on construction, new homes “are still faring much better than re-sales with a new record high median sales price, up 2.3% from last month,” it said, adding, “New homes now represent 23.4% of all closings.”

“With few new sellers and even fewer buyers we have an unusually inactive market with very low transaction counts,” the Cromford Report said.

“Although seller optimism is a thing of the past, there are relatively few sellers with an urgent need to sell,” it continued. “Realistic pricing and patience is the order of the day.”

With foreclosures “very scarce” and ma jor online platforms like Opendoor and Of ferPad “still hav[ing] large inventories of unsold and unoccupied homes,” it suggest ed “anyone looking for unusually cheap bargains is most likely to find them among

the iBuyer listings.”

Given the latest increase in the prime in terest rate, the Cromford Report said the Valley’s housing market for now will be marked by “extremely weak demand, un usually low number of new listings, poor negotiation power for most sellers, very low contract signings.”

“Conditions are very good for buyers who can still afford a home,” it said. “They have little competition from other buy ers and sellers will treat them with about 1,000 times more respect than they would have in 2021.”

Yet, it also stressed that “buyers who can still afford a home are becoming an endangered species.”

“Even existing homeowners are of ten unable to afford to move because this would mean giving up their current cheap mortgage and taking out a new very expensive one,” it said, lament ing the fact that “U.S. mortgages are not portable like some are in a handful of foreign countries.”

National data released last week showed that mortgage applications for a home purchase have fallen by 42% from last year at this time while, not surpris ingly, applications for refinancing have plummeted by 87%.

The National Association of Realtors re ported that home affordability has fallen by nearly 10% in the Phoenix Metro area from last year.

That was among the 10 sharpest drops in the country, though not nearly as steep as the affordability decline in Chicago (20%), Las Vegas (19%), Spokane, Wash ington (19%), Boise City, Idaho (18%) and Denver (13.6%). 

Listing agents indicate the three houses are among the most expensive on the market in Ahwatukee. (1) This 5,211-square foot, four-bedroom, five-bath home on S. Canyon Drive is priced at $2,295,000. Built in 1997, it boasts panoramic views, private patio off the master bedroom, gourmet kitchen, solar tubes that provide natural light throughout the house, built-in speakers throughout the home, and numerous other amenities. 2) Priced at $2,195,000, this four-bed,4 ½-bath house on E. Windmere Drive was built in 1998 with six garage spaces. With two master bedrooms, the 5,461-square-foot houses boasts a private casita with kitchen, two master bedrooms, 12-foot ceilings and a slew of other amenities. 3) This 10,323-square-foot house on E. Kachina Drive is selling for $2.3 million. Built in 1997, it has six bedrooms, eight full bathrooms, theater and exercise rooms, and a private casita and numerous amenities. (Special to AFN)

Buyers backing out latest trend in real estate

BY SAMUEL DONCASTER AFN Guest Writer

If you’re worried about what to do if a buyer backs out of a deal, you’re not alone.

Between the rise in interest rates and deprecation in the real estate market, buy ers are currently backing out of real estate deals at an alarming rate.

When they do, it can leave sellers wor rying about the financial hit they’ll take –whether they can sell into to complete an other transaction, or even whether they’ll be able to move out of state on time.

Fortunately, sellers have protection once the relevant contingencies are completed.

For transactions under the standard Arizona Association of Realtors form, the most common way to get out of a contract is to cancel during the inspection period.

During this time, buyers can cancel the sale with no penalty.

This is their chance to vet the house,

get it inspected and make sure it’s up to their standards. Prior to the end of the in spection period, the buyer may cancel for any reason.

When the inspection period ends, the loan contingency often becomes the focus for buyers looking to renege. However, that’s a more limited source of relief.

The standard Arizona Association of Re altors contract explicitly states that failure to lock an interest rate is not an unfulfilled contingency. That means if the buyer signs a contract with rates at 5% and then the lender offers a 7% loan to close, the buyer cannot back out because of that.

In other words, the loan contingency is a contingency of whether a loan is made, not whether it’s at an acceptable interest rate.

This particular contingency often spawns disputes when buyers attempt to manipu late it to avoid the binding effect of their con tracts. The language of the loan contingency requires that a buyer make a “diligent and good faith effort” to obtain loan approval.

It imposes a deadline to submit a loan application and requires the buyer to promptly supply the lender with the docu ments it requests for underwriting. There fore, buyers cannot get away with simply dragging their feet on the loan process un til closing day.

After buyers wrongfully renege on their commitment, sellers may accept the earnest money as their damages, but it isn’t required.

The standard Arizona Association of Realtors form contract makes it very clear that doing so is the “seller’s option.” The other option is to bring a claim for damages. In an environment of rising interest rates and declining real estate prices, the suit for damages will often be the better option.

In a damages claim, sellers can be com pensated for all their losses resulting from the buyer’s decision to back out. Often, this starts with whatever additional price reduction the seller must make to com

plete the transaction with a new buyer.

In addition, buyers will have carrying costs for the property, including interest on their own mortgage, utilities and main tenance. Some sellers will also be harmed in connection with other transactions.

For example, if the seller was planning to buy another property and depending on his own sale proceeds to make the pay ment, a lost opportunity to complete that transaction could entitle the seller to sub stantial lost profits.

Sellers can protect themselves by pro actively monitoring the loan. The stan dard contract requires that buyers and lenders provide updates on loan status “upon request.”

In addition, sellers shouldn’t be shy about soliciting backup offers. Finally, when a buyer backs out, they should talk to a lawyer early to understand their options.

Samuel Doncaster is owner and lead attorney at Fraud Fighters Law Firm here in Phoenix. 

Pros, cons of buying without your spouse

AFN NEWS SERVICES

Though it might seem like a weird and highly unromantic question, there are plenty of reasons to pon der buying a house without one’s spouse as part of the deal.

Basically, this means that although you two might live in the home together, only you would technically “take title” to the property—a fancy way to say that you own it and have your name on the deed. It’s legal—and more common than you might think.

“This is always an option,” says Zachary D. Schorr, a Los Angeles real estate attor ney. “People are free to take title to prop erty however they want.”

Plus, however it might look at first glance, keeping your spouse off the deed isn’t necessarily a vote of no confidence in the marriage. Particularly for couples en tering second or late-in-life marriages, it can make a whole lot of sense.

Benefits

Having only one name on a property’s

deed can be a good move for several reasons.

You’re buying a house with pre-mar riage money. If you buy a home using money you earned or inherited before the marriage, it can make sense to keep your spouse off the deed, title, and mortgage.

That way, the property clearly is in your name and can be sold or mortgaged at your sole discretion. You own it. Case closed.

You might get a better deal from a lend er. If you have a great credit score and a lot of assets, and your spouse has crummy credit and few assets, you might have an easier time getting a mortgage at a better rate if only your name is on the deed and loan, says Schorr.

It’s easier after you die. If the property is in your name alone, you can bequeath it to whomever you want in your will, includ ing children from a previous marriage.

You want to keep the property from creditors. Let’s say your spouse has de faulted on student loans taken out before you two met. By keeping your partner’s name off the deed, creditors can’t go after

property that is in your name only.

Life happens, unions split, people die. In such cases, you can maintain more control over a property by having your name on the deed alone.

Downsides

There are some downsides to this ar rangement as well that extend beyond any potential hurt feelings.

Besides the “for richer and poorer” mo tivation, there are a few more good rea sons to put your spouse on a deed even if you pay for the property.

To deal with your HOA/condo board: Some homeowners associations and con do managers will talk only with the per son whose name is on the deed.

This means that all communications must go through you, which can be a has sle if you’d like your spouse to occasion ally speak on your behalf when contact ing the HOA/condo board or attending meetings.

To build assets as a couple: If you plan on growing your financial future as a couple (by, say, buying more property or starting

a business), it could be a good idea to own substantial assets together, which will make you both more creditworthy when looking for funding.

If you decide to keep your spouse’s name off a deed, you should know that you will likely need your spouse’s consent. Many lenders will require your partner to sign a quitclaim deed, a document that “dis claims” any interest in the property.

This is a way for the lender to help pro tect themselves and the borrower from future title disputes.

As such, you won’t be able to secretly buy a home behind your spouse’s back. Your spouse will be aware of this pur chase, and will have to agree to remain on the financial sidelines.

If you’re worried broaching this ar rangement might offend your spouse, be sure to point out that this doesn’t reflect any distrust on your part.

Emphasize why it makes financial sense, and is important to you, and most spouses will understand where you’re coming from.

Realtor.com provided this report.

Anew report from Realtor.com shows home listings increased 33% in October over October 2021. The increase in inventory is not be cause more people are selling but because fewer are buying.

The housing market has come to a near standstill in the last few months, leading some to speculate it could be headed for a “crash,” an undefined state in which home values fall.

It’s happened before, as recently as 2009. Then, thousands of homes went into foreclosure and millions of home owners found themselves owing more than their homes were worth.

Could it happen again? Most housing experts point out that today’s market woes are very different from 13 years ago. Today, the market has stalled for one big

reason – rising mortgage rates. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the housing market exploded. Prices surged because demand far outweighed supply.

Low interest rates fueled record home prices

People with good jobs could afford to pay record-high prices for a home because the interest rate was 3% or less, providing an affordable monthly payment. But when the average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rate surpassed 7%, as it did last month, then the monthly payment was hundreds of dollars higher, meaning many people who would like to buy a home can no lon ger afford to.

As a result, home prices have already fallen from their record highs reached in June. But Alex Platt, principal agent with the Platt Group, part of Compass Real Estate in Boca Raton, Fla., says that is far

from a “crash.”

“Look, no one knows what’s going to happen,” Platt recently told us. “But I don’t think there’s going to be a big ‘crash’ coming. Could there be a correction, sure? But prices nearly doubled in the last two years. So even if prices come down 10 or 15%, the market is still up.”

But what about people who purchased homes last year, at the very top of the mar ket? Could they trigger a crash, much like they did in 2009? Not really, experts say.

Most people who purchased homes in 2021 got a mortgage rate of 3% or less. As long as they stay employed they should be able to easily swing the monthly mort gage payment.

What’s different this time?

So how was 2009 different? At that time, the mortgage industry was approv ing loans to just about anyone, whether

they could afford the home or not. The lender sold the mortgage to Wall Street investment banks within days so lenders didn’t care.

Many of these buyers put no money down and took out subprime mortgages, which had a low “teaser” interest rate for the first year or two before the rate jumped to double-digits. When that hap pened, millions of those homes went into foreclosure, dragging home values down with them. It was the wave of foreclosures that triggered the crash, flooding the mar ket with repossessed homes.

Today, very few homes are in danger of default, even those whose values are now lower than the purchase price. Unlike more than a decade ago, most of today’s buyers made significant down payments – of up to 20% – and still have some eq

New short-term rental laws can be confusing

BY PATRICK MACQUEEN AFN Guest Writer

Are you confused about the status of new short-term rental laws and court rul ings? Hopefully the information below will help to clarify things.

When dealing with regulations pertain ing to short term rentals, there are two primary sets of laws that may be applica ble to your situation: (1) those imposed by the government; and (2) those imposed by a homeowners association (“HOA”), if your property is situated within an HOA. In short, all short-term rentals are sub ject to restrictions or requirements im posed by the government – i.e., those im posed by the State of Arizona and/or your local government. The Arizona legislature recently passed new laws pertaining to

short term rentals and these new laws are outlined below.

Additionally, those with properties in an HOA may be subject to additional re strictions or requirements.

The recent Arizona Supreme Court de cision in Kalway v. Calabria Ranch limits the extent to which an HOA can amend Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions (“CC&Rs”) to restrict short term rentals, but you should nonetheless understand that HOAs can restrict short term rentals in certain situations.

As to the governmental restrictions and requirements, cities and towns now have much more authority in regulating short term rentals. Specifically, new short-term rental legislation, which became effective September 24, 2022, provides, among other things: 

Short term rental owners must have liability insurance of at least $500,000;

Cities/towns can impose a civil pen alty of up to $1,000 against an owner, if the owner fails to provide the required contact information to the city/town;  Cities/towns can fine owners for vio lating their regulations. These fines can be up to $3,500 for three violations within twelve months;



HOA’s ability to amend CC&Rs.



The Arizona Department of Revenue can suspend an owner’s transaction privi lege license if there are three violations of city/town regulations within twelve months.

These are just a few of the new regula tions that became effective on September 24, 2022.

As to the restrictions and requirements that an HOA can impose on owners, the recent decision by the Arizona Supreme Court provides some guidance.

Specifically, the Court ruled that prin ciples of notice and foreseeability limit an

In other words, amendments to CC&Rs, including those pertaining to short term rentals, are permitted only if they are foreseeable refinements to existing obli gations contained in the CC&Rs. This rul ing is retroactive in nature and casts doubt on the ability of an HOA to ban short term rentals in communities with CC&Rs.

In sum, it is now more important than ever to understand the restrictions and regulations imposed by cities and towns. And, it is now more important than ever to understand whether, and to what ex tent, your HOA can restrict short term rentals.

If you have any questions, or would like a copy of the new laws, feel free to email Ahwatukee real estate lawyer Patrick MacQueen at Patrick@mand glawgroup.com. 

Impressive home with mountain views in highly coveted Ahwatukee Custom Estates. Dramatic entrance showcases Cantera fireplace in living room. Additional two-way fireplace between kitchen and family room. Eat-in kitchen boasts granite countertops, soft-close raised-panel cabinetry, stainless steel appliances, desk, pantry and wet bar. Travertine and wood flooring throughout. Custom wrought iron stair railing. Spacious master suite features access to oversized covered view balcony. Separate workout and hobby rooms accessible via deck. Huge laundry room with cabinetry and sink. 3-car garage with cabinetry and workshop with air conditioning. Private backyard with flagstone, covered patio, Pebble Tec pool and spa, putting green, pizza oven, lush landscaping and professional multi-sport “sport court” with basketball and pickleball.

Mortgage rates could continue to rise, experts say

All eyes have been glued to mortgage rates lately as those all-important fees continue their seemingly in exorable upward march.

While average rates for a 30-year fixedrate mortgage dipped to 6.95% the first week of November, that figure climbed back to 7.08% for the week ending Nov. 10, according to Freddie Mac.

And if inflation refuses to budge, “mort gage rates are more likely to climb than to slip,” said Realtor.com Chief Economist Danielle Hale in her analysis.

Yet while interest rates are up, nibbling away at affordability, at least another key metric is heading down to at least partly make up for it: home prices.

The median list price for a typical home nationally peaked at $450,000 in June, and has since dropped in October to $425,000. And home prices will likely continue

downward toward the holidays, although perhaps not as low as many homebuyers might like.

“The typical asking price will near but not likely slip below $400,000 again this year,” explained Hale. “The housing market is resetting, but in a slow fashion.”

And while home prices have been de creasing month to month, they’re still higher than last year. For the week ending Nov. 10, home prices rose by 11.7% com pared with the same week a year earlier.

That’s the 45th week straight of doubledigit growth, although the pace has at least been ebbing, which means that home shoppers might not have to contend with double-digit price hikes much longer.

“Continuing at its recent pace of slowing, median listing price growth would move back into single-digit territory just before the end of the year,” said Hale.

With home prices falling, many home sellers are hunkering down into deep hi

bernation.

For the week ending Nov. 10, new list ings—or how many sellers are putting homes up for sale—dropped by a stagger ing 20% compared with that same week last year. Indeed, the number of owners listing their homes has now declined 18 weeks in a row.

“This data suggests that many potential sellers may be joining buyers in ‘wait and see’ mode,” explained Hale.

Sellers and buyers are sitting on the sidelines for the same reason: Neither side wants to deal with the volatile housing market.

While the number of new home sellers entering the market has plummeted, the total number of homes for sale—which in cludes old listings that have been kicking around for months without buyers—is on the rise.

Indeed, inventory rose by 42% for the week ending Nov. 10 over the same week

fall too low.

Realtor.com notes that, unlike in 2009, the U.S. still has a severe housing short age. Even with rising interest rates, de

last year.

And these stale offerings are only getting staler. In October, homes spent a median of 51 days on the market.

And for the week ending Nov. 10, homes lingered on the market an entire week lon ger compared with the same period last year. This marks the 15th straight week of ever-more-sluggish home sales.

Overall, this means that homebuyers can take more time now to decide whether to make an offer.

But they still don’t yet get to enjoy the languorous pace of pre-pandemic 2020 home shoppers, who had an extra 20 days to make an offer than buyers do now.

“In other words, the market has slowed relative to peak buying season and relative to last fall,” added Hale. “But compared to just about any other time period, homes are still selling relatively quickly.”

Realtor.com provided this report. 

mand is expected to exceed – or at least keep up with – the supply of homes.

Realtor.com provided this report 

www.ahwatukee.com

Many ARC clubs contribute to Arts & Crafts Fair

NEWS STAFF

More than two dozen clubs of craft ers will be displaying and selling their work just in time for the holidays on Saturday as the Ahwatukee Recreation Center’s Arts & Crafts Fair re turns after a pandemic-driven shutdown the last two years.

The annual event – at Ahwatukee Rec reation Center, 5001 E. Cheyenne Drive, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Nov. 19 – has free admission to a wide array of unique hand-made items that include stained glass and glass, jew elry, quilts, woodwork, clay and pottery, greeting cards and other paper gifts, can dy, ceramics and more.

Organizer Patty Burke said Woodshop Club will be selling hotdogs and refresh ments and Cheezy’s Wood-fired Pizza will be on the scene with a food truck. Some of the clubs that will be represent ed at the fair have a long history. For example, the ARC Woodworking

National Charity League here works with refugee project

The Ahwatukee Foothills

Chapter of National Charity League is marking five years of a philanthropy partnership with the Welcome to America Project, a nonprofit serving Phoenix area refugees that is celebrating its 20th anniversary.

“We want to bring our commu nity together – volunteers, donors, staff, board and the refugees,” said Welcome to America Community Ambassador Mike Sullivan.

“We’ll celebrate the importance of welcomes and thank the many who have made our 20 years of welcomes possible. We are sim ply a conduit for the community’s kindness. Our service is done by

volunteers and everything that we share with refugees is donated,“ he said.

The Charity League’s member mothers and daughters give nearly 300 hours a year to the nonprofit by attending weekend volunteer shifts at their Tempe location.

They help sort donations, pack items, join staff to greet refugees, work on clothing closets and en gage in other activities.

“They are fantastic human be ings and connect well on a person al level with refugees we greet,”

Sullivan said. It’s not easy to walk into a stranger’s home, one who might not share your language or your culture. AFNCL does so with loving hearts.

“Seeing them in action is abso

lutely inspiring. The daughters and moms are selfless, exhibiting true community spirit in every encoun ter… I strongly recommend this or ganization as a place for mothers and daughters to bond doing the right things,” explains Sullivan.

The Charity League chapter con ducts drives routinely to gather needed items like clothing and hy giene supplies for refugees.

At the chapter’s movie night, members filled up the nonprofit’s warehouse with do nated clothing and hygiene supplies,” according to chap ter President Suzanne Rinker.

“We’re committed to the devel opment of mothers and daughters

Cunningham said the club started with a few hand tools donated by Presley Development Co., which essentially founded Ahwatukee and developed the ARC has a 55+ commu nity that now has more than 1,600 homes.

“In 1981 the shop started collecting paper products and newspapers for re cycling,” Cunningham said, adding the in come “was very helpful in paying the bills.”

Now located in the old Presley sales of fice, the members have obtained more tools, installed a dust collecting system and the electric service in the building was upgraded. Shop members purchased tools and built work cabinets and benches.

“Shop members made enough money to donate funds to other ARC clubs and chari table organizations,” Cunningham said. “In 1988 a charity program called the Sun shine Committee, was started to make toys,

@AhwatukeeFN

AFN

Club has been around for 44 years. Woodworking Club spokeswoman Geri

AFN NEWS STAFF

Ben Holt varnishes a turned wood piece in the shop as Ahwatukee Recreation Center craft ers work on projects for their upcoming craft show. (David Minton/AFN Staff Photographer)

Desert Vista High School juniors, from left, Gracie Robson, Kend all Birnbaum and Annalise Petruzzella were among members of the Ahwatukee Foothills Chapter of the National Charity League who celebrated the group’s partnership with the Welcome to America Project. (Special to AFN)

puzzles and other items to be donated.”

Partially funded by a pancake breakfast, the woodworkers also raffle handmade items to support its charitable giving to Phoenix Children’s Hospital, the Assistance League of the East Valley, St Vincent de Paul and the Shriners Hospitals for children.

“When the pandemic hit in March of 2020, the shop was closed and the Sun shine Committee was discontinued,” Cun ningham said, because a company that do nated wood discontinued its support and the price of recycled paper plummeted.

In fall last year, Cunningham said, the club started collecting flattened alumi num cans to sell to a recycler and “the ef fort has gotten off to a slow start but has so far been successful.”

“We purchase, repair, and maintain all our tools and pay for our own insurance policy to insure the tools,” she added. “Our proceeds come from yearly dues of $20, an annual pancake breakfast along with raffles and aluminum recycling. We are working diligently to find a new source of wood so we can once again start our Sun shine Committee charity outreach pro gram and therefore be able to make and donate toys for children.”

The ARC Jewelery Crafter’s Club is an other longtime organization at the center.

Founded in 1979, it offers tools, sup plies and equipment to members for lapidary slab cutting, cabochon grind ing, shaping and polishing; cabochon and gem setting; silver smithing, metal cutting, shaping, soldering, polishing, cabochon and gem setting; metal cast

ing, lost wax casting with silver, gold and other metals.

It also offers classes for beginners in lapidary, silver smithing and lost wax casting.

Member Bill Musik is a silversmith and said, “It all started when I began learn ing how to make jewelry in sterling sil ver and gold. I had no idea what it would turn into.

At the same time he was learning his craft, Musik also adopted an old Clumber Spaniel and ultimately rescued two more in two years.

My heart sunk and fell in love with him and ultimately rescued 2 more over a span of 2 years.

“My two passions developed and merged,” he said. “My jewelry making turned into a way of life and I started to

make jewelry to sell and donated all the proceeds to the Clumber Spaniel Rescue and Placement Group. To this day every thing I make I donate to this worthy cause.

More information about his charity is at facebook.com/CSCARescue.

Another group that will be at the fair is the ARC Stained Glass Club, which also dates back to the 1990s.

It has offered a variety of classes to in troduce members to the craft and to fur ther develop skills.

Since 2012, it has offered classes on creating nightlights, 3D items and activi ties such as incorporating nuggets, bevels, and curlicues.

“The Craft Fair highlights and offers for sale the beautiful and sometimes whimsi cal items created by our members,” said club spokeswoman Ruth Steinbrunner. 

Diana Mansell and Louise Porter talk while working on jewelry for the ARC show. (David Minton/AFN Staff Photographer)

Michalene Eves works on a stained glass piece. (David Minton/AFN Staff Photographer)

The ARC Charity Sewers produce cloth and knitted items and donate them to various organi zations that have a need. They primarily use donated fabrics and 400 items ranging from bibs to infant sweaters and kids clothing. They welcome donations of fabric, yarn, and sewingrelated items an donors can call the ARC for info at 480- 893-2549. (Special to AFN)

The Saguaro Strippers Quilt Club makes quilts, placemats and other household items. Members include, from left: Marjorie Mead, Gerri Mirl, Jim Snyder, Jean Gerhard, Laurie Wahlers, Cathy Hawthorne, Sally Hannon, Bette Laatsch, Bobbie O’Connor and Betsy Mathison. (Special to AFN)

Horizon Honors presenting ‘The Crucible’ this weekend

AFN NEWS STAFF

Horizon Honors High School’s The atre Department is presenting the 1953 classic “The Crucible” this weekend.

Written by playwright Arthur Miller, the story focuses upon a young farmer, his wife, and a young servant-girl who maliciously causes the wife’s arrest for witchcraft.

The farmer brings the girl to court to admit the lie—and it is here that the mon strous course of bigotry and deceit is ter rifyingly depicted. The farmer, instead of saving his wife, finds himself also accused of witchcraft and ultimately condemned with a host of others.

This show is not recommended for chil dren under the age of 13, but is recom mended for students of American history as Miller wrote the play to express his anguish and concern over Sen. Joseph McCarthy’s pursuit of Communists and how that trig gered a wave of persecutions of wide range of people in Hollywood’s movie industry.

“When I began to think of writing about the hunt for Reds in America, I was moti

as leaders and want to improve our com munity with support in the form of dona tions and volunteerism,” said Rinker.

The chapter welcomes Ahwatukee mothers who live in ZIP codes 85048, 85045 and 85044 to join with their daugh ters who are currently in 6th through 9th grade in any school.

The Welcome To America Projects assists some 5,000 refugees a year, many from Af ghanistan and potentially from Ukraine. Their hope is to impact those that settle in the Phoenix metro area and accelerate refugees’ pace towards well-being and self sufficiency.

“There is only one difference between refugees and us: Circumstance,” Sullivan said. Something happened outside of a refugee’s control that did not happen to us.

“War, ethnic genocide, religious per secution, child trafficking. They are in crisis and need help. We are in a position to take action. How we act defines our community and Phoenix is proving to be a welcoming one.”

The 20th anniversary celebration of The Welcome to America Project will be held

vated in some great part by the paralysis that had set in among many liberals who, despite their discomfort with the inquisi

8-9:30 a.m. Friday, Nov. 18 at ASU Sky song, Building 3, 1365 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale.

Founded in 2002, the nonprofit helps refugee families who have usually been in refugee camps for 10 or more years and come from countries all over the world. In its 20 years, WTAP has welcomed more than 15,000 refugees from over 40 coun tries. Information: wtap.org.

Founded in 1925, the National Charity League is a nonprofit for mothers and their daughters in grades 7-12. There are over 290 chapters and 200,000 mem bers and alumnae. More than 200 mem bers belong to the Ahwatukee Foothills chapter and volunteer at over 20 local philanthropies.

The organization fosters mother-daugh ter relationships through leadership de velopment, philanthropy, community service and cultural experiences. Informa tion: nationalcharityleague.org/chapter/ ahwatukeefoothills. 

tors’ violations of civil rights, were fearful, and with good reason, of being identified as covert Communists if they should pro

test too strongly,” Miller wrote in 1996 about why he wrote the play..

Horizon’s thespians are presenting the play in the multipurpose room on its cam pus at in 16233 S. 48th St., Ahwatukee, at 3:45 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Friday and Satur day, Nov. 18 and 19. Tickets can be pur chased at horizonhonorssecondary.org/ news/crucible.

The cast includes Grady Newsum, Brai ley McDaniel, Emily Hoffman, Luke van Amerongen, Abi van Amerongen, Julia Tucker, Liam Perez, Connor Davis, Ruben Briceño, Heather Janzen, Connor Johnson, Wrenn Masing, Emilio Cardinale, Mikah Yardeni, Canon Grant, Kassidy O’Nan, Kennedy O’Nan and Owen Bucich.

Student Director Wrenn Masing’s crew includes Tamsyn Greger, Emeric Gray, Morgan Kleinjans, Max Greco, Molly Stults, Atticus Quintero, Domenica Al berca, Kiera Greger, Tyler Newman, Jesse Igoe, Ian Mayercek, Christine Chamoun, Cavan Ehlert, Emma McEnaney, Emma McEnaney, Dallas Ryan, Emma Foley, Hai ley Thompson, Jamarrion Pruitt and Juni per Newsum. 

Horizon Honors senior Senior Abigail van Amerongen, playing “Abigail Williams,” left, is com forted by sophomores Julia Tucker as “Betty Parris” and Kassidy O’Nan as “Mercy Lewis” in the school’s presentation of “The Crucible.” (David Minton/Staff Photographer)

Ahwatukee Garden launches annual fundraiser

AFN NEWS STAFF

The Ahwatukee Community Garden has begun a month-long annual fun draising campaign.

The campaign runs through noon Dec. 15 and has been the only fundraiser mem bers have had for the garden in the past five years.

During this campaign, all donations are tax deductible and the website SeedMon ey.org does not charge the garden any thing for being its sponsoring nonprofit.

“The Ahwatukee Community Garden has given its participants a place to grow as friends and as gardeners,” organizer said. “People come and go, and some come back after long absences. The most important thing that has grown here has been the community connections”.

It has been difficult to keep the garden growing the past two years with COV ID-19 shutdowns and restrictions.

The small core group that kept things going during the pandemic has aged and

found they need reinforcements if the gar den is to continue to grow and offer edu cational services to the community.

“A new group has come forth to breathe new life and direction into the garden,” or ganizers said. “It is an exciting time to be involved in this project.

In the past 10 years the garden has grown from an empty and barren space in a local park, to an oasis that provides fruit and veg etables for the neighbors, as well as an es cape from suburban Phoenix and the desert.

Here is all that has been accomplished in that decade:

A demonstration garden area with two communal raised beds, each 4’ by 30’ was the initial build in 2012.

Three keyhole gardens based on a de sign for drought areas.

A native plant/ pollinator garden de signed for children.

An urban orchard for fruit trees that are adapted to the region.

An herb spiral.

A contemplative area for people that is

designed for pollinators ie.: hummingbirds, monarch butterflies and other creatures.

Eight Boy Scouts have earned their Ea gle status with projects they have done to improve the garden.

The Community Garden members are currently participating in a multi-year study of the effects of global warming on native bees that is being conducted by Bowling Green University at multiple gar dens across the country.

In the past, they were able to provide: supplemental greens to the local food bank; gardening advice in a column in the free neighborhood paper and at a monthly table at the neighborhood Farmers’ Mar ket; seasonal presentations at our local branch library.

They also provide weekly hands-on work sessions for gardeners of all ages, directed by University of Arizona Master Gardeners and seed exchanges at Iron wood Library.

In addition, they assist in the develop ment of garden projects at the Pecos Se

nior Center, The Garden of Eatin’, a local preschool, and Colina Elementary School.

Five members have completed the Uni versity of Arizona Extension Master Gar dener program and organizers have con ducted garden tours and workshops for children, aged 2-14, and adults as well as provide opportunities for students to earn service hours

“In the past five years, since we have been fundraising with Seed Money, we have been able to erect a shed, redo all the irrigation, and build a screened en closure for one of the large raised garden beds,” they said.

“With this year’s funds, a revitalization will be initiated. Old hoses and tools will be replaced. Garden beds will be renewed with fresh compost, and new beds will be built. Outreach to the community will be invigorated. Children will be back playing in the dirt.

To help, go to: donate.seedmoney. org/7794/ahwatukee-communitygarden, 

Wildhorse Rescue bake sale features EV author, 6

AFN NEWS STAFF

People will have a chance to help a Gilbert horse rescue and meet a local girl who is among the world’s young est female authors at Wildhorse Ranch’s annual bake sale and boutique.

The event will be held 10 p.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 19, at Wildhorse Ranch at 11811 S. Lindsay Road, Gilbert. Overflow parking is five minutes away at the CVS on the northeast corner of Lindsay and E. Warner roads, though handicapped park ing is available at the ranch.

While learning more about Wildhorse’s mission and choosing from what the res cue promises will be “delectable goodies” and the wares of local vendors, people also can meet Kyra Mishra, who at age 6 ½ published a book titled “Kids, Horses and Apples: Come Join My Horsey Fun” earlier this year.

Kyra, who received an appreciation letter from The World Book of Records in Lon don for publishing a book at such a young age, “has been contributing in kind and monetarily towards horse rescue organiza tions; following the book sales on Amazon and during her book signing at Barnes &

Noble,” said her mother, Isha Mishra.

Kyra will have a table at the bake sale, selling autographed copies of her book, with proceeds going to Wildhorse Rescue.

Kyra has been supporting a horse named

Dewey at Wildhorse Rescue. Dewey is a 6-year- old thoroughbred racehorse that won first place at Turf Grand prix and $10,000 in prize winnings but then lost his vision in an accident.

“His owner abandoned him and sold him to an auction house for a kill pen,” Isha said, “but then, Wildhorse rescued him and he is now very healthy and well taken care of.”

She added that her daughter even wrote a poem about Dewey, which attendees at the bake sale can see.

Kyra’s book is based on her experiences as a 4-year-old with a horse named Cow boy, the first one she ever rode.

“He’s a grumpy horse and everybody told me to stay away from him,” Kyra recalled.

But remembering her mother’s advice to trust her instincts, Kyra did trust the horse and the two became fast friends.

“They were good for each other,” Isha said in an interview several months ago. “She would give apples to Cowboy and he started recognizing her and started neigh ing. They just connected.”

Kyra’s primary interest since becom ing a published author is seeing her book raise money for horse rescues.

“I thought that abandoned horse needed help,” Kyra said. “And I wanted to share my story with lots of kids.”

Kyra Mishra of Gilbert is among the world’s youngest published female authors. (AFN file photo)

Sun Valley Church, Kyrene Foundation launch holiday drive for needy families

The Kyrene Foundation has launched an annual drive to help needy families have a traditional Thanksgiving and a mer rier Chirstmas.

The foundation hopes to provide each designated fam ily with a co-branded Foundation and Landings Credit Union visa card for groceries for theTurkey & Trimmings and Winter Wonderland efforts as well cards for gifts for each of the kids for Winter Wonderland.

In addition, organizers are sorting through toys collected from the previous live event and will be distributing those as well at Winter Wonderland.

“We anticipate the need to be much larger this year,” foun dation member Rick Richardson said.

People are asked to consider cash donations only as orga nizers are not collecting gift cards or items.

The foundation said its 2021 donation drive “was a great success due to a tremendous outpouring of generosity from our community and partners. The Kyrene Foundation, Sun Val ley Church and the Kyrene District were able to ensure over 200 families and 700 children did not go without the simple joys of the holiday season.”

To donate, go to kyrenefoundation.org.

Armer Foundation launches toy drive for banner, sets blood donor event

The Armer Foundation for Kids – an Ahwatukee-based non-profit that helps families with children who have extreme medical needs – is hosting its fourth annual holiday toy drive to benefit the Banner Cardon pediatric intensive care and on cology units.

KYRA from page 30

The book has been getting kudos, with mostly five-star ratings on Amazon.

“What an excellent book. Bless this girl for writing it,” one customer noted and another wrote, “It’s an educational and inspiring book for children, espe cially for those children and parents who love animals.”

Another wrote, “Amazing book for young children. Inspiring, educative and fun! My 8-year-old enjoyed reading this book. Excellent book with a great story.”

The title for the youngest to publish a book belongs to a British girl, who was 5 years and 211 days old, according to Guin ness World Records. The youngest boy to achieve that distinction was 4 years and 356 days old.

Kyra put pen to paper in 2021 as a kin dergartener and wrote the book in bits and pieces, taking one to two weeks to accomplish her task. She’s dedicated the book to sister, Amaira, who’s soon turning 4 months old.

The book is available in paperback and on Kindle on amazon.com and is available at Barnes & Noble. 

AROUND AHWATUKEE

It also has scheduled a blood drive 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Dec. 10 at 9830 S. 51st St., Ahwatukee.

The foundation is looking for Valley business that would host a donation bin and serve as a drop-off location for the unopened toys to bring smiles and hope to children battling for their lives.

“A brand-new toy can mean the world to a sick child and as parents who have been through this we know what a differ ence just one toy can make in a child’s life when they spend several weeks in hospital,” said Jennifer Armer, the founda tion’s founder.

The foundation also is hoping for toy donations.

“It can be as big of a toy or as small as you can afford, but every little bit helps us give back to these children and their families. We just thank everyone for helping us spread some holiday cheer once again this year,” said Armer.

To sign up for a donation box, go toarmerfoundation.org or call 480.257.3254.

Other items the Armer Foundation will be collecting in clude: baby dolls, blankets, comfy socks, crayons, pajama pants, hair brush/comb, hair ties, coloring books, kids’ games and books, puzzles and stuffed animals.

Information: armerfoundation.org/toydrive.

Ahwatukee women’s organization slates brunch speaker

Ahwatukee Foothills Friends and Neighbors will be hosting a brunch at Sivlik Grill from 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Nov. 28 with Carol Sampson, an AFFAN member, talking about her book “Horse Wrangler Shenanigans.” It is her story of becoming a wrangler at the Pointe Resort in 2003.

Contact affanwomensgroup@gmail.com for more details

and to register. The cost is $22 and a prepaid reservation must be received by Nov. 19.

AFFAN is a local women’s club serving Ahwatukee since 2001, offering members opportunities for dining, card games. gardening, books, exploring Arizona day trips, etc. Information: affanwomensgroup.org/public.

Ahwatukee Women’s Social Club plans evening bash at Wild Horse Pass

The Ahwatukee Women’s Social Club, open to women 16 and up has scheduled Putting on the Ritz 6:30-10 p.m. Dec. 7 at Wild Horse Pass’ Palo Verde Ballroom, 5040 Wild Horse Pass Blvd.

Women ages 16 and up are invited to “get dolled up” and meet other women from Ahwatukee to celebrate a hear of socializing.

The $100 tickets include hors d’oeuvres, entertainment, din ner buffet, raffles and dancing. Cocktail attire is optional and there will be a cash bar. Tickets are available at sendomatic. com/AWSCRITZ.

Desert Vista Yoga alumni and community event slated Nov. 24 at the high school

The Desert Vista Yoga Program and yoga teacher train ing track has been growing since 2011. Amanda Goe, a Desert Vista teacher and the program’s founder and teacher, recently added to her existing training and education with a master’s degree in yoga studies from Loyola Marymount University and a Chopra Center Meditation Teacher Certificate.

Goe will be offering a complimentary yoga class on Desert Vista’s football field 10:30-11:30 a.m. Nov. 24 for DV alumni, friends, and family. Desert Vista Yoga wants to continue to

contribute to building a healthy community with this first an nual “eternal gratitude flow,” she said. Bring a yoga mat or large towel and water.

For information, reach Goe on Instagram @eternal healthandwellnessllc or stop by Forever Yoga at Rural and El liot roads. The new studio was opened by a gastroenterologist and physician assistant to offer wellness classes to the com munity. They are currently running a special for two weeks of unlimited classes for $25. Goe teaches flow classes Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays 5:30-6:30 p.m. and the studio of fers chair yoga, yin yoga, restorative yoga by candlelight, and sound healing meditations. Information: foreveryoga.studio.

Ironwood Library offers free activities for people of all ages

Ironwood Library, 4333 E Chandler Blvd., Ahwatukee, pres ents a variety of programs for children, teens and adults. Un less otherwise noted, free tickets are required and available 30 minutes before programs’ start times at the library’s informa tion desk.

For more information: phoenixpubliclibrary.org.

Babytimes

Babies ages birth to 23 months, accompanied by a favorite adult, will enjoy songs, rhymes, books, and interactive fun. Tuesdays, 10:30-11:10 a.m. Space is limited to 12 families. There is no Babytime Nov. 29.

Toddlertimes

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

ties who have a desire to make friends, explore their commu nity, and read (regardless of current reading ability).

This weekly gathering is free and occurs every Wednesday, from 3-4 p.m. Registration required in the library or online in the calendar section of the library’s website. 

Tutor Doctor here helps students of all ages

BY COTY DOLORES MIRANDA AFN Contributor

Need or want help with a dif ficult subject, whether in elementary school, middle school, high school, university and college courses, or even as an adult?

Tutor Doctor is ready to help.

Former Ahwatukee resident Kimberly Selchan is the owner/ education consultant of two Tutor Doctor franchises in Chandler-Gil bert and Phoenix-Scottsdale.

Ahwatukee resident Charmé Smith, who retired after more than three decades teaching el ementary through college level, is the other Tutor Doctor education consultant locally.

Selchan, who moved to Gilbert

in 2019 when she opened the Chandler-Gilbert franchise, is pas sionate about the possibilities Tu tor Doctor offers local families and adults utilizing uniquely-vetted tutors for each individual student.

She explained that Tutor Doc tor offers a unique focus on each prospective student, not merely on the subject in which they need tutoring.

“Where some tutoring provid ers tend to focus on a single sub ject, at Tutor Doctor we believe in a multi-tiered approach toward a student’s educational journey,” ex plained Selchan, who comes from a corporate leadership and staff development background.

“We believe executive function ing skills such as time management and organization are just as impor

tant as core academics.”

Remarks from parents, posted on social media, agree.

Commenters praise how Tu tor Doctor helped improve their child’s study habits, test-taking skills and confidence as well as making strides in the subject at hand.

“It is our mission to help kids

Tutor Doctor Kianna Vasavilbaso gives Ahwatukee fifth grader Axel Lodge a little help with his studies and the youngster’s mother is ec static about her skills. Tutors with Tutor Doctor meet students in their home, at a public space like Ironwood Library or even online. (Amy Sexton/AFN Contributor)

‘Plant Lady’ helps people grow a green thumb

BY JOSH ORTEGA AFN Staff Writer

Noelle Johnson didn’t set out to do any of this but the fruits of her la bor have really paid off.

Over the last 20 years, the Chandler woman has watched Noelle Johnson Land scape Consulting blossom. With her first book set to hit store shelves early next year, Johnson said it all started with her own gardening faux pas.

“In fact, all the plants I added when I had my first garden – they all died,” Johnson said. “And so that’s what kind of inspired me to go back to school.”

Johnson said that inspired her to go back to school and earn her bachelor’s degree in horticulture from Arizona State University in 1998.

Starting her career in January 1999 as a horticulturist, Johnson said her first jobs at Eagle Mountain Golf Club and Rio Verde Country Club became like “a playground

to learn.”

Though she worked on everything but the grass, Johnson said residents still ad

mired her work and asked for her help with their own gardens.

“I didn’t set out to do this,” Johnson said.

“I was just hired because of people know ing the work I did around the golf course.”

After losing her job as a horticulturist in the Great Recession, Johnson started a blog in 2009 because “that’s what every body was doing.”

“I saw a need for showing people how to garden the right way in the desert,” she explained. “Because we’re different from all other parts of the country.”

Johnson said her interest in landscape consulting came from the amount of mis information and gardening advice out there that doesn’t apply to Arizona’s cli mate.

“There’s a lot of misleading information out there,” Johnson said. “And the typical gardening rules that apply to other parts of the country don’t really apply here.”

Over the last 36 years of living in the desert, Johnson said she has come across many misconceptions about growing a

Noelle Johnson’s first garden died, and that put her on a path that led to her becoming known as AZ Plant Lady. (Special to AFN)

transition to become successful adults,” emphasized Selchan, the mother of a son and daughter, 13 and 12, respectively.

“Over the past five years I’ve heard the guilt and concern in many parents’ voices when we speak about their kids’ reduced confidence and academic chal lenges,” she said.

“I think it’s really valuable to under stand that even the brightest and most caring parent isn’t always available or equipped to help their children with aca demics, and many kids simply respond better to a neutral party.”

“Our tutor only has the student’s best in terest at heart - no grades, no grounding; and we see even high-anxiety and unmoti vated kids drop their insecurities because they know they’re safe to try without judgment.

“When new tutors join our team, I tell them directly that they are mentors and advocates for their students, not just a subject tutor,” said Selchan, who gradu ated from Ohio State University with a BS degree in microbiology before entering the corporate world.

Tudor Doctor, with more than 700 fran chises in 16 countries, emphasizes the personalized approach to learning.

Selchan’s two franchises focus on ensur ing the student and tutor match not only in the subject they’ve selected, but taking into consideration a plethora of other in terests and attributes they may share.

As an educational consultant, Smith believes the time invested to get to know the student in advance of select ing a tutor presages greater success for them both.

“In addition to the academic needs, we really try to match the students with tu tors that will be a good fit in other areas,

too. Just as there are different types of stu dents, there are different types of tutors,” Smith said.

“From those students that would ben efit from a very nurturing tutor due to their personality or life circumstances, to those needing a more hands-on ap proach to learning, to students needing lots of structure and help with organi zation or other executive functioning skills, our tutors provide what they need,” explained Smith, who holds a masters in education from Ohio’s Xavier University.

“We make sure our tutors have the skill set, of course, but also the ability to relate well to the student population they’d be working with,” she said.

“Connecting with the student is key for a positive experience and sets the stage for maximizing learning, and fortunately, we have over 70 tutors in the valley for all grades and most every subject, including SAT/ACT/GED Test prep.”

Ahwatukee resident Kaleigh Lodge has found Tutor Doctor helpful for her 10-year-old son Axel Lodge, a fifth-grade student at St. John Bosco Catholic School who has an autism diagnosis.

“His teachers have done a great job adapting his education, but suggested we get him a tutor to give him a little extra help outside of school,” she said.

I’m a big researcher and Tutor Doctor seemed like a good fit for him. I reached out to them and Kimberly made the whole process so easy. Within a week or so, she went through our son’s needs and matched us with Kianna,” she said speak ing of Kianna Vasavilbaso.

“Kianna has been an amazing tutor. When she helps him with homework, she comes up with multiple strategies in order to help him process what is being asked and expected of him. Our main goal is

reading comprehension, and she doesn’t just have him read the words, she breaks down each word he’s reading and their meaning.”

Lodge said Axel was more confident asking for help since he started the tutor ing; a twice-a-week, one hour to 90 min ute session.

“We like the flexibility of having longer sessions if he’s feeling more engaged, or ending at one hour if he is feeling burnt out from all the other activities he has go ing on that day,” she said.

“Axel also plays hockey at the Ice Den Chandler(cq) and takes piano lessons at Music Makers. Tutor Doctor has been great in working with our busy schedule,” Lodge continued, adding:

“I can’t recommend Tutor Doctor enough, especially to those parents who have children with special needs because I know how hard it is to find someone with the skills set to help your child. They do a great job at helping children learn with their unique needs.”

DanYelle Sedlak of Ahwatukee said her high school-aged daughter has improved in math with her Tutor Doctor.

“We first contacted Tutor Doctor ap proximately a year ago when we noticed she was struggling in high school math,” she said.

“To be honest, I was a little skeptical to hire an in-home tutor at first,” Sedlak con tinued. “However, I was pleasantly sur prised to realize that Tutor Doctor goes to great lengths to align you with the best help possible for your child.

“Kimberly Selchan spent so much time on the phone with me in order to understand my child’s personality and her weaknesses. It seemed important to her to match my daughter with the per fect tutor.

“When one tutor didn’t work out, they

tried very hard to look for the right one. That’s when we found Alexis Alonso. She has been so helpful, patient, and encour aging with my daughter. My daughter no longer complains when it’s time to do her homework. This has been a great invest ment for many reasons.”

Selchan said time spent helping parents and their children is a calling she feels deeply, and is empathetic to their needs.

“When our children struggle in school, it can be heartbreaking to watch,” she said. “Academic struggles can cause a down ward spiral to a lack of confidence, then loss of motivation and apathy.”

She said over a quarter of Tutor Doctor’s students have a 504 plan (formal plans schools develop to give kids with disabili ties the support they need) or Individual Education Plan (iep).

Those students “struggle to learn at the pace and in the methodologies of the classroom,” Selchan said.

Whenever possible, Tutor Doctor works with the child’s school.

“We always attempt to collaborate with the teacher or leverage online school tech nology to align our instruction with the standards and curriculum of the school,” said Selchan. “Rather than guessing how a child learns, they offer a cognitive assess ment to create customized learning plans for our students.”

Selchan has partnered with Arizona Friends of Foster and other foster agen cies to fulfill the mission of transitioning youth to adulthood. Approximately one third of Tutor Doctor regions’ students are in foster care.

Homeschool tutoring, ASVAB and GED preparation are also available, as is Sum mer Learning.

For more information see TutorDoctor.comChandler/Gilbert . 

beautiful garden in the desert.

One of those fallacies is that the dry landscape means there is a lack of beauti ful flora to build out a desert garden.

“There’s a lot more variety in the types of plants available to us that will thrive in our hot, dry climate,” Johnson said.

Before the City of Mesa enacted the Stage One Water Shortage awareness in May, Johnson said she had already seen a dramatic shift in many people’s efforts to reduce their water usage.

Along with not wasting time and money, Johnson said drought-tolerant plants also don’t waste on looks.

“There is this myth that landscape lower water-use plants are ugly,” Johnson said. “Nothing could be further from the truth.”

Johnson said one of the best resources to find gorgeous low water-use plants are local plant nurseries.

Like most of her gardening advice, John son said she looks to dispel some other common misconceptions, including that what may work in other parts of the coun try may not work here in Arizona.

“If you read a plant label and it says full sun, it doesn’t mean it can handle full sun

in the desert necessarily,” Johnson said.

For that reason, Johnson said every fall brings an onslaught for her consulting business because cooler temperatures help create ripe conditions for gardening.

“But that way it gives plants three full seasons in which to establish a good root system so that it can handle the heat and stress of the coming summer,” Johnson said.

In 2019, Johnson said she saw such an increase in customers, she decided to start an online class, called “Desert Gardening 101,” on her website.

In the three years since starting the class, Johnson said she’s had nearly 1,000 people go through the course.

Her biggest tool since starting has come from social media, where she’s known as “AZ Plant Lady.”

Johnson said she constantly posts on her website and social media because she enjoys showing people what’s possible for people to grow in the desert landscape they live in.

“It’s so fun to dispel the myth that the only thing that you can have in a desert garden is cactus and rocks,” Johnson said. “It’s so rewarding to show people, and very easy to do with pictures.”

Along with her other outreach efforts across the East Valley including for the City of Mesa, Johnson said there’s a heap of resources for people interested in des ert landscape for their own yards.

That includes her book “Dry Climate Gardening: Growing beautiful, sustain able gardens in low-water conditions” debuts on February 7, 2023 on Amazon, but is currently available for pre-order for $28.99.

Information: azplantlady.com, am wua.org/plants. 

Neuropathy Is Often Misdiagnosed

Muscle cramping, difficulty walk ing, burning, tingling, numbness, and pain in the legs or feet are symptoms of neuropathy people live with every day,” explains Dr. Kerry Zang, podi atric medical director of CIC Foot & Ankle. “The thing is PAD has very sim ilar symptoms. So similar that in many cases, people are told it’s neuropathy when it may not be.”

Medicine is often prescribed. “Pills aren’t a cure, they just suppress the symptoms,” says Zang. “If neuropathy

isn’t causing the symptoms, the real problem could get worse.”

It’s important to determine if PAD (pe ripheral artery disease) is causing the pain or making it worse. PAD is plaque in the arteries which causes poor circulation. “Blood brings oxygen and nutrients to your feet which they need to stay healthy,” explains Zang, “When your feet aren’t get ting an adequate supply, they start send ing signals.” Those signals include pain, burning, tingling, numbness, or cramping.

The good news is PAD is treatable in

an office setting. Dr. Joel Rainwater, MD endovascular specialist explains, “We go into the bloodstream to find the blockage using imaging guidance. Then with small tools that can go into the smallest arteries, remove the blockage, and restore blood flow.”

Getting the proper diagnosis is the first step to getting better. “It’s all about find ing out what’s causing the problem,” says Zang. “When your feet burn, tingle, or feel numb, it’s your body telling you it needs help, and you should listen.”

If your neuropathy medication is not working, your symptoms may be an indication of another condition.

Stiff Joints Interfere with Everyday Living

One in 40 people over the age of 50 may find themselves limiting their activi ty because of a condition called hallux rigidus. It’s a degenerative disease of the big toe joint. As it progresses, the pain in the joint increases and motion decreases.

pain prevent you from doing your favorite activity?

Do you have burning or tingling in your legs or feet?

Do you have leg or foot cramps with activity or at rest?

“People don’t realize the impact their big toe has on their life. It plays a role in balance, shock absorption, and forward movement as you walk,” explains Dr. Daniel Schulman, of CiC Foot & Ankle. “When the joint is stiff, it’s not able to bend and rotate properly, and it changes how we walk without us even realizing it.” These changes can lead to back or knee pain as well as discomfort in other parts of the foot.

“It always concerns me to hear that someone is playing less golf or stay ing home because they’re in pain,” says Schulman. “There are ways to help.”

The goal is to protect your feet from the repetitive stress of everyday activities. “We have several treatment options to not only relieve foot pain but help im prove how your feet work. If we can help your feet function better, in many cases the need for surgery can be avoided or at the very least postponed,” says Schul man. “Patients are always happy to learn about ways to alleviate their symptoms.”

For golfers, a stiff big toe can make their game suffer.

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

Addressing medical debt during open enrollment

BY DONNA M. CHRISTENSEN AFN Guest Writer

e are in the midst of a national cri sis affecting the lives of more than 100 mil lion Americans, including many Arizonans.

This is the crisis of medical debt in America, and it’s crushing millions of hardworking families.

With open enrollment now going on, Consumers for Quality Care (CQC) is shar ing information that Arizonans can use to help keep their out-of-pocket health care costs low and avoid medical debt.

The key tips are to avoid tricky health insurance plans and policies, to ask good questions about charity care options, and to know your rights if you ever get stuck with a surprise medical bill.

Choosing the right health insurance has

a huge impact on Americans’ finances. When choosing insurance for you and your family, it’s important to watch out for Short-Term Limited Duration Insurance plans, or STLDI plans.

WThese so-called “junk plans” are insur ance in name only, and are exempt from many of the consumer protections found in the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

Although they may have lower monthly premium payments, STLDI plans often exclude pre-existing conditions, have dollar value limits on covered services, and aren’t required to cover preventative medical services at all.

In fact, for every $1 you pay in premi ums, STLDI plans often spend less than 10 cents on your health care – and out-ofpocket expenses can pile up quickly under these plans.

The rise of health insurance plans with high deductibles, high copays and high coinsurance (the percentage of costs of a

covered service you pay even after you’ve met your deductible) mean that insured Arizonans seeking care are often left with large bills they are unable to pay.

In addition to looking out for tricky insurance plans, you should also ask good questions about what your options are if you receive treatment at a nonprof it hospital.

The truth is, while nonprofit hospitals are meant to provide more affordable care to the public in return for big tax breaks, the executives at nonprofit hospitals often focus on making big bucks instead.

For example, IRS rules require nonprofit hospitals to provide financial assistance to patients who qualify, but fewer than half of these hospitals informed patients that they may qualify for charity care. Worse, 45% of nonprofit hospitals regularly send bills to patients who qualify for charity care.

To protect yourself, ask about your op tions if you are treated at a nonprofit hos

A law enforcement view of vaping bans

BY JUSTIN HARRIS AFN Guest Writer

O

Politicians are on a crusade to ban all to bacco products in hopes of protecting our children. Pursuing smart tobacco harm reduction strategies can achieve Arizona’s public health goals without bringing more crime to our streets.

From menthol bans to flavor bans to va por bans, there’s no shortage of state pro posals that do nothing but grab headlines for ambitious politicos.

While smoking and vaping rates among young people are declining, these policy ideas continue popping up on legislative agendas. Arizona’s leaders should recog nize there’s a better approach to reduce

smoking rates without triggering danger ous consequences.

ver the past several years, there’s been a flood of bad public health policy proposals pushed with good intentions without understanding the public safety disasters they would create.An outright ban on tobacco doesn’t pre vent use or improve public health. It shifts the transaction from law-abiding retailers to criminals in the black market.

We’ve heard enough stories of Al Capone trafficking hooch through Chicago speak easies to know that prohibition doesn’t work. Enlightened public health visionar ies look to tobacco harm reduction to en courage smokers to try less harmful alter natives if they aren’t ready to quit.

I’ve worked on the front lines of law en forcement for years and know cigarettes are a lucrative commodity traded by petty criminals and organized crime.

The illicit market for tobacco products is a multi-billion-dollar criminal enterprise. Trafficking in tobacco across the border and between states is attractive because the penalties are less than drugs, and the money is just as good.

In 2018, San Francisco banned men thol cigarettes, and evidence of violence began immediately. Within six months, armed robberies of smoke shops and con venience stores in nearby Fresno surged, reinforcing dangers posed to small busi nesses after a ban is passed.

Retailers and convenience stores that sell flavored tobacco products are already hurting financially from the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.

If Arizona’s elected officials deprive these store owners of a popular legal product preferred by adults, their busi nesses will become a target for criminal activity, putting not only their livelihoods but also their lives in danger.

Proposing a public health policy that doesn’t reduce demand, drives illicit ac tivity, and hurts small businesses is a for mula for disaster.

That’s what makes tobacco harm re duction such an elegant solution. There

pital. If you feel that you’ve been unfairly and unlawfully denied charity care, file a complaint with the Arizona Department of Health Services.

Finally, you need to know your rights if you ever receive a surprise bill from your medical provider. A law called the No Sur prises Act went into effect earlier this year to help stop the unfair surprise billing practices that have put millions of Ameri cans in debt.

Unfortunately, about one in five Ameri cans reported receiving a surprise medi cal bill since the law took effect.

are hundreds of thousands of smokers in Arizona.

If we shifted them away from smoking cigarettes toward a less risky alternative that delivers nicotine without the same harmful chemicals as burning tobacco, doesn’t that make sense?

Policies that educate smokers on these facts and support the migration from ciga rettes to reduced harm options are the best strategy for our community.

Tobacco bans will divert police resourc es and attention away from their duties. We should be sensitive to repercussions that impact police officers’ role to protect citizens.

Public safety and law enforcement are essential components of public health. Our elected officials should learn from the mistakes of lawmakers in areas like San Francisco. While their intent to curb teen

@AhwatukeeFN | @AhwatukeeFN

Violent video games and kids’ mental health

BY MICHAEL KLINKNER AFN Guest Writer

ith generation after generation of new and more realistic violent video games coming to the mar ket, many parents wonder about the ef fects these games have on their kids.

While violent video games are nothing new, experts are just now getting a clear er picture of the potential consequences they can have on a teen’s wellbeing and mental health.

Video games, like most forms of enter tainment, carry age restrictions based on the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) and include categories like Teen, Mature (17+) and Adult Only.

But it is incredibly difficult for the video game industry to reasonably regulate who has access to their games.

The first line of defense as always is pa rental involvement. Parents are the best safeguard against teens being exposed to images they are not yet mature enough

to see.

This is incredibly important because there is increasing awareness that games can interfere with social functioning and cause interpersonal issues.

WWhile there has been a lot of research on the effects of games on teens, the results have been mixed.

However, recent research has tended to find a link between heavily violent video game exposure and decreased practice of empathy, immature moral reasoning skills and moral disengagement.

Experts also found that violent video games can lead to negative behaviors, such as pathological lying, manipulative behav ior, lack of impulse control, irresponsibil ity and immediate reward seeking.

Here are a few ways a parent can safe guard against potential negative impacts of violent video games:

Know the ratings of the games your teen is playing. Parents need to be aware of the ESRB rating system to ensure their child is not playing games intended for adults.

Adhering to these guidelines can offer

some protection against kids engaging with inappropriate games.

Put restrictions in place. Instill guide lines about gaming times to ensure your teen is getting enough sleep. On line gaming with players from different time zones can impact the hours your teen is keeping.

Plus, most games are designed to be ad dicting, so it is important to consistently enforce your family’s limitations.

Monitor their mental health. Keep an eye out for any signs of deteriorating men tal health or an increase in aggressive or violent behavior.

Some of the danger signs of declining mental health might include loss of inter est in favorite pastimes, excessive sleep or lack of sleep, sudden decline in academic performance, social isolation, sudden weight change, self-harming behaviors

CHRISTENSEN from page 37

It’s no secret we need major reforms in our health care system, reforms that stop hospitals and insurance companies from viewing sick people and their families as sources of profit and nothing more.

Until then, CQC will work hard to make sure Arizonans are in the know by sharing the information they need to make sound health decisions.

Donna M. Christensen is a member of the Consumers for Quality Care board. She retired in 2015 from the U.S. House of Representatives, where she served nine terms. She is the first female physician to serve as a member in the history of the U.S. Congress.

and mood swings.

You may also observe aggressive or vio lent behaviors, trouble at school, bullying or lack of compassion toward others.

Navigating your teen’s video game use can be a daunting task. At the end of the day, if you are staying on top of the ratings and the types of games your teen is play ing, along with having reasonable time limits and monitoring their mental health, you are doing a great job.

If your teen is showing the above symp toms, it might be time to reach out to a professional for help.

Michael Klinkner is a licensed clinical social worker who provides individual, group and family therapy to children, adolescents and adults in Central Phoe nix and Gilbert. Information: facebook. com/michaelklinknercounseling. 

VAPE from page 37

vaping is admirable, going beyond that goal to ban products created serious un intended consequences.

The intent of a flavored tobacco ban is noble, but it’s not the way to discourage cigarette and tobacco use, and the Cen ters for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) agrees.

According to the CDC, existing measures to promote smoking cessation have driv en smoking among adults to an all-time low. Our policymakers must build on this success, not squander it.

If my time in law enforcement taught me anything, it’s that smart public health policy must include public safety. To bacco harm reduction balances public health with public safety for the future of Arizona.

Justin Harris is a board member of the Border Security Alliance and president of the Arizona Police Association. 

Sports & Recreation

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Pride close regular season with win, prepare for playoffs

BY LANCE HARTZLER AFN Contributing Writer

Aseason ago, the Mountain Pointe Pride made a return to the post season. A needed step for a pro gram looking to rekindle the dominance it held over its conference for the better part of a decade in the 2010s.

That magic went dormant for a spell, then last season’s postseason appearance – a 45-0 first-round exit to Highland – was the baby step. The entrance, if you will.

Now, in Eric Lauer’s second season at the helm of a program he saw win after win as an assistant, the program has some momentum into its 6A postseason this time around.

The Pride closed the regular season with four straight wins, the last coming Thursday night on the road at rival Cesar Chavez in a fashion that seemed almost unbelievable for much of the first half. The

Pride won a tight contest, 49-46, fending off a furious rally by the hosts.

Lauer called the momentum a light jog,

compared to where the team was at this time last season at 4-7 compared to the 7-3 overall record – No. 16 in the 6A en

tering Thursday, with room to go up as the postseason picture becomes clearer – the Pride sport in 2022.

“We are trying to get it back to balance a little bit,” Lauer said of the direction of the program. “So, that’s what we are working towards and the guys are working hard towards that. The team last year got us in the playoffs knocking on the door. Now, I think we are in a light jog into the playoffs and that feels good.”

“… Just trying to bring some pride back to the Pride. One family.”

The jog has been building over the past four games and might resemble more of a steady run one would see in a marathon or a mid-distance sprint. It has been more of a steady build up if you will.

It started even before the run of four wins in a row began. The Pride rattled off two in a row after a now-surprising loss

Thunder cap off season with win over Desert Ridge

BY ANDREW LWOWSKI AFN Contributing Writer

It was a season-long battle for Desert Vista to find an identity and put togeth er a complete game, but it happened at the right time. The Thunder gave their se niors the proper send off with a 27-0 vic tory over the Desert Ridge Jaguars.

Junior quarterback Braxton Thomas led the Thunder offense, aided by mobility and precision down the field, finding three different receivers for scores of 27, 39-and 71-yards. Two of Thomas’ three scores were nearly identical, scrambling left out of the pocket while delivering to the left side of the end zone while on the move.

“I don’t man, it just works,” Thomas said with a grin about the similarity. “The line held up well and I just made the play, and the receiver made the play, and it just works.”

Thomas finished 13-18 with 274 yards and three scores with 32 rush yards.

Senior receiver Jackson Sanders, who was not on the roster last year and decid ed to give football a try, led the Thunder

with 95 yards and a score.

While the offense maintained rhythm, senior linebacker Antonio Delgado led the defensive side of the ball, holding the Jag uars scoreless.

“There’s nothing better for a defense than a goose egg,” Delgado said. “We had a few bad spots but we came together and we played as a unit. That’s what we were striving for all year.”

Desert Vista entered the 2022 season under its third new coach in three years and it was a turbulent year of the Thun der attempting to put things together. Some games the offense showed explo sive potential, while others it was the de fense that played lights out. Coach Nate Gill said this season was all about him and his staff learning his roster while his roster adjusts as well.

After a disappointing season with a 2-8

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Mountain Pointe’s offense came alive in the final game of the regular season, beating Cesar Chavez to cap off a four-game win streak heading into the postseason. (Lance Hartzler/Contributor)

Desert Vista senior linebacker Antonio Delgado, a three-year varsity starter, wrapped up his high school career by helping the Thunder defense shut out Desert Ridge in the final game of the regular season last Thursday night. (Andrew Lwowski/Contributor)

to Chaparral, which finished the season 3-7, at home by double digits. Lauer noted a week ago he takes the onus for the loss, and since the Pride have resembled the team, their talent can truly be.

“We know who we are,” Pride running back Jay’Len Rushing said. “We know our offense and are implementing different things that we do each week. We are just playing well, and it keeps getting better and there hasn’t been a game where we haven’t gotten better. … Our confidence is high. We are making better and smarter plays because we are confident.”

Mountain Pointe responded from the Chaparral loss with double digit wins over Campo Verde and Desert Vista in the Ah watukee Bowl, then took Open Division hopeful Corona del Sol to the wire in a 3528 road loss, only to end the season win ners of four straight in response with two games decided by one-possession margins.

Thursday night was one of those close games, even if it looked more like a blow out in the first half.

The Pride led 35-14 by halftime, were in complete control of the game with three first-half interceptions and the offense was led by Chris Arviso’s three scores

(two passing TDs to Matty Braun and a run) and Christian Clark with two touch down runs.

Defensively, the Pride made clutch stops with the three interceptions by Jhalyin Palmer, Izaac Patterson – which each led to Pride scoring drives – and Joseph Wash ington at the halftime buzzer.

But Chavez fought back and scored in a hurry in the third quarter. The hosts out

scored the Pride 24-7 in the third with three TDs and one field goal while taking advantage of a number of penalties and self-inflicted mistakes by the Pride.

A touchdown run by Randle Parker from 29 out looked like the dagger, but Chavez marched downfield and scored with two minutes on the clock and cut it to a field goal. The Pride did enough to run down the clock, converting on a QB

sneak from around midfield, as victory formations ensued.

“We finished,” Lauer said of the way his team rebounded from the Chavez rally. “We stubbed our toe in the second half. We also knew, and I told them, they aren’t going to go away. It’s Senior Night, they want to en sure a playoff (spot) and they don’t give up. … We will take the win, finish 7-3 for the first time in a while and see if we can go undefeated every week going forward.”

While there is an air of confidence around the program – which can be ar gued is rightful as the program turns back into the right direction – the team has selfreflection. They keep things in perspective that they are still building and, at the end of the day, haven’t had postseason success yet but are eying just that.

“We just gotta remember we can be con fident, but don’t be the team we had last year where we were cool with winning just a few games,” Rushing, who had a 50-yard score after battling the flu all week, said.

The Pride are at the fun part now, pre paring for playoffs. The final rankings, re vealed Saturday, had Mountain Pointe as the No. 8 seed in the 6A Conference.

The Pride will host Mountain Ridge Friday as their quest for the gold ball be gins.

record and no postseason bid, Gill said this is the start of his program turning the corner.

“This place has a ton of rich tradition, but at this time we got to turn the hurdles that we need to overcome,” Gill said. “I learned a lot about my kids – a lot about my seniors that are leaving this place bet ter than they found it. Obviously, we have a sour taste in our mouth, but we’ll use it to go to work from here.”

Delgado, one of the leaders of not just the defense, but the entire team, expressed his gratitude for his time at Desert Vista and the lessons he learned over the course of the season.

“I’m happy that we ended with a good relationship as a team – a brotherhood,” he said. “That’s what it’s about. Ending with the win is great because that’s what you’re going to remember. We didn’t have a good

record, but we ended with the win and ended playing as a team and as a family.”

Delgado

those who will come after him, adding that it’s about “setting up the youth” and helping to develop culture.

Part of that culture has been established by Gill. Thomas, Delgado and Sanders ac knowledged that it was mindset and per severance that Gill has preached that will help guide not only the Desert Vista foot ball program, but the young men that pass through it.

Sanders said that Gill told them he wants to know them for the 40 years, not just the four of high school, and you can do anything that you set your mind to.

“It’s what you’re made of,” Delgado said. “Hot water boils the egg and makes it hard while you can boil a potato and make it soft. It depends what you’re made of.”

Gill and the Thunder football program gained something that the record won’t show, and that is the foundation of broth erhood, grit and leadership that will mount into success. 

Mountain Pointe coach Eric Lauer said his team is trending in the right direction having won its last four games. Now, the Pride prepare for the playoffs, where they will likely host a home playoff game for the first time since 2019 on Friday. (Lance Hartzler/Contributor)

made sure his time spent with his team left a positive impression for

Junior running back Isaac Acedo runs the ball against Desert Ridge on Thursday, Nov. 10, 2022 at Thunder Stadium in Ahwatukee. Desert Vista capped off the season with a 27-0 win over the Jaguars. (Andrew Lwowski/Contributor)

www.ahwatukee.com

3 Chandler artists in annual ‘Hills tour’ this month

BY GETOUT STAFF

Three Chandler artists will exhibit their work in the Sonoran Arts League’s Hidden in the Hills Studio Tour this month.

The popular exhibit runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 18-20 and Nov. 25-27.

Sandy Ashbaugh, founder of Ocotillo Artists Group in Chandler, and fellow members Carol McDonald and Phil Web ster are participating artists in the 26th annual event.

This year over 170 artists will be showing and selling their artwork in 47 studios in the Scottsdale, Carefree and Cave Creek area.

It’s the first time Ashbaugh and Webster are taking part, and McDonald’s second.

Ashbaugh will be in Pat’s Glass Stu dio #20, 26420 N. 82nd St., Scottsdale; Webster joins J. Bruce Studio #4, 7162 E. Stevens Road, Cave Creek; and McDonald returns to Hummingbird Haven Studio #8, 8601 E. Carefree Drive, Carefree.

“Ashbaugh uses traditional hand build ing methods of slab construction and graffito when working in clay, and hand crafts ceramic saké sets, functional and statement wall pieces in bold colors with

a modern twist,” said Chandler authorartist Laurie Fagen.

A classically trained violinist, Ashbaugh obtained her fine arts degree from Florida Atlantic University and has been working in clay for more than 30 years.

She draws inspiration from architectur al and interior design elements, like those from the Bauhaus movement, Frank Lloyd Wright and Frank Gehry.

“My music background also resonates throughout my work,” she added. “It im parts a lyrical quality that speaks of beauty and harmony with classical proportions.”

Ashbaugh also displays her work at The Finer Arts Gallery in Cave Creek.

Info: sandyashbaugh.com

Fagen calls Webster “a self-taught artist fulfilling a lifelong love affair with geomet ric form.”

“His creations lie at the intersections of mathematical patterns and shapes, his torical design traditions, sacred geometry and modern technology,” she said, adding:

“He takes ancient geometric traditions – particularly, in recent years, Islamic geometric patterns – and combines them with modern mathematical concepts like fractals and polyhedra to create unique, contemporary art and sculptural décor in a variety of mediums including pencil, pen, ink and watercolor; laser-cut wood, paper and acrylic; and digital prints on paper, canvas, and metal.

“My goal is to create works that capture the essence of these traditions but with a modern twist, and to bring meditative order, beauty and peace into people’s pri vate spaces,” said Webster, who lives in Liv Avenida.

He showed an early flair for math, sci ence and music, and studied mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technol ogy, graduating with a degree in brain and cognitive science with a minor in music.

He also did graduate work in jazz com

Zac Brown Band wraps up tour at Chase Field

BY JORDAN ROGERS GetOut Staff

One of the most successful tour ing acts of the last decade, the Zac Brown Band is making the last on its “Out in The Middle Tour” at Chase Field on Saturday, Nov. 19.

Coy Bowles, who plays guitar and keys for the decorated country band, said the tour “has been going really, really well.”

“It’s pretty cathartic and there has been a lot going on in the world so not getting to play music for a considerable amount of time and then jumping back into a really well designed, well thought-out tour” has been great,” he said.

Bowles said the audience can expect a concert that features three different acts.

Phoenix, has always been a rewarding stopping point for the Zac Brown Band, and Bowles said the band is looking for

ward to the concert.

The shows so far have been “feeling re ally good,” he said. “When you leave, you’re like, ‘Wow, that was a lot of music. We gave everybody what they came and showed up for.’ So, it’s been really cool. It’s exciting to get to take that to all these different cities, and Phoenix has always been great to us. We’ve always had great shows out there.”

If Bowles had to pick a favorite track that he and the rest of the band have per formed on the tour, he said the answer is easily the title track for the band’s latest album, “The Comeback.”

“When we were recording that song in the studio, it was really kind of an anthem of what it’s going to be like for everything to come back around,” he said. “

For Bowles, the track “paints a picture of what we just went through and where

PHIL WEBSTER

position and vocal performance at Berklee College of Music. He continues to pursue both art and music while working in IT management.

Webster is a Sonoran Arts League juried member whose art has been exhibited in more than 40 shows worldwide.

Info: philwebsterdesign.com

McDonald, a resident of the Vineyards, paints primarily in acrylics and is drawn to abstract art in vibrant colors and dynamic, flowing move ments. She says the process is fluid and never the same.

“I paint for the joy of paint ing … because it makes me happy,” she explains.

Her mother painted and guided McDonald during her younger years. As an adult, she squeezed in art classes between raising a family and working full time in admin istrative management roles in healthcare, real estate and finance.

After meeting met her hus band in 1999, art took a more serious role for McDonald.

She and her husband en joy going to art shows and galleries and have collected artwork along the way. When retirement neared, her hus band encouraged her to pur

sue her passion of painting.

“I’ve always been such a left-brained workaholic,” McDonald said, “and for the first time in my life, I have such peace! Painting excites me and calms me at the same time, and I get completely absorbed in the process.”

A juried member of the Sonoran Arts League, McDonald is also displaying her artwork at On The Edge Gallery in down

town Scottsdale.

Info: carolmcdonaldfineart.com, Hidden in the Hills is considered Ari zona’s largest and longest running studio tour, with free admission where the public can learn more about the artists in a selfguided tour over six days.

For maps and more artist information, visit sonoranartsleague.org/hidden-in-the-hills. 

we’re at now.”

After the pandemic, he added, “It’s really hard not to just go, ‘Wow, man, I’m really grateful to be able to be with my friends again on stage and make music.’”

Getting to perform at baseball fields is a sticking point for the Zac Brown Band. The Georgia natives are made up of “die hard” Atlanta Braves fans, so getting to go on tour and play at baseball fields, such as Chase Field, is something the band really enjoys doing and has almost a “majestic” feel to it.

In the past, the group has performed at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Truist Park in At lanta and Fenway Park in Boston – where they currently hold the record for most consecutive sold out shows.

“When we go play these baseball fields … it’s almost like wearing a superhero cape or something,” Bowles said. “Being able to be a part of what you are so into, there’s this super majestic part about the

stadiums…You wouldn’t think it would be really good for music necessarily, but it does allow for a very chill, relaxing night for music in the way of the baseball fields are laid out.”

To date, the group has won three Gram my Awards, sold more than 30 million sin gles and 9 million albums, amassed over 10 billion catalog streams, and achieved 16 No. 1 radio singles. And while Bowles knows the band has released some incred ibly special work, he said “The Comeback,” may be the band’s best work to date.

“I remember leaving the studio and driving back home to Atlanta from Nash ville and just going, ‘Wow, this might be the best album we’ve ever recorded,’” Bowles said. “Something is going to hap pen because there’s just too much energy bound into this music and in this collec tion of songs for it not to.”

Speaking of awards, Bowles said he and the rest of the band try not to get too caught up in it all. While they are always beyond grateful for the recognition, the group re

mains humble and focused on the “why.”

“It feels really good to be nominated. It feels really good to be to receive the awards and the accolades and things like that, but that’s not really why we do it.”

Bowles said, “The Comeback” feels simi lar to the albums “You Get What You Give” and “Uncaged,” but just more “seasoned.”

To boot, he said Zac Brown, the Zac Brown Band’s frontman, sounds as good now as he ever has.

“We’re older now; we’ve got kids kind of thing, but we still have that magic exists within us collaborating with each other and whatnot,” Bowles said. “We decided that we were going to do things in a similar recording style that we had done before — let it (the music) be the band, not try to get into a lot of overdubbing and stuff like that. Try to let it be raw in the band.

“There’s something about being some one who’s in the prime of their life… and I think Zac’s voice sounds as good on this album as it ever has.”

The band released “The Comeback

(Deluxe)” back on Sept. 30 and it fea tures Blake Shelton, James Taylor (who is Brown’s biggest influence), Cody Johnson and Ingrid Andress. Despite the deluxe al bum featuring some huge names, Bowles said the Zac Brown Band remains who they were when they released “The Foun dation” back in 2008 — “Georgia boys who love music.”

“If you were to have told me when I was 16 or 17, playing in my bedroom at my mom and dad’s house loud as hell, that I was going to be playing baseball fields and touring around and all that stuff, I would have told you are crazy,” he said. 

If You Go...

What: Zac Brown Band w/Sam Hunt and Robert Randolph Band

Where: Chase Field, 401 E. Jefferson St., Phoenix

When: 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 19 Cost: Tickets start at $30 Info: ticketmaster.com

Sandy Ashbaugh, who works in ceramics, founded the Ocotillo Artists Group. She will be at Pat’s Glass Studio #20, 26420 N. 82nd St., Scottsdale. (Special to GetOut)

Artist Carol McDonald is drawn to abstract art in vibrant colors and dynamic, flowing movements. (Special to GetOut)

With

JAN D’ATRI GetOut Columnist

Count on this chili recipe for a crowd pleaser

I’m always looking for “the one.” You know, the one recipe that you can count on time and time again to be a crowd pleaser.

Sometimes you’ll send me recipes with in-depth stories about the memories behind the meals, which I love. Sometimes I’ll simply get a recipe saying it’s a family favorite.

I’ve come to know that if you believe the dish is good enough to pass along, more than likely it’s a win ner, and I’m grateful that its landed in my lucky hands.

Now you have another one in the Southwest cui sine category – a fabulously simple, incredibly tasty recipe for New Mexico Chili Verde. There’s a great technique in the recipe that really adds to the flavor of the chile verde, one that I have come to use often in stews and chili.

Ingredients for Chili:

• 1 cup flour, browned

• 2 TBSP butter

• 1 large sweet yellow onion, diced

• 5 cloves of garlic, minced

• 2 lb. lean pork meat (boneless pork chops, pork loin or pork shoulder), small cubed

• 2 TBSP cup olive oil, divided

• 4 cups chicken broth

• 1 tsp salt or more to taste

• 1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce

• 1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes

• 3-4 cups green chilies – roasted, peeled and chopped

Directions:

1. In a heavy frying pan over medium high heat, cook flour, stirring constantly, until flour is a light toast color. Set aside to cool.

2. In a Dutch oven or large skillet, add the but ter and sauté the onion for 10 minutes, or until soft and translucent. Add garlic and cook for 3 minutes. Remove to a plate and set aside.

3. In the same skillet, over high heat, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and brown the pork until seared on the outside and cooked.

4. Add the onion and garlic mixture and salt, stirring to combine.

5. Stir in the browned flour, mixing thoroughly.

It’s flour that you heat up in a dry skillet until it turns light brown and imparts an amazing toasted nut aroma. Get those flour tortillas warmed up and pour yourself a big bowl of New Mexico Chile Verde.

• 1 tsp fresh oregano or dried Mexican oregano

• Toppings:

• Chopped green onions, grated cheddar cheese, sliced avocado and tortilla chips.

Ingredients for Dumplings:

• 1⁄2 cup all-purpose flour

• 3⁄4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

• 1⁄2cup yellow cornmeal

• 1teaspoon baking powder

• 1 egg, beaten

• 3 tablespoons milk

• 1 1⁄2 tablespoons cooking oil

6. Add chicken broth and over medium heat, cook until thickened.

7. Add tomato sauce, tomatoes green chile and oregano.

8. Cover and simmer for 50 minutes.

9. Meanwhile, make the dumplings. In a medium bowl, combine flour, cheddar cheese, cornmeal, and baking powder. In a small bowl, mix beaten egg, milk, and oil.

Add to flour mixture, and stir with a fork until just combined.

10. Drop dumplings by tablespoonfuls into chili. Cover and cook for 15 minutes or until dump lings are cooked through.