Gilbert Sun News 100222

Morrison Ranch residents keep the pressure on.

County pound poster dog’s death suggests problems

BY CECILIA CHAN GSN Managing Editor

Rookie was the face of Maricopa Coun ty Animal Care and Control’s part in a national campaign early this year as it tried to ease overcrowding at its Phoe nix and Mesa shelters.

Described as “a giant pup who loves to run zoomies in the yard and play outside, but what he really loves is getting atten tion,” the 3-year-old Rottweiler-mix was photographed smiling as his head was be ing scratched.

Four days after the Bissell Pet Founda tion’s national Empty the Shelters cam

Rookie, a 3-year-old Rottweilermix, was the Maricopa County’s poster dog for a nationwide campaign to ease shelter overcrowding. But four days after the campaign ended, the dog was euthanized. (Special to GSN)

GPS poised to expand parental access to schools

BY CECILIA CHAN GSN Managing Editor

SPORTS

Contact high school ball turning off parents.

Afather last week claimed that Gilbert Public Schools violat ed his parental rights when a teacher refused to hand over his daughter’s school work for inspec tion.

“I am being denied involvement with my daughter’s education in Oak Tree Elementary,” Devin Paul Gillilea told the Governing Board Sept 27.

“I have requested that my daugh

ter’s work and or homework relate to what is being taught daily be sent home so that I can be informed about her poor performance and support her understandings of the concepts on a regular basis.

“This request has been denied repeatedly by the teachers and the principals. I need to know why it is allowed that my daughter’s teachers can deny me access to knowing what she is being taught in the class and

paign ended on May 15, Rookie was eutha nized.

His mental health had declined after an administrative reorganization that disband ed the county shelter system’s behavioral team.

“Basically, it’s stressful at the shelter,” said Kim Schulze, the shelters’ former county be havior and training team manager. “Lots of dogs don’t do well and start to deteriorate.”

Whether Rookie’s death could have been prevented had the county not ended the team is debatable.

But animal advocates said its dismantling

More than typical

Chef W and Scott Bertoldo prepare some chocolate chip cookies at Not Your Typical Deli, which isn’t all that typical in several ways – primarily for its commitment to developmentally challenged teens and young adults. For the story, see page 22.. (David Minton/GSN Staff Photographer)

GPS candidates address issues at

BY CECILIA CHAN GSN Managing Editor

Mask mandates and closed schools during the pandemic, coupled with worries over crit ical race theory, are fueling a new crop of candidates for school boards this year across the county and in Gilbert.

The conservative Purple for Parents group has endorsed Chad Thompson for the Gilbert Public Schools election and Anna Van Hoek and Roy Morales in the Higley Unified School race on Nov. 8.

The differences between Thompson and the other three candidates running for the two four-year seats – incumbent Jill Humpherys, Collette Evans and Trina Jonas – were clear at a Sept. 26 forum at Gilbert High School. Ronda Page, the sole candidate for the two-year seat, was un able to attend.

United for Education, a nonpartisan group that supports strong public edu cation in Gilbert and East Mesa, hosted the event moderated by Highland Dis trict Justice of the Peace Jordan Ray.

Candidates each responded to the same five questions – why are they run ning, challenges faced by students and how can the board help, teacher short age, CRT and racism and enrollment.

Since 2009-10, the district’s enroll ment has dropped by some 4,900 stu dents or 1.1% annually and the postCOVID enrollment rebound in 2021-22 was less than expected, according to GPS.

And while high school enrollment remains steady, the decline in K-8 en rollment is fueled by low recession-era birth rates, charter school competition and overall aging of the population, GPS said, adding that enrollment is likely to decline over the next decade.

To boost enrollment, Thompson said the board should follow the adage, “less is more.”

“I think we need to take a note from the charter schools and find out what is attracting parents and students to char ter schools, to private schools, to home schools,” Thompson said. “And I think it’s the focus on education.

“I think we’ve let way too much stuff come into our school that are distrac tions from education. Parents are awake; they are seeing this stuff especially after the pandemic. They are looking with both eyes right now and they are seeing a lot of stuff that has nothing to do with actual education. …It seems like our schools today want to teach just about everything except for education, actual math, science and language.”

He also said that students need to be taught accountability and responsibility.

Jonas said GPS schools prior to COVID have been “phenomenal” but that the pandemic took the wind out of the dis trict’s sails.

“I think that some of the things we can do to increase enrollment are increasing our number of creative options that we have especially STEM programs, adapt ability with sports and music and differ ent things that they have,” Jonas said. “I also think increasing the academic ex cellence level.

“I know a lot of charter schools they all say they are one whole grade level ahead academically than the public schools. So I think allowing students regardless that they test into the specialized gifted pro gram to be able to take honors classes if they choose to.”

She advocated offering personalized plans for students, assessing where

students are academically and evalu ating every program that the district’s “thrown money at” to see which ones should continue.

She added that students’ mental

health was an issue even before the pan demic, which she blamed on cell phone use.

by Bill Spence

by Bill4Gilbert2020

Gilbert Public Schools Governing Board candidates who attended the forum last week were, from left, Collette Evans, Trina Jonas, Jill Humpherys and Chad Thompson. (Cecilia Chan/GSN Staff)

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Evans said she wished she had the golden-ticket solution to increasing en rollment. That said, she added, “I think we do it by making it easy for parents to come.”

“We need to be better at having a little bit more customer-service skill, mak ing sure that when parents and families come to our school, we are welcoming them and look for ways to say yes instead of no,” Evans said. And “we have policies be flexible so we can be innovative in our solutions that are good for kids.”

She said the district needed to market and to expand its accelerated elementa ry schools.

Evans also agreed that there a lot of mental health concerns relate to cell phones, which she said is a distraction and aren’t really needed in school.

She also said the curriculum needed to be assessed to see if they are effective, especially at the elementary level.

“I was talking to a teacher yesterday who said that she had sixth graders who were counting with their fingers and these weren’t resource kids,” she said.

Humpherys said the board definite ly has a role in boosting the student headcount and noted the factors such as charter schools working against it.

“I think the things that will bring peo ple back to GPS and help keep them here is having those neighborhood commu nity schools and sharing how great they are,” she said.

She said the district does a great job marketing its traditional classroom and she would love to see more marketing of the conventional or “collaborative” classrooms where a lot of the work is research-based, which is how kids learn.

And “it’s really, really important for board members to be supportive of the district,” Humpherys said. “When we had a very dysfunctional board it hurt the enrollment of Gilbert Public Schools. So a board that works together and it is collaborative and that works in support of their district and appreciates their district I think that is really important.”

She also said when it comes to charter schools versus public schools, the dis trict needs to educate the public about a school board’s role and function. “You have a locally elected school board to

help make those decisions that you can go to when you have concerns.”

She also acknowledged the learning loss and the importance of social-emo tional learning to help students navigate through their struggles.

Conservatives oppose social-emotion al learning or SEL, linking it to CRT.

While Evans, Humpherys and Jonas agreed competitive pay is one way to at tract and keep teachers, Thompson said the main driver causing the mass exodus of teachers is because they are overbur den with new programs added each year that requires them to spend their time tracking and reporting students instead of preparing their lesson plans.

The four also were asked if they be lieved there is an issue with racism and with CRT and if so what would be the board’s role in responding. CRT looks at the role racism played in shaping poli cies in U.S. history.

Thompson said there are incidents of racism at GPS, which need to be dealt with swiftly and that CRT is teaching students to identify with the things that make them targets.

Instead students need to be focused on things that bring them together and the board can help by making sure CRT and “these other programs that might lend themselves to a similar situation” are not being taught in the classroom, he said.

Jonas and Evans agreed that racism at GPS are isolated incidents and both stressed that the district is not teaching CRT in the schools.

Jonas said the district needs to focus on actual curriculum and that she was not really in favor of the SEL program in place now in the district.

Evans said teachers needed to be trusted with handling the nuances of a curriculum and if parents have any con cerns they should talk with the teacher.

Humpherys said GPS is not, has nev er and will not teach CRT because it is a graduate-level course taught in law school.

But racism is definitely an issue that needs to be addressed systemically and that is why social emotional learning is so important, she said, calling TV legend Mr. ogers the pioneer of social emotional

learning.

“I watched Mr. Rogers for 15 years with my children and there was noth ing inappropriate,” Humpherys said. “He talked about managing your feelings, being kind to other people and knowing you have the pluck and you can do it and if you want to be good at something, you got to practice.

“There is nothing anyone would argue with on those things. It’s just a basic help that our kids need to build understand ing and they need that because of the di visive world we live in right now.”

The candidates also in a lighting round responded with yes or no answers to seven questions, including if they voted for the district’s override and bond mea sure in 2019, if they think school board races should be partisan and if the state Legislature should eliminate the aggre gate expenditure limit or AEL.

The voter-approved aggregate expen diture limit restricts the total amount K-12 schools can spend in a school year with the cap fluctuating annually de pending on enrollment.

While Thompson was the only can didate who voted against the bond and override, opposed doing away with the aggregate spending limit and support ed partisan races, he was in consensus that teachers should not be armed in the classroom.

He and Jonas also supported school vouchers and both said GPS was ade quately funded for now with Jonas say ing that the school funding formula was terrible.

The full recording of the hour-long event can be found on United for Educa tion’s Facebook page.

Some of the Highly Unified candidates will be able to make their case to the vot ers at a forum, 6 p.m., Oct.13 at Higley Center for Performing Arts’ little theater, 4132 E. Pecos Road. Higley Education Association is hosting the event.

Van Hoek has declined to participate and Morales has not responded to his invitation, according to HEA.

Candidates Brooke Garrett and Aman da Wade have confirmed their atten dance while Robert Lilienthal and Curt Vurpillat have withdrawn from the race for the two open seats.

Ranch project may

BY CECILIA CHAN GSN Managing Editor

The developer of The Ranch, a pro posed massive light-industrial project at the northwest corner of Power and Warner roads is looking at possible tweaks based on feedback last week from residents living adjacent to the site.

Developer IndiCap is seeking a major General Plan amendment and rezone on 311 acres currently set aside for gener al commercial, business park and light industrial but the piece of agricultural land hasn’t attracted viable interest for 13 years.

Council is expected to vote on the re quest Nov. 15. A super majority or five votes are needed for approval.

“At the end of the day IndiCap is an in dustrial developer,” said land-use attor ney Adam Baugh, representing IndiCap at the Sept. 28 neighborhood meeting.

“It’s clear to me how this plan should consider some changes. There is room to make improvements.”

Baugh said the developer will go back and take another look at the project’s center portion and at the western edge

next to the residential neighborhood.

The proposal to increase light in dustrial uses to 92% from the current 16.2% has rallied residents in Morri son Ranch’s Elliot Groves neighborhood concerned over traffic, noise and build ing heights.

They have shown up at council meet ings to voice their opposition and a pe tition against the project is circulating on change.org. So far, 1,896 people have signed it.

General commercial also would drop to 6.1% from the current zoning of 26% for the site.

Over 50 residents attended the meet ing last week at Highland High School’s cafeteria. Also in attendance were Coun cilman-elect Chuck Bongiovanni, coun cil candidate Bobbi Buchli, who’s in a runoff with Bill Spence Nov. 8, and for mer Gilbert Mayor Jenn Daniels, a lob

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Morrison Ranch residents attended an information meeting at Highland High School about the proposed development in their community. (David Minton/GSN Staff Photographer)

how she is progressing on the standards that are being covered.”

Gillilea said his daughter failed her first test this school year because he was not informed that she was struggling and had he known that he would have addressed it at home.

He maintained that the district’s poli cy “has indirectly or directly violated my rights as a parent.”

Citing Arizona Parents’ Bill of Rights, Gillilea asked the board to look into his situation and staff was asked to follow up with Gillilea.

Parents will soon get more rights as the GPS Governing Board is expected lat er this month to adopt policies that give parents access to school libraries to in spect books, allow them to obtain a list of what their children borrowed and let parents to tour, visit and observe class rooms.

The district, however, can ban visits or observations if it threatens the health and safety of the pupils and staff.

Parents also will be allowed access to all written and electronic records of a school district or school district employ ee concerning their children.

Chandler Unified Governing Board adopted the same measures at a meet ing Sept. 28 and all five members there condemned them as an unprecedented intrusion by the Legislature into district affairs.

Board member Jill Humpherys said she attended an Arizona School Board Asso ciation conference that spent a whole day on the parental rights revisions made during the legislative session.

“The takeaway I had from that was that we just really worked to engage our com munity and help them to know what our processes are and what we’re doing with students because we want to partner, we want to work as a partner with parents in educating their students,” she said. “That’s our goal.”

The policies reflect a package of con servative measures the governor signed into law in the spring giving parents more say in their children’s education.

The board also will adopt policies bar ring the district from mandating masks, imposing COVID vaccines and teaching

sex education before 5th grade. Another policy re quires the district to teach about the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, begin ning next school year.

Masks will not be al lowed anywhere on district property except “where long-standing workplace safety and infection con trol measures that are un related to COVID-19 may be required.”

Superintendent Shane McCord noted that GPS does not have sex edu cation but is required to adopt the policy, which also bans a public school from referring students to or use any sexually explicit material in any manner ex cept in a board-approved sex ed program.

Board members conducted a first read of 14 policy items at the meeting but didn’t delve into them as they had al ready reviewed them in depth during a policy meeting in September.

The board also voted 5-0 to approve fee increases for its Community Educa tion program, which includes Advantage Preschools, VIK Club, a before- and af ter-school program, and facilities rentals.

Chandler Unified board members also adopted the measures, though one member refused to approve them and all roundly criticized them.

“I just want to take a moment to ex plain why I voted yes,” Lara Bruner said. “We took an oath of office, where we said we would support the U.S. Constitution and the laws of Arizona.

“But it is truly disheartening that some of our representatives and our legis lature have decided to increase their control from the top over decisions that should be made in our local communi ties.”

“It’s amazing how people just say (they) believe in local control until they can tell everybody else how to live,” Jason

Olive said.

“I’m very disappointed in the legis lature, and its efforts to micromanage school districts and force their political beliefs on the district,” Joel Wirth said. “I think it’s wrong and inappropriate.”

The harshest words came from Lind say Love, who cast the sole vote against their adoption.

“These policy revisions are rooted in transphobia, homophobia, racism, and a general disregard for the mental health and wellness of our students,” Love said after her no vote.

“Some of these policy revisions and adoptions would create an environment in which our LGBTQ students could po tentially be outed to their parents and community members before they are ready and could create situations that put their physical, mental and emotional health and safety at risk.”

Love added, “While I understand that district policies are often determined by the state Legislature, at some point we have to take a stand in school boards and defend our kids.

“When we simply ignore and stay qui et about obvious contradictions between our stated values and our votes and ac tions, why should a parent or voter trust us? They shouldn’t because it’s plainly hypocritical.”

The elected officials were not the only ones to express displeasure at the chang es state lawmakers forced them to make.

“These statutes that come back from legislation are law and districts have to work with policies to be able to make sure the laws are followed,” CUSD Super intendent Frank Narducci said. “We don’t have choices on those pieces.

“We’re not in agreement with all the laws, and we will make sure that all stu dents – all students – are protected all the time. All students means all. … I’ve been in education for 40 years and just haven’t seen this type of activity. It’s al most harnessing the energy we have in a school district.”

Check us out and like the Gilbert Sun News on Facebook and follow @gilbertsunnews on Twitter.

GSN Staff Writer Ken Sain contributed to this report.

Devin Paul Gillilea complained to the board that a etacher at Oak Tree Elementary has consistently denied his request to see his daughter’s homework. (YouTube)

Meldrum Mortuary

Fundraising site

BY CECILIA CHAN GSN Managing Editor

Days after Gilbert Mayor Brigette Peterson ordered the removal of three sign-toting residents from a council meeting, a prankster went on a fundraising platform to poke fun at her expense.

The organizer or Concerned Gilbert Citizens started a GoFundMe campaign Sept. 23 to “Help Mayor Brigette Peter son Earn Her Education!”

The goal was for the mayor to be schooled in the how to do her job and it was perhaps a dig at Peterson’s lack of a college degree..

So how much education did the orga nizer think Peterson need? Well, appar ently $2,070 worth.

At one point, donors gave $170 before the campaign was removed. The site was also being promoted by town residents on social media.

“I can confirm the fundraiser was re moved because it violated our terms of service, specifically the prohibited con duct section,” said Melanie Yost, spokes woman for GoFundMe. “All donors have been refunded.”

Yost declined to say who asked the site be taken down.

GoFundMe basically bans fundraisers that support hate, violence, harassment,

bullying, discrimination or involves weaponry.

A request to Peterson’s aide for com ment from the mayor was not responded to.

“The Gilbert community has observed the mayor’s day-to-day struggles per forming the basic job requirements of her role as mayor,” the fundraiser read.

“Being the mayor of Gilbert is a demand ing job, which often requires knowledge of reading, writing, arithmetic, science, history, economics and more.

“It is our sincere hope that by obtain ing a post-secondary education, Mayor Brigette may also develop the personal communications skills, knowledge of po litical systems, and ability to think criti cally, all of which are key competencies of an effective mayor.”

Peterson, said during her mayoral campaign that she has life and job expe riences instead.

Peterson at the Sept. 20 meeting or dered police to remove three residents who had signs that read, “Stop Lying” and “Don’t Mesa My Gilbert.”

Two of the residents were standing with their backs to the wall silently hold ing up their signs while another was quietly seated. Other audience members also had signs displayed on the table in front of them but were not asked to leave.

Peterson later explained that it was

$80M farm sale heralds new epicenter of growth

BY SCOTT SHUMAKER GSN Staff Writer

The Arizona Dairy Co. last month sold its last 270 acres in Mesa on the southwest corner of Sos saman and Elliot roads for $80 million, paving the way for a mammoth manu facturing campus projected by the new owner.

Shopoff Realty Investments said in a news release after the sale that it is planning 12 to 15 buildings compris

ing 4.1 million square feet of leasable space.

The parcel is an island of county land within city limits and Shopoff said it plans to apply for annexation into the City of Mesa.

It’s a big deal both figuratively and literally, as blocks of vacant land of this size are becoming increasingly scarce in southeast Mesa.

The new deal may herald the begin

her duty as mayor to maintain decorum at meetings and that police had notified audience members that they would be allowed to bring the signs into the room “but that they could not be held up nor disrupt the meeting.”

This is the first time in recent history that people were escorted out of a Gilbert coun cil meeting for carry ing signs.

At least one res ident has filed an ethics violation com plaint against the mayor over her deci sion to eject the three individuals.

The gofundme.com posting was removed after someone the platform declined to identify asked that it be taken down. (gofundme)

byist for the developer.

Patti Pomeroy said she and others are not opposed to the Town’s progression. “But I’m definitely opposed to this size of a project dropped into my backyard.”

The project proposes 17 individu al light-industrial buildings with 950 truck bays on 286.5 acres and two com mercial shopping centers with expected tenants such as restaurants, retail and fitness center on 19.08 acres.

Building heights are proposed at be tween 42 feet and 55 feet with 65 feet for accessory structures like satellite or material silos.

Some mitigation measures Indicap has already proposed include increas ing the landscape setbacks on the west ern perimeter of the site and increasing the setbacks of perimeter buildings, ori enting them so that no truck loading or dock doors face homes.

ect did not adhere to the 2020 voter-rat ified General Plan for Morrison Ranch, which envisioned a community with mixed uses on interconnected streets

Brandon

What the developer proposed were ings,” he said, adding that people relied

on the General Plan.

Peyton said that the Elliot Groves residents would like to see the two buildings facing their homes moved to the south or north side of the site and a landscaped area be placed next to the homes instead.

Baugh acknowledged that the pro posed land change is a departure from what was envisioned for the area but that general plans are “not rules but are policy documents and adapt and evolve over time.” He also said that applying for an amendment is a process the town al lows.

developer has never proposed it. And, he said, a light-industrial zoning would not allow for it.

The developer’s goal for The Ranch is to attract tenants such as aerospace and aviation industry, high-tech manufac turing, specialty manufacturing, semi conductor related users, medical and pharmaceutical companies, and electric vehicle component-related uses.

Residents also voiced concerns about the truck traffic.

Steve Larsen, who is doing the mar keting and leasing for the project, said the amount of truck traffic would be “extremely limited” because just 1015% of the docks would be used at any given time.

According to the developer, The Ranch is projected to generate 25,059 average daily vehicle trips – 13,925 from the commercial component and 11,134 from light industrial.

Under the existing zoning, the average daily trips are much higher at 45,044, the developer said.

Baugh also responded to a man who suggested the developer move the com mercial to the side facing the homes. He told him retail is best suited at corners with a guaranteed traffic light and that retail tenants don’t want to be located mid-block.

The Ranch is proposing general com mercial at Power and Elliot roads and at Warner and Power roads.

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John Duke asked if it was accurate that a lithium battery manufacturing plant would be allowed in the light-in dustrial zoning.

Duke pointed to PG&E’s largescale battery storage facility catching fire in Monterey County, California in September, which promoted a day-long shelter-in-place advisory.

“Battery manufacturing is a nasty business,” said Duke, who works for a California company that manufactures batteries for electric vehicles. “I am ab solutely opposed to any zoning that al lows for battery manufacturing.”

Baugh said he didn’t know why the notion that a battery manufacturer could be a tenant was circulating as the

Residents also asked if the project was a “done-deal” and raised the fact that the developer has donated money to a few of the council members during their election. Baugh and his law firm also have donated to council candidates over the years.

A couple of people said that Town Council doesn’t listen to residents and one man commented, “Most of us who are against you are not mad at you but at the damn Gilbert politicians that put us in this place.”

Baugh said if it “were a done deal, we would not be here” and added that they support candidates who share the same vision.

Baugh also said as a resident of Mor

Brian Mosley points out locations on a map as, from left, Mike Chernine, Jason Kukler, Tim Wallace and Debbie Patrick listen (David Minton/GSN Staff Photographer)

Brandon Anderson, MD

Victor Chiu, MD

ning of a major boom at this intersec tion.

Arizona Dairy Co. has been selling off parts of its Mesa agricultural land for years, including 186 acres to Google for a mega data center on the northwest corner of Elliot and Sossaman in 2019.

The Google center, code-named Proj ect Red Hawk before it was announced, generated a lot of excitement and helped stoke the Elliot Road Tech Cor ridor’s current development explosion.

But much of Elliot Road’s develop ment has been happening farther to the east on the other side of the 202, with Elliot and Sossaman roads main taining a rural appearance.

With this last Arizona Dairy Co. deal and other projects nearby making their way through Mesa’s planning depart ment, the intersection may soon un dergo a major transformation.

Earlier this month, Google submitted site plans for Project Red Hawk to theThe sprawling 270 acres of Arizona Dairy Company land in Mesa was sold for $80 million to Shopoff Realty Investments. (vizzda.com)

Shopoff Realty used this image on a release that announce its hopes to building a manufacturing campus on 270 acres at Sossaman and Elliot roads. (vizzda.com)

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Mesa Planning Department.

Plans for an eight-building industrial park on 60 acres nearby, called Went worth 80th, received the green light from the Planning and Zoning Board.

Mesa Economic Development Direc tor Bill Jabjiniak said the city’s vision for the intersection is high-quality tech nology and manufacturing jobs.

“With the success we’ve had in the formal part of the Elliot Road Technolo gy Corridor, it sort of makes sense with Google on the northwest corner to con tinue the theme and focus of technology all along Elliot Road,” Jabjiniak said.

Jabjiniak said the city’s talks with Shopoff have focused on development that can attract manufacturing, rather than only logistics warehouses.

“As that gets finalized, it will focus on quality development for quality em ployers,” he said. “It really comes down to jobs, jobs and more jobs.”

Cows have come home

The Arizona Dairy Co. is no longer in Mesa, but 3,250 of its 6,500 cows con

tinue to produce fresh milk three times a day for the local market as well as dried milk and other products for parts beyond.

Earlier this year, Arizona Dairy be gan moving the herd via semi trucks to its new location in Gila Bend, 75 miles southwest of Mesa.

The new facility could only accom modate half the number of its Mesa operation. In the spring, the last of the cows were transported west, and over the summer, the last of the company’s dairy equipment was removed from the Mesa parcel.

Based on social media posts, Arizona Dairy’s pedigree Holsteins look pretty content in their new digs.

“There’s extreme emotion” in parting from Mesa, Arizona Dairy owner and general manager Justin Stewart said. “If my wife was on the phone right now she’d be in tears talking about it.”

The Morrison family had been farm ing in Mesa and Gilbert since the end of World War II and started Arizona Dairy Co. at Sossaman and Elliot in 1973, when they decided to start feeding their own cows after selling produce to dairymen for years.

‘You can’t stop growth’

Stewart married into the Morrison family and joined the dairy business af ter serving in the Navy.

Stewart said the company had been contemplating its move from Mesa for

10 years as development encroached on Mesa and Gilbert’s agricultural land, making it harder to source corn and al falfa for the cows and off load manure to fertilize fields.

“You can’t stop growth, I’m here to tell you,” Stewart said.

Cows consume up to 100 pounds of food a day, so access to affordable feed is critical, and losing nearby fields of corn and other crops raises the price of feed as it has to be trucked in from farther away.

Demand for the land also reached a new level after the Google deal, he said.

“When you have such a worldwide company want to move into your neigh borhood, that kind of puts you on the map,” Stewart said.

Over the years, the company received many inquiries and “tire kickers” inter ested in the land underneath the cows’ feet.

At the same time in recent years, five dairy farms in another part of east Mesa sold their land to make way for the mas sive Hawes Crossing, which will be a combination of housing developments and commercial operations.

Stewart said he respects Shopoff’s CEO William Shopoff because the com pany was able to cross the finish line on the deal with lots of patience and finan cial wherewithal.

“Money talks and bull – walks,” Stew art said.

Shopoff will probably need some pa tience to work with the city to get plans approved as the land needs to be an nexed and rezoned.

And the city will probably have prior ities for developing the area.

“They have a wonderful piece of property,” Stewart said. “They will do some really interesting things there.”

After landing an $80 million deal, some might be tempted to retire, but Stewart said the family is sticking with dairy farming.

“It’s what we know, it’s what we do, it’s what we love,” Stewart said.

He said the family has a lot of respect and appreciation for Holstein cows, which they breed on site, and “we love being a part of the Arizona agricultural community that feeds the world.”

Arizona Dairy owner and general manager Justin Stewart this month inked an $80 million sale of the last piece of Mesa land from his Arizona Dairy Company, which he relocated to Gila Bend. (Facebook)

was a bad idea.

That and other alleged conditions have prompted a petition calling for reform at the shelter.

Behavior team dismantled

The county hired Schulze in June 2017 after she had been volunteering there since 2014. She took a substantial pay cut to oversee a team of seven assessing cats and dogs coming into the two shel ters in Phoenix and in Mesa and keeping them mentally and physically healthy during their stay.

“Maricopa County takes in an ex tremely large number of animals and needs behavioral support to make those decisions as to which dogs can be safe ly placed, which can be safely cared for (and) which dogs can make certain im provements,” Schulze said.

“When the behavioral team started, we started to do enrichment, giving treats in the kennels, starting to do playgroups and working with animals that needed extra help to be adoptable.”

Schulze and her team were reassigned under a new structure instituted last November by Assistant County Manager Valerie Beckett, then serving as interim animal care director.

“She changed my position to training manager,” Schulze said. “So instead of assessing the behavior of animals, I was training staff. She said she wanted every one to be a shelter expert.”

Forbidden from performing assess ments on some of the more challenging animals, Schulze felt her hands tied and resigned in May. She now works for the Seattle Humane Society.

County officials defended the restruc turing.

“It’s important to us to have staff mem bers who understand behavioral issues in our pets,” said Kim Powell, spokes woman for Animal Care and Control in an email. “In fact, our goal is to have more of them.

“But the behavioral team as a whole did not have a formal training protocol and lacked data to identify if it was help ful intervention in its present state, so we re-structured.”

Schulze disputed Powell’s assessment of her team.

“The behavior team had protocols for training behavior staff,” she said. “There were three levels within the behavior team …Each level had different duties within their job description that aligned with their level of animal behavior expe rience, knowledge, and skills.

“On-the-job training consisted of daily interactions with animals with opportu nities for feedback and shadowing with more skilled and knowledgeable han dlers.”

Schulze said that learning about ani mal behavior is an ongoing process and that the county shelter needs positions dedicated to animal behavior.

Shelter associates can’t be expected to become experts in behavior because they don’t have time during their work day of watering, feeding and cleaning to dedicate to the learning process and they may not have the skills or desire to learn more about animal behavior, Schulze said.

And, she questioned how the county was recruiting staff with behavior expe

rience when “behavior” isn’t in any of the job postings.

Lorena Bader, vice president of the nonprofit Four Paws and Friends, be lieves had Schulze and her team been in place, Rookie would have had a fighting chance.

“If the team was in place, (Rookie) would be getting out every day or every other day,” Bader said. “If he was deteri orating, they would have done more to make sure he stayed healthy until he got out of the shelter.”

Petition seeks changes

Bader is circulating a petition drive on change.org demanding the county Board of Supervisors and administration “provide proper medical and behavioral care for the animals in their charge.” As of Sept. 28, it had garnered 22,012 signa tures.

Arizona law provides for the creation of county shelters and requires that any impounded animal be given “proper and humane care and maintenance.” Other

than that, there doesn’t appear to be any oversight of shelter operations.

Bader, a retired Corona del Sol High School chemistry and physics teacher, detailed a number of what she called “shelter failings,” and backed as many as she could with department records she obtained through public records re quests.

She said she’s contacted veterinarians who left the county but they were fearful of possible retribution from their former employer.

Bader’s complaints also included that MCACC harbored a hostile work environ ment, had low staffing and morale and a high-turnover of staff.

Bader said she volunteered at the shel ter from 2016-19 until she was fired for sharing a photo of temperatures topping 100 degrees in the shelter. She still keeps in contact with some volunteers there.

“The kennels are not always cleaned because there’s not enough staff,” Bader said. “It’s not like they never get cleaned but they’re so short-staffed they’ve start ed not to do deep cleaning. They just started spot cleaning, which is not OK when you have infectious disease in the shelter and have distemper.”

She also said that dogs “don’t get out of their kennels for weeks at a time,” which leads to behavioral problems.

“If they’re lucky they get out once ev ery five days for a walk or yard time. If they get sick, they sit in their kennel for two weeks with kennel cough. Some dogs in the medical wing are in there one month and not getting out.”

Rookie’s sad end

County records show Rookie came into the shelter Jan. 24 as a stray and was considered “friendly but skittish, allows all handling.” He was vaccinated, neu tered and microchipped in anticipation of adoption.

Rookie’s behavioral assessments on Jan. 25 and Jan 29 stated that he was a friendly dog who “thinks he’s a lap dog and wants lots of attention” and that he might be house-broken.

A Feb. 3 assessment, however, began noting he was nervous and agitated and

The county used this poster during a nationwide campaign to spur adoptions by waiving fees. Rookie, the dog in the poster, was euthanized four days after the campaign ended in May. (Special to GSN)

did not want to re-enter his kennel.

A Feb. 26 evaluation reported Rookie fought with a dog in a neighboring ken nel and on March 9, he was “barking, growling, snapping teeth, lunging at oth er dogs.”

On March 12 the records showed that Rookie was “very stressed, pupils dilated and red eyes, panting.”

“Dog is deteriorating in kennel and stressed out,” a memo stated. “Needs outlet.”

In the shelter’s paperwork, it was re ported that a plea was sent out on Feb. 26 and again on March 3 asking fosters to help Rookie.

By May 11, Rookie’s behavior was up dated to “urgent.”

“Dog is stressed out and over-aroused in kennel, barking, jumping, panting, kennel fighting,” the memo said. “Dog is unable to fully settle with handlers in yard. Needs outlet. May be at risk of eu thanasia on May 18 or sooner if warrant ed.”

Rookie’s records also show he wasn’t walked daily. In February, he had four

walks but then because he was being treated for kennel cough, he was caged for 14 days until the antibiotics were fin ished, Bader explained.

But the pattern repeated itself with four walks in March, four in April and

three in May.

Stimulation keeps dogs healthy

Experts say that shelter dogs need dai ly physical and emotional stimulation to deal with the stresses of kennel life and

that exercise in general helps dogs avoid boredom, which leads to destructive be havior.

And, according to Guidelines for Stan dards of Care in Animal Shelters released by the Association of Shelter Veterinari ans, “Dogs must be provided with daily opportunities for activity outside of their runs for aerobic exercise (and) for longterm shelter stays, appropriate levels of additional enrichment must be provided on a daily basis.”

Powell said, “Unfortunately, we some times have over 800 dogs in our care at the two MCACC shelters and not every dog can get out for a walk every day, which is why we desperately need vol unteers to help our staff with cleaning kennels, daily enrichment and, of course, walks.

“Staff cannot get to every dog in addi tion to their other duties,” she said.

12 GILBERT SUN NEWS | OCTOBER 2, 2022NEWS Powell added, “Our current director has been one of MCACC’s longest serv ing volunteers and he has seen volun

Minton/GSN Staff Photographer)

Spending cap looms again over school districts

BY J GRABER GSN Staff Writer

While school districts in Gil bert and throughout Arizona are worried they will have to grapple again with a voter-imposed cap on their spending next spring, it will be up to the next Legislature to do some thing about it.

The Aggregate Expenditure Limit caps what school districts around the state can spend in a year to a 1980-level plus 10% adjusted for inflation.

The limit was given a one-year hiatus by the state Legislature in the 11th hour earlier this year, but it is still in place without waivers. That means Arizona’s schools won’t be able to spend much of the $1 billion budget increase lawmak ers gave them this year, school officials say.

“If the Legislature doesn’t take action before March 1 of 2023, our district, as

a charter district, will have to amend their budget to reduce the budget by the amount we are over on a percentage basis,” Scottsdale Unified Superinten dent Dr. Scott Menzel told his governing board last month.

Noting that meant a potential $28 mil lion budget hit, Menzel said Gov. Doug Ducey is not quite living up to the prom ises he made last year when the state budget was passed.

Ducey vowed to hold a special session of the Legislature to address the Aggre gate Expenditure Limit, but that has not yet happened.

“We still don’t have one promised,” Menzel said. “Some reports are that the governor has said there are three con ditions which were not necessarily the case at the time of the handshake agree ment before.

“That would be it One, it has to hap pen, so some sense of urgency (by law makers); two, that we have support from

waiver) and three, that you can confirm that it will pass – with a two-thirds vote. That means 40 representatives and 20 senators.”

There have also been reports that Du cey was waiting until the lawsuit sur rounding Prop 208, the Invest in Educa tion Act, was finished, Menzel said.

But the Supreme Court ruled last month that the act, which adds a 3.5% tax on all income over $250,000 (or $500,00 for joint filers), is likely uncon stitutional, though it left it up to the trial court to determine that.

“That has happened so that’s no lon ger an issue,” Menzel said. “Some oth ers have raised new questions about whether or not the referendum on ESA (Empowerment School Accounts) gets on the ballot because signatures have been collected, whether that was a deal breaker … there are a lot of moving parts and pieces here and some of it is politi cal in nature.”

ESAs are $7,000 vouchers given by the

state to students who do not want to at tend traditional public schools. The Save our Schools coalition opposed ESA but it remains unclear if it collected enough petition signatures for a 2024 referen dum on the measure.

“While the governor encouraged us to spend the money when he made his bud get statement, signed it, talked about the historic increase in public education, it was a $1 billion historic increase and that this should be spent on classroom teachers,” Menzel said. “That all could go away in a heartbeat if action isn’t taken.”

C.J. Karamargin, a spokesman for Du cey’s office, said the governor is waiting for an assurance that a waiver of the ex penditure limit would pass in the Leg islature before calling a special session. “We have seen no indication there are the votes.”

Rep. John Kavanagh, R-Fountain Hills, reported that outgoing House Majori

ty Leader Rusty Bowers (R-Mesa) said there would be no special session and that the issue would be dealt with in January.

“I think part of the reason is that the votes aren’t there,” Kavanagh said. “I’m speculating but a lot of members were extremely upset with the Save Our Schools” effort to kill or at least post pone implementation of the universal school voucher program.

Kavanaugh noted that in the past he’s voted to waive the expenditure limit, “but like a lot of (legislators), I have con cerns that the education community is refusing to take this back to the ballot to have the cap either raised or eliminated.

“They have enough money to send the vouchers to the ballot but the import ant spending cap, they don’t want to deal with. Some people speculate that’s because polls have shown that voters would not eliminate this cap.

“This cap was passed by the voters and it did give the Legislature the pow er to waive it but not every year, I mean, not every time,” Kavanagh said. “This

has to be dealt with by the voters. A lot of legislators are concerned about con tinually overriding the will of the voters … when the education people don’t want to go back and have it settled by the peo ple who created it.”

School boards across the state are gun-shy about spending the extra mon ey in this year’s budget until they get the expenditure limit waiver, said Chris topher Kotterman, director of govern mental relations for the Arizona School Boards Association.

“They understood (the agreement for a special legislative session) to mean be fore the next Legislature comes in,” Kot terman said.

“Obviously that hasn’t happened yet and school districts are anxious about this because they got a significant in crease in their budgets, which they are grateful for,” Kotterman added, “but some of them feel they can’t fully com mit the money until they are sure the Legislature is going to override the ex penditure limit because they don’t want to have to cut it after the fact.”

rison Ranch, he supports The Ranch and in his many years of handling zon ing cases throughout the state, “lot of the things I’ve heard is not reflective of the way things operate.”

Baugh said the developer will not buy the land if the project is rejected, adding, “Someone else can come in and figure it out.”

He said no matter who wants to do something with the oddly configured property, a rezone is needed to make the land viable. IndiCap is under con tract to buy the land from Dale Morri son, pending the approval of its applica tion by the Town.

The Planning Commission is sched uled to hear a formal presentation of The Ranch Wednesday, Oct. 5, and make a recommendation to Council on Oct. 20.

If Council gives the green light, the developer anticipated beginning con struction mid-2023. ”

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New-home buyers can sue builders over defects, court rulesWARNING!

PERIPHERAL NEUROPATHY AND CHRONIC PAIN TREATMENTS NOT WORKING!!

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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.

The drugs your doctor might prescribe will temporarily conceal the problems, putting a “Band-Aid” over a situation that will only continue to deteriorate without further action.

Thankfully, Mesa is the birthplace of a brandnew facility that sheds new light on this pressing problem of peripheral neuropathy and chronic pain. The company is trailblazing the medical industry by replacing outdated drugs and symptomatic reprieves with an advanced machine that targets the root of the problem at hand.

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Aspen Medical in Mesa AZ uses a state-of-the-art electric cell signaling systems worth $100,000.00. Th is ground-breaking treatment is engineered to achieve the following, accompanied by advanced diagnostics and a basic skin biopsy to accurately analyze results:

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The treatment works by delivering energy to the affected area(s) at varying wavelengths, from low- to middle-frequency signals, while also using Amplitude Modulated (AM) and Frequency Modulated (FM) signaling

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Aspen Medical begins by analyzing the extent of the nerve damage –a complimentary service for your friends and family. Each exam comprises a detailed sensory evaluation, extensive peripheral vascular testing, and comprehensive analysis of neuropathy findings.

Aspen Medical will be offering this free chronic pain and neuropathy severity evaluation will be available until October 31st, 2022 Call (480) 274 3157 to make an appointment.

Due to our very busy office schedule, we are limiting this offer to the first 10 c allers. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO SUFFER ANOTHER MINUTE, CALL (480) 274 3157… NOW!!

BY HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services

Buyers of new homes are entitled to sue builders for hidden defects for up to eight years -- even if they have signed contracts waiving that right, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled Wednesday.

In a ruling with wide implications, the justices said that the common law “implied warranty of workmanship and habitability’’ recognizes the fact that home buyers are not experts in all the things that are required in constructing a house.

“A homebuyer must ... rely heavily on the builder-vendor’s knowledge of con struction quality, as builders are skilled in the profession, modern construction is complex and regulated by many gov ernment codes,’’ wrote Justice Ann Scott Timmer. “And homebuyers are gener ally not skilled or knowledgeable in construction, plumbing, or electrical re quirements and practices.’’

She acknowledged that, in general, people are legally entitled to sign con tracts defining the responsibilities of each. That presumes both parties are “sophisticated’’ and equally aware of the risks and terms.

But in cases of new homes, Timmer said, there is an “inequality in bargain ing power’’ between the builder and the buyer.

firmed that decision.

“The freedom to contact has long been considered a paramount public policy under common law that courts do not lightly infringe,’’ Timmer wrote. “But courts will refuse to enforce a contract term ... when an identifiable public policy clearly outweighs enforcement.’’

That public policy, she said, goes back to 1979 when the appeals court elimi nated what she described as the “buyer beware’’ philosophy of new home pur chases, replacing it with the implied war ranty of workmanship and habitability.

“The warranty is limited to latent de fects that are undiscoverable by a rea sonable pre-purchase inspection and service to protect innocent purchasers and hold home builders accountable for their work,’’ Timmer said.

On the other side of the issue, the jus tice said, is “diminished interest’’ in en forcing waivers of the implied warranty like the one at issue here.

“Modern homebuilding frequent ly occurs in large-scale developments, leaving the buyer to either purchase the home under terms directed by the build er-vendor or forego the purchase alto gether,’’ Timmer said.

As displayed in figure 1 above, the nerves are surrounded by diseased, withered blood vessels. A lack of sufficient nutrients means the nerves

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“The implied warranty was creat ed in recognition of this disparity, and undoubtedly reflects the homebuyers’ reasonable expectations that a newly constructed home would be properly de signed and built,’’ she wrote.

Justice Kathryn King said the ruling runs afoul of the state’s public policy favoring freedom to contract. Joined by Justice Clint Bolick, she pointed out that right of implied habitability exists no where in state law. Instead, she noted, it was created by a 1979 ruling of the State Court of Appeals.

Timmer said that’s irrelevant, noting subsequent state laws have implicitly af

And in this case, she said, the plaintiff signed the purchase agreement and ac cepted the warranty terms “with no vari ation to the preprinted terms in either document, without representation, and without any negotiation about warran ties, suggesting she was in a take-it-orleave-it situation.’’

“Warranting that a home was built us ing minimum standards of good work manship conforms to a homebuyer’s reasonable expectations,’’ she said. And Timmer said it “discourages the unscru pulous fly-by-night operator and purvey or of shoddy work who might otherwise blight our communities.’’

Timmer said complaining to the Reg istrar of Contractors is no substitute for enforcing the implied warrant, noting recovery fund payments are capped at $30,000 and do not reimburse for other consequential damages.

teer engagement wax and wane over the years. We really need more volunteers to sign up for walks to help us get the hun dreds of dogs out for walks every day.”

She also denied Bader’s claim that in-kennel enrichment is sporadic.

Bader said while the Arizona Humane Society gives five different types of en richment daily to animals for their sens es – eat, smell, feel, hear and see – that’s not the case at the county shelter.

“At the most at MCACC, they get one of those and it’s often someone walks through the kennels and sprays lavender or goes through and blows bubbles or gives milk bones,” she said.

Powell said Bader’s claim isn’t true.

“Animals receive enrichment every day, including Kongs, food-feeder puz zles, scent enrichment, rawhides, some times even music,” Powell said. “There is an enrichment board outside of the first door to the left of the volunteer hallway for specifics.”

Kongs are enrichment toys filled with treats that help relieve a dog’s stress and boredom.

Bader shared a Sept. 12 email from Di rector Michael Mendel, where he stated he was pausing all public group walks and public enrichment stuffing events, effective Sept. 16.

“The two organizations, Four Paws and Friends and Hope Whispers, have been told that we may not fill Kongs, pass out enrichment or to conduct public dog walks,” Bader said. “Four Paws does the walks at the West shelter weekly and Hope Whispers does them at the East shelter. We typically get 60-100 dogs out for a 20-30-minute walk. It is often the only time they get out for a week.”

Four Paws also have been buying and stuffing Kongs for the shelter for a year.

Mendel said while the shelter appreci ated the help from volunteers, there were “several incidents that prevent these ac tivities from continuing at this time.”

Examples he gave of “safety-related” incidents included participants wearing inappropriate and unsafe clothing such as shorts for dog walking and displaying unsafe behaviors such as putting their faces close to the faces of unfamiliar dogs for pictures during the walks.

Mendel added that there also have

been some recent social media post ings of “potential vandalism threats to wards staff and/or property,” which he acknowledged wasn’t coming from Four Paws and Friends volunteers.

The shelter director also cited an in cident when a group of volunteers over stuffed Kongs, which he said “can cause many dogs to lose interest in enrichment activity.”

He added that the shelter had to throw out over 300 Kongs donated by Four Paws because they were “too full, un eaten, and unable to be fully cleaned for reuse.”

“We have recently looked into pur chasing additional Kongs and the pricing went up, so we were waiting,” Mendel said, adding that the group can help in other ways such as joining the volunteer program, becoming fosters or buying prepackaged items such as dog biscuits, hot dogs and bully sticks.

Rookie’s death caused such an up roar on social media that Mendel, who was hired in March to oversee Marico pa County Animal Care and Control, re sponded.

Mendel in his post noted MCACC at the time had approximately 695 animals, stressing the county’s capacity for care. He said the shelters were seeing more and more people surrendering their pets because of homelessness.

“We are seeing more animals with in creasing dangerous behaviors, especially in the East Shelter,” Mendel wrote May 23. “While MCACC’s intention is to save every animal that comes into our care, I must weigh the safety risk to staff, volun teers, and the public.

“Dogs that receive deadlines are those struggling in the shelter environment and deteriorating.”

He said Rookie received a seven-day deadline and was up for adoption on the shelter’s portal.

“His deadline passed,” Mendel said. “No one came to rescue.”

The last evaluation on May 15 for Rookie said he was walking well on a leash, took his treats gently, jumped up to solicit attention from his handler and had no issues on returning to his kennel.

He was euthanized four days later at 2:29 p.m.

Gilbert native hopes to film brother’s love story

BY JOSH ORTEGA GSN Staff Writer

Aphoto and a girl’s first name form a real-life love story and inspired a movie project that could make a Gilbert man a movie star and change how the world sees people with intellec tual disabilities.

Ten years ago, Luke Johnson said he promised to make his younger brother David a movie star and hopes to do that with a feature-length movie that will make people realize it’s always worth the effort fighting for loved ones.

“To help make his dream come true is the very least I could do to pay him back for just being the greatest brother that he could be,” Luke said.

Luke and David were two of seven sib lings.

Luke said he always loved making movies with his brother and aspired to work in the industry one day.

“When we were kids, we both loved

making funny videos and shooting on the family VHS,” Luke said. “And just shooting anything that would make us

laugh.”

David, 38, has Down Syndrome and a personality as big and bright as the

lights of Hollywood, but Luke said that presented a challenge in finding how to make him a star.

“Because he’s not exactly a trained actor, even though he is the world’s greatest entertainer,” Luke said. “I didn’t know how to do that.”

Luke, 42, has worked in television for the past 10 years, including productions such as “My 600 Pound Life” on TLC, “Diesel Brothers” on Discovery Channel, and “Ax Men” on the History Channel.

Now a network executive for BYU TV at Brigham Young University, Luke said he decided to make a movie based on a true love story that began during a 2005 family vacation to Hawaii.

Their mom, Gina Johnson, said David was 22 when he met a girl named Naria on that vacation and the two kids instantly became best friends.

“As a mother, you can tell if someone’s just being nice or polite to your child

18 GILBERT SUN NEWS | OCTOBER 2, 2022 GilbertSunNews.com | @GilbertSunNews /GilbertSunNews COMMUNITY For more community news visit gilbertsunnews.com EV Charity League honors area girls for their service

GSN NEWS STAFF

The National Charity League East Valley has recognized a number of teen women with the Presi dential Service Award for their volun teer contributions to various service agencies across the Valley that totaled over 4,402 community service hours

The nonprofit, whose mission is to encourage community service for mothers and their daughters, bestows the national award to recipients who have demonstrated a commitment to helping others.

The NCL East Valley Chapter had 35 members honored for commu nity service provided to a variety of

agencies including: Paz de Cristo, Ari zona Humane Society, Hackett House, Phoenix Children’s Hospital, Feed My Starving Children, Operation Gratitude, St. Mary’s Food Bank and more.

This year 17 members were recog nized with the Presidential Gold Award for contributing over 100 community service hours; three received the Pres idential Silver Award for contributing over 75 community service hours; and 15 Presidential Bronze Awards were given in recognition of over 50 commu nity service hours.

Their total of 4,402 service hours equaled 183 days of community service over a 10-month period.

Malia Spangler, class of 2026 and Gold

Presidential Service Award winner, said, “My favorite way to earn hours was this year’s back to school drive. It was so fun to help kids find clothes, new shoes, and items for back to school.”

“Being a member of NCL is important to me because I enjoy spending time with my mother and I’ve learned that it’s important to ask for help when you need it,” she added.

Paige Davies-Boerner, class of 2024 and Bronze Presidential Service Award recipient, said, “My motivation to receive the Presidential Service Award was to know the positive impact that all of my hours were going to have on the community.

“Being a member of NCL is important

to me because it connects me to my community, both socially and philan thropically. It has shown me some of the amazing organizations that are within a few miles of me that are here to help different parts of the commu nity,” she added.

Mother/daughter teams interested in learning more on how you can get involved with the NCL East Valley Chapter are urged to contact nclevmem bership@gmail.com. The membership drive begins Oct. 1.

Established in Los Angeles, California in 1925, and incorporated in 1958, National Charity League, Inc. is the

Ten years ago David “DJ” Johnson met a girl while on vacation in Hawaii but his mother lost her contact information, leaving him with a single 17-year-old photo to remember her by. (David Minton/GSN Staff Photographer)

Southeast Regional Library sets programs

GSN NEWS STAFF

Southeast Regional Library offers free programs for people of all ages. To register: 602-652-3000 or mcldaz. org/southeast.

Southeast Regional Library is located at 775 N. Greenfield Rd., Gilbert, and is open to the public Monday-Thursday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Sat urday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 1 to 5 p.m. Unless otherwise noted, programs are free but registration is required at mcldaz.org/southeast or 602-652-3000.

Horror Book Club, 6-7 p.m. Oct. 3

Join the horror book group for a dis cussion of a different book each month.

This month it’s “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley. Adults.

Kid’s STEAM Lab, 6-6:45 p.m. Oct. 4

Whether you’re an amateur or an expert, STEAM Lab will engage you in science, technology, engineering, art, and math topics. School age.

One-on-one digital assistance. 10-10:45 a.m. Oct. 5, same time Oct. 12, Oct. 19, Oct. 26

Learn how to download digital eBooks or audio books to your reading device. Assistance is limited to questions about digital books and services and will not address specific technical questions about each device. Be prepared with the following information before attending: basic use of your eReader device such as accessing device settings, accessing WIFI, how to login using device keyboard, etc. Class is limited to 3 people per session.

Kindness Rocks!, 2:30-3:30 p.m. Oct.5

Bring your family to craft kindness rocks to leave throughout the community and encourage others while using your best art skills. All supplies included.

Paranormal investigation & research society, 10-11 a.m. Oct. 6.

Participants will have access to all the equipment used by paranormal investi gators worldwide and led by their expe rienced investigators. Adults.

Family movie party, 10 a.m.-noon Oct. 8

Bring blankets and pillows to make a comfy seating spot, as well as movie treats. The movie this month is “Coco” (rated PG for “thematic elements”).

Pumpkin Painting, 6-7 p.m. Oct. 10

All materials are supplied. Adults.

Digital assistance: email basics, 2-3 p.m. Oct.11

Learn how to create a new email address, send emails, attach files, and more. Computers provided. Participants must be familiar with the basic operation of a desktop or laptop (mouse, keyboard, etc.), as well as basic operation of an Internet browser. Adults.

Teen Craft Night, 6-7 p.m., Oct. 12

An evening of crafting with a calming atmosphere. All supplies included, craft varies by month. Teens.

An Evening with the Stars, 6:30-7:30 p.m, Oct. 17

The East Valley Astronomy Club gives participants the opportunity to explore the observatory at the conclusion of the program. Adults.

Historical Fiction Book Club, 2-3 p.m. Oct. 18

The book for October will be “The Jap anese Lover” by Isabel Allende. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Alma and Ichimei were forced to hide their relationship from the world. Adults.

see SOUTH page 20

Contact Cecilia Chan at 480-898-5613 or cchan@timeslocalmedia.com

who has a disability, or if it’s really gen uine,” Gina said. “And this girl was really genuine.”

Gina snapped a photo of the kids and David told his mom he wanted to stay in touch with his new friend.

In a time before social media, Gina said she wrote down Naria’s name, address and phone number in a pocket-sized spiral notebook so the kids could stay in touch.

A few days later, Gina said Luke, 26 at the time, also made a friend in the film industry and used his mom’s notebook to exchange information with the col league.

Upon returning home, David excitedly asked his mom for Naria’s information to reach out to his new friend.

But, Gina said she couldn’t find the girl’s information and soon realized the unimaginable: Gina said she must have lost Naria’s contact info and despite futile searches on social media, they hav en’t located the girl since then.

Now, Naria only exists on David’s dresser in a photo of the two friends standing knee-deep in the waters of Hawaii.

“For years, he kept it there telling us, he’s going to marry Naria,” Gina said. “I felt heart sick that we couldn’t get a hold of her.”

And that’s the jumping off point, Luke said, for his movie about a fictional road trip the brothers take to find David’s long-lost friend.

After writing the script, Luke told his mom about the idea but Gina wondered who would play David.

“[Luke] just looked at me and goes ‘Mom, David’s going to play David,’” Gina recalled.

Luke said he hopes his movie con tinues to add to that the “very little representation” people with Down Syn drome have in TV and movies.

While Down Syndrome might bring some challenges with filming, Luke said David’s personality will bring a bit of improvisation the other actors will have to play off that adds a sense of authen ticity to the movie.

“It’s going to feel like a very real rep resentation of what life is like living with someone with Down syndrome,” Luke said.

While David has held jobs throughout his life including nearly 10 years corral ling shopping carts at a supermarket, Luke said the pandemic disrupted his “pretty good” life and David hasn’t found a job since then.

“As people with Down syndrome start to get older, it becomes harder for them to find activities and find their place in the world sometimes,” Luke said.

This project also shows how much a brother’s promise means by covering another important issue close to the

SOUTH from page 19

Sewing for Beginners, 2-3 p.m. Oct. 20

All materials are supplied. Adults.

Pajama Party Storytime, 6:15-6:45 p.m. Oct. 24

Wear your favorite pajamas and join in person for stories, songs, rhymes and fun! Only register the guardian or care giver who will be attending the event. There is room for a maximum of five indi viduals per group.

Bookends Adult Fiction Discussion Group, 10:30 a.m.-noon Oct. 25 Adults of all ages read and discuss fiction

family’s heart.

Several years ago, Luke said he bat tled with substance abuse and David’s “shining light” personality helped him cope with his struggles, which inspired him to keep his silver-screen promise.

Intertwined among the buddy-comedy jokes and love story premise, Luke said the movie also chronicles his character struggling with substance abuse.

“At a time when I was trying to push away from family, David was right there to pull me in with a big heart or to make me laugh,” Luke said. “And he was always a constant light in my life.”

The untitled project has already gar nered more than $33,000 on GoFundMe – a fraction of the way to their $200,000 goal.

But with the crew agreeing to donate their time to make this movie, Luke said his dream could become a reality if they can reach their goal.

“I would really like to make this film on donations ideally,” Luke said. “But I want to make this movie exactly as I see it in my head.”

Though some production companies and investors have shown interest, Luke said his methodology behind this project means more to him than a big payout.

“If this movie, never made a dollar back, I would have accomplished my goal,” Luke said. “Because the most important thing for me is for David to see his face up on the big screen.”

For more information or to donate to the movie, visit davidmoviestar.com.

titles. The title for this month is “The Vineyard at Painted Moon” by Susan Mallery. Adults.

Bad Art, 2:30-3:30 p.m. Oct. 25

Come make bad art - the worse the better. All ages are welcome. The worst bad art wins a hideous trophy. All ages.

Author Talk! 2-3 p.m. Oct. 27

Author Donna O’Donnell Figurski dis cusses her book, “Prisoners without Bars: A Caregiver’s Tale.” This is the true story of how her husband almost left her three times in less than two weeks as a result of a severe brain injury. Adults.

Ten years ago David “DJ” Johnson met a girl while on vacation in Hawaii but his mother lost her contact information, leaving him with a single 17-year-old photo to remember her by. (David Minton/GSN Staff Photographer)

nation’s premier mother-daughter non-profit organization.

Through mission-based programming, The National Charity League develops socially responsible community leaders and strengthens the mother daughter bond. The core program includes leadership development, community service, and cul tural experiences.

Currently, the philanthropic organization, which has grown by nearly 82 percent in the last decade, has over 70,000 mem bers in hundreds of chapters across the nation. Last year, those members contributed more than 2.7 million volunteer hours to more than 4,000 local philanthropy partners and their chapters, resulting in a $66 million fiscal impact.

Gilbert teens honored were: Stephanie Brueck, Alaina Oswalt, Divya Natarajan and Krista Oswalt.

Chandler teens included: Sahana Donepudi, Erin Kennedy, Eliz abeth Neves, Lillian Tripoli, Laney Hunsaker, Katie Eberle and Susan Meyers-Kennedy.

Mesa teens honored were: Malia Spangler and Ashley Cha loupka.

Tempe Teens who received were Abigail Dalsin, Grace Kolin chak, Riya Nannapaneni, Sadie Peterson, Claire Samuelson, Isa bella Smith, Brynn Taylor, Lilly Zienkewicz, Anna Maney, Alana Marquis, Claire Zienkewicz, Kate Bonham, Paige Davies-Boerner, Abigail Dreckman, Ella Montei, Aubrey Roach, Caroline Sweeney, Ava Titcomb, Lily Dalsin and Celeste Kolinchak.

A number of area teens were recently recognized for their service through the National Charity League East Valley. (Courtesy National Charity League East Valley)

Gilbert deli thrives by being not so typical

BY JOSH ORTEGA GSN Staff Writer

Not Your Typical Deli in Gilbert isn’t typical in one critical aspect.

When owners Chef W and Chuck Depalma learned how much people with developmental disabilities struggled in the workforce, they felt something should be done.

So, they focused much of their hir ing on developmentally disabled teens graduating from high school and strug gling to enter the workforce.

In 2016, they opened Not Your Typ ical Deli in Gilbert Town Square and now that they’ve moved to downtown Gilbert, they still serve up the same family-friendly fare but have kept their mission alive in a scaled-down version of their old digs.

“The mission that we have behind the restaurant itself made it worth trying to figure out any way possible to keep Not Your Typical Deli alive somehow,” Chef W said.

Forced to look at relocating by the pandemic’s impact, Chef W said in creased interest in take-out orders inspired him to not only relocate his brick-and-mortar business but to also invest in a food truck.

“It pretty much saved us from the

whole pandemic,” he said.

The truck enables them to cater sport ing events, including baseball and soft ball tournaments, as well as operating concession stands at Old McQueen Park.

With costs going up but still wanting to keep a presence in town, Chef W also established a food stand behind The Farmhouse restaurant at 228 N. Gilbert Road, calling it a “scaled-down version” of their old 3,000-square-foot location.

Regardless, W said it still has some of their old favorites like their award-win

ning chocolate chip cookies. He also added some menu options, such as their classic sandwiches and is serving wine and beer.

Diners can eat at outdoor tables near the food stand.

But most of the Not Your Typical Deli staff still comprises developmentally challenged teens.

A 2013 University of Massachusetts survey of more than 1,000 parents/ guardians of adult children with an in tellectual disability estimated that the

unemployment rate at the time for de velopmentally challenged teens was more than twice that of the rate among other teenagers.

In that sample, the study found “a troublingly low” employment rate for adults 21 to 64 with an intellectual dis ability. It was only half the employment rate for working-age adults with no dis abilities.

In 2019, only about 19% of persons with a disability were employed, ac cording to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics, compared to 66.3% for peo ple without a disability.

In 2021, the unemployment rate of people with disabilities dropped to 10.1%, according to the bureau. That was still nearly twice the rate for people without a disability at 5.1% in the same year.

Chef W said he wants to bring an awareness of this issue and that he ac complishes that every day when cus tomers find out the employee who served them has special needs.

“We’re trying to break the stigma of special needs in the workforce,” Chef W said. “It truly is a civil rights movement for people with developmental disabili ties to be treated properly in the work

Chef W makes a muffuleta sandwich at Not Your Typical Food and Beverage. (David Minton/ GSN Staff Photographer)

force.”

Depalma said he was most impressed by how much his own son Daniel, who has a developmental disability, gravitat ed to working with Chef W.

“I call him the pied piper because the kids just follow him around,” Depalma said. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Chef W said he’s invested more than a decade working with Daniel, just as he does with all the special needs people he hires. Among other things, that in cludes going to therapy appointments when their parents couldn’t attend.

“We really invest into our employees, and they’re like family to us,” Chef W said.

The average age for his employees with special needs is around 23 and De palma said that’s when these kids get out of school searching for something to do.

“We need to do something for kids that are aging out of high school be cause they’ve got nowhere to go,” Depal ma said.

Their strategy works well: before they

has autism, obses sive compulsive disorder, atten tion-deficit hyperac tivity disorder, and Tourette Syndrome.

Bertoldo said Chef W taught him ev erything he knew throughout the restaurant and now is working as a cook.

+ Leisure Magazine.

Bertoldo said Chef W shows a genuine interest in helping his employees.

“He takes the time to talk to us and figure out what we need,” Bertoldo said. “He does his best and we all know it.”

Bertoldo also plans to work at the deli for a long while.

“A lot of opportunities are opening up and I’m planning to stay here,” Bertoldo said.

Not

in downtown Gil bert behind The Farmhouse restaurant after getting hammered by pandemic shutdowns at its Gilbert Town Square location. (David Minton/GSN Staff Photographer)

closed the old location, the business partners said they had 285 applications from teens with special needs.

Depalma said they can only hire so many special needs teens because they stay there for a long time.

Scott Bertoldo, 22, who has been with the deli for three years, Bertoldo, 22,

“I didn’t know anything walking in,” Bertoldo said. “He took me under his wing.”

That one-on-one training translates well at the front-of-the-house.

Like any restaurant, W said good food, good service and a good personality are a win.

That’s earned NYT Deli big accolades including Best Chocolate Chip Cookie in Arizona by Delish.com, and Best Place To Get A Sandwich in Arizona by Travel

Chef W said the new venue has opened doors for him as well to build upon his work with the developmental ly disabled, though nothing he can offi cially confirm yet.

“We want to get our hands on a lot of different things and create a lot of differ ent opportunities,” W said.

Information: nytdeli.com.

For More Information:

Visit: www.nytdeli.com Call: (480) 794-1116

Email: feedme@nytdeli.com

OPEN

Subject to approval. Certain restrictions apply. $300 cash back paid as 30,000 rewards points when a new Member opens a new Premium Rewards Checking account, deposits $1,000 within 60 days of account opening and completes one debit card transaction within 60 days of account opening. For more information visit VantageWest.org/NewMember. Federally Insured by NCUA.

More parents snub contact football

BY TAYLOR CORLEW Cronkite News

Formore than two decades, contact football has faced a concussion cri sis.

Head injuries, once considered an oc cupational risk, have steadily gained the attention of the sports world, specifically the parents of younger athletes.

As awareness of sports-related con cussions and brain injuries increases, Arizona parents have expressed appre hension about allowing their children to play contact football, according to a study published by the Barrow Neuro logical Institute in Phoenix.

In 2016, 68% of parents allowed their kids to play football. That number has fallen each year to a low of 47% in 2020.

Football remains king among popu lar high school sports, but concern over traumatic brain injuries has seemingly resulted in a dip in overall participation. And as experts learn more, there’s still the unanswered question of whether playing contact football is in a teenager’s best interest.

“The biggest unanswered question is, ‘How far along are we after a concus sion?’” said Dr. Jonathan Lifshitz, the di rector of the Translational Neurotrauma Research Program at Phoenix Children’s Hospital.

“How far are we removed from the in jury? How far into recovery are we? How much longer do we have to go?

“You can put it in the context of COVID. Someone tests positive with COVID. They don’t yet know if they’re going to have mild or severe symptoms, and they don’t know how long those symptoms are going to last. And if they lose their sense of smell, that unknowing amount of time is very challenging.”

Concussions are defined by the Cen ters for Disease Control and Preven

This chart shows a steady decline in the number of Valley parents who are allowing their sons to play contact football. (Barrow Institute)

tion as “a type of traumatic brain injury caused by a bump, blow or jolt to the head by a hit that causes the head and brain to move rapidly back and forth.”

In Arizona, the response to access to more information about concussions has resulted in parents seeking alternatives to contact football. Flag football is the most viable option.

In 2021, the CDC conducted a study comparing the number of head impacts in youth tackle football versus flag foot ball.

The study revealed that athletes who played contact football from ages 6 to 14 suffered 15 times more head injuries than flag football athletes and 23 times more high-magnitude head impacts.

The research also revealed that youth tackle football athletes undergo a me dian of 378 head impacts per athlete during the season. In contrast, flag foot ball athletes experience a median of eight head impacts per year.

Kerry DeSpain, the senior commis

sioner for the Gridiron Flag Football league, said she’s aware of the lower par ticipation in contact football among high schoolers and is well-equipped to offer a safer route to athletes.

“So we saw increased enrollment be cause of concerns about tackle (football) and concussions and all that,” DeSpain said. “Since 2016, we’ve been working to adjust to the newfound volume so that we can accommodate everyone ac cordingly.”

Youth sports provide an outlet for chil dren and teenagers to learn character development, accountability, working within a team environment and dealing with adversity.

It is imperative to keep adolescents safe and make the changes necessary to prevent traumatic brain injuries that may result in long-term psychological complications. Replacing contact foot ball with flag football accomplishes just that.

“It’s growing,” DeSpain said. “Over the

last couple of years, we’ve seen more junior highs starting their flag football teams. They’re not quite there yet, but it is growing.”

In areas where flag football isn’t a vi able solution, advanced tools are being implemented to measure the effects of concussions on the brain and estimate a safe timetable of recovery.

ImPACT testing, also known as base line testing, is done at Arizona’s middle and high school levels after an apparent concussion to gauge an athlete’s im pairment. ImPACT testing checks for IQ, memory and reaction time.

“It’s one of the things (that’s done) nationwide, and it’s used in concussion research all the time,” said Dr. Christina Stough of OneAccord Physical Therapy. “It’s not the best concussion tool, but it will at least give you some prediction of what your function was preconcussion.

“So, a lot of high school programs, like in Arizona specifically, Banner has a lot of high schools that do imPACT testing, so that if their athletes get concussed, they go do imPACT testing and once you meet your score of impact, you’re techni cally cleared for game play.”

It is important to note that the per ception of concussions has dramatically changed over the years. In 1994, NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue created the Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Commit tee and appointed New York Jets team physician Elliot J. Pellman as chairman.

“Concussions are part of the profes sion, an occupational risk,” Pellman told Sports Illustrated.

Although injuries may be baked into football by nature, the increased aware ness of the different forms of brain inju ries has caused concern surrounding the overall safety the sport, the most con cerning for Arizona parents being the

GilbertSunNews.com @GilbertSunNews /GilbertSunNews Check us out and like Gilbert Sun News on Facebook and follow @GilbertSunNews on Twitter

FOOTBALL from page 26

link between concussions and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

In a study, the Boston University Re search CTE Center linked CTE to both repetitive brain trauma, such as concus sions, and subconcussive hits.

The study concluded that for every 2.6 years of playing contact football, the risk of an athlete developing CTE doubles.

“So the concussion research right now is trying to figure out whether that CTE is related to concussion and impact in chronic concussions, or is it normal peo ple playing football?” Stough said.

“These football players are hitting

their heads too many times, they’re go ing crazy, they’re killing their wives, they are taking their lives type of stuff. So the concussion rap has gotten very bad. So that push away from letting your kids play has gotten extremely large.”

The future of contact football is cloudy at the moment, with strong opinions on both sides of the argument about the sport’s viability.

Replacing contact football with flag football is the most pragmatic solution to the concussion problem, but wheth er flag football will ever be accepted as a mainstream alternative isn’t clear.

Catch up on local news. gilbertsunnews.com

With JAN D’ATRI

GetOut Contributor

Debates aside, this apple tart wins any argument

So I find myself, once again, in the middle of a “who done it?”

Who really did invent the flakey, delicate butter-ladened layers of dough we’ve come to know and love as puff pastry?

The French will say it was invented in 1645 by a French apprentice bakery cook named Claudius Gele, who brought the recipe to Florence where it became wildly popular.

Ah, but the Italians cry foul and say that puff pastry was al ready being made in Italy long before that- – as early as 1525 – -and they say there is a document to prove it!

For this beautiful apple tart made with puff pastry and caramel sauce, I’m staying out of the argument and focusing on thawing the dough, slicing the apples and baking!

At least I know where apples come from. Thank you, Johnny Appleseed! Maybe.

This apple tart is a simple and elegant sweet that is perfect with coffee in the morning or as a satisfying dessert any time of the day. The only important do-ahead is to take the puff pastry out of the freezer and let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight.

I think that once you make an apple tart like this, it will become one of your treasured treats. I say let the French and Italians duke it out over this one and we’ll make apple tart and not war!

Ingredients:

2 sheets (1 package) puff pastry dough, thawed

4 medium Granny Smith apples

1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice

1/8 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup sugar

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Peel, core and cut apples into 1/4 inch slices. Place in a bowl, squeeze lemon juice and salt

over apples and gently toss. Set aside.

Carefully unfold both sheets of thawed puff pastry. Place dough on two baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Cut each sheet into 4 equal squares.

Fold dough over about 1/8 of an inch around each square to form a thin border. Place slices of apple (overlapping) diagonally across the pastry. Add 2-3 slices on either side of the diagonal slic es. Repeat until dough and apples are used up. Sprinkle each square with sugar. Dot each square with 1 tablespoon of chilled butter.

Bake for 30 minutes or until pastry is gold en brown. Remove from oven and while still warm, brush caramel sauce over apples. Makes 8 squares. (Can be frozen after cooking.)

Caramel sauce

Ingredients:

3/4 packed brown sugar

1/2 cup half and half or heavy cream

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions:

In medium saucepan over medium-high heat, bring sugar, cream, butter and salt to boil whisking constantly until sugar dissolves. Boil until caramel begins to coat spoon whisking often, about 7-8 minutes. Brush caramel sauce over Apple Tart while still warm.

When: Friday, Oct. 14; 9am - 2pm Saturday, Oct. 15; 9am - 1pm

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

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

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

PEOPLE.

LOCAL JOBS.

480-898-6465

JOB SEEKERS

jobs.phoenix.org 480-898-6465

Getting Started in Trades

Not everyone is cut out for college. In fact, many people forego a formal education to enter careers in the trades.

Job opportunities in the trades are wide and varied. Many people become skilled at trades in high school, where they learn the basics of auto repair and woodworking. Some enter apprenticeships directly after graduating, while others attend trade or technical schools for advanced training.

Either way, trades offer a rewarding, in-demand and profitable career for many interested in working with theirs hands and possess the aptitude to diagnose and repair complicated machinery in fields such as heating and air conditioning, welding, masonry and more. Here are some popular trades and the training required to being your career.

ELECTRICIANS

High school graduates and those with a GED can enter training at a technical school for electricians. These diploma programs provide training in the fundamentals of an electrical trade and enables students to become proficient in areas such as areas as electrical wiring and programmable

logic controllers used in residential, commercial and industrial applications. After completing four semesters of training, new electricians enter the workforce through an apprenticeship as they work toward their license, which is required by many states.

PLUMBERS

Like electricians, plumbing technicians first attend at least two semesters of training at a technical school before beginning an apprenticeship and earning a license. Modern plumbers have the opportunity to work at a variety of job sites and install or repair new technologies, such as tankless water heaters, WiFi leak detectors and smart appliances. This trade skill is extremely valuable and sees constant job demand.

CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY

This relatively new, rapidly expanding trade directly taps into the fast-paced digital world, creating and installing the systems homes and businesses have com to rely upon. Smartenabled and security systems are examples of fields that form the digital footprint of many

modern workplaces and homes. In high-demand, technologists in this field are trained for 2-3 years and obtain a certificate before working on-site and completing a paid apprenticeship.

VETERANS IN TRANSITION

Many people enter the armed forces to take advantage of military benefits, such as funding for a college education, while also performing their duties around the world after attending vocational training for a particular field. After completing their service, veterans with valuable trade skills can often enter the workforce directly or take advantage of veterans benefits that provide them further training to adapt military occupations to a civilian career.

No matter what trade you pursue, the training you receive can almost guarantee a life-long position, many with substantial pay that sometimes reaches into six figures. And even if you never pursue a trade professionally, the skills you learn can be applied in your everyday life, as well as a fulfilling hobby.

To Advertise Call: 480-898-6465 or email Class@TimesLocalMedia.com

Life Events

Employ m e n t

Employment General Employment General

Klarissa Lotta’mae

HEADSTONES

BE YOUR

Rental, Busy E. Mesa

Hair & Nail Salon, Work Your Own Hours, Private Station With Sinks! Call or

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Classifieds 480-898-6465

Senior Software Developer. Deliver high quality software applications to client and inhouse specifications for a provider of health and wellness programs. Employer: Tivity Health Services, LLC. Location: Chandler, AZ. May telecommute from any location in the United States. To apply mail resumé (no calls/emails) to ATTN: April Baltzly, 1445 S. Spectrum Blvd., Chandler, AZ 85286..

Employment General

Frontline Management, (Chandler, AZ), Nursing Assistant, Job requirements: Provide a variety of services to maintain and support activities for residents and other staff under the supervision of a nurse. Requires a high school diploma and 6 months caregiving experience. Apply to: https://frontlinemgmt.com/careers/

AMAZON.COM SERVICES LLC, an Amazon.com company Tempe, AZ:

Front-End Engineer II: Create & modify the front e nd experience & maintainability of team tools or a pps. (AMZ6057219).

M ultiple job openings. Apply online : www.amazon.jobs – search by AMZ6057219. EOE.

PayPal, Inc. has the following positions available in Scottsdale, AZ:

• Software Engineer 3 (Req.#: 21-2604): Design & bld s/w tools, frmwrks & s/w infrastructure to sup p ort automation. Telecommuting permitted: wor k m ay be performed from anywhere in the US.

SHARE WITH THE WORLD!

• HR Business Partner (Req.#: 19-6106): Coac h employees & mgrs through cmplx employee relation situations contributing to individual & team prfrm nce & professionalism.

Must be legally authorized to work in the U.S. w/ o s ponsorship. To apply, please send your resum e w/references, by email to: paypaljobs@paypal.com; or by mail: ATTN: HR, Cube 10.3.561, PayPal, Inc.

H Q, 2211 North First Street, San Jose, CA 95131 EOE, including disability/vets. Ref. Req.# w/applica tion.

Ahwatukee Chandler Gilbert Glendale Mesa North Valley Peoria

Ahwatukee Chandler Gilbert Glendale Mesa North Valley Peoria Phoenix SanTan Scottsdale Queen Creek West Valley

Jobs.Phoenix.Org

Garage Sales/

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Homes For Sale

FSBO: Mtn Canyon Condo, 1 bdr, 1 bath w/ single attached garage, grd floor, end unit surrounded by mtn. preserve. It's all about the views! 3236 E. Chandler, #1049 PHOENIX, AZ 85048 $289,000. For appt. call Kevin 602-821-0284

Apartments

Apache Junction Apartment's for rent. Superstition and Main Dr. Lg 3b/2ba, lg fenced yard newly renovated, garage & AC. No Deposit Dented

Credit ok. $1800 water/trash included.

Call Dave 602-339-1555

Garage/Doors

GARAGE DOOR SERVICE East Valley/ Ahwatukee

Broken Springs Replaced Nights/Weekends Bonded/Insured 480-251-8610

Not a licensed contractor

Deloitte Consulting LLP seeks a Consulting, Solution Architect in Gilbert, AZ & various unanticipated Deloitte office locations & client sites nationally to manage information technology projects, including advisory and implementation services of large-scale data ecosystems, involving data management, governance and the integration of structured and unstructured data to generate insights to help companies unlock the value of big information tech nology investments. 15% travel required nationally.

Telecommuting permitted. To apply visit apply.deloitte.com. Enter XBAL23FC0922GIL125 in “Search jobs” field. EOE, including disability/ veterans.

Notice of Hearing

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that on the 3rd day of May, 2022, an order was granted by the Superior Court of Ari z ona in Maricopa County, bearing case numbe r CV2022091867000, seeking to change the name of minor child from Sutton Marie Kimball to Sutton Marie Trembly The Court has fixed Friday, October 7, 2022 at 2:50 p.m. , via Microsoft Teams meeting (Dial In: +1 917-781-4590, ac cess code: 674991104) as the date for hearing of the Peti tion. All persons interested in the proposed change of name may appear and show cause, if any they have, why the pray er of the Petitioner should not be granted. Published: Eas t Valley Tribune, Sept. 11, 18, 25, Oct 2, 2022 / 49071

Notice of Creditors

IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF ARIZONA IN A ND FOR THE COUNTY OF MARICOPA Case No.: PB2022 0 03842 NOTICE TO CREDITORS OF INFORMAL APPOINT M ENT OF PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE AND INFORMA L PROBATE OF WILL In the Matter of the Estate of: GARY ALAN MATYAS, An Adult, Deceased.1. Allison Diane Schafer was appoin ted Personal Representative of this Estate on August 8, 2022. 2. All persons having claims against the Estate are required to present their claims within four months after the date of the first publication of this Notice or the claims will be forever barred. 3. Claims must be presen ted by delivering or mailing a written statement of the claim to the Per sonal Representative, c/o Dawn M. Trott-Keller, Indigo Law PLLC, 23219 151st Pl SE, Monroe, WA 98272. 4. A copy of the Notice o f Appointment is attached to the copies of this document mailed to all k nown creditors. DATED this 13th day of September 2022 _________ Dawn M. Trott-Keller, #037505 Attorney for Petitioner Published: East Valley Tribune/Gilbert Sun News Sept 18, 25, Oct 2, 2022 / 49159

Public Notices

n a rea, due 10/27/2022. Certifications must be active an d w ithout restrictions with the City of Phoenix o r UTRACS.azdot.gov, for the following services: Uniforms , Tires, Non-Revenue Vehicles, Automotive Parts, Oils an d Lubricants, Cleaning Supplies, Towing Services, Autobody Repair, On-Site Mobile Vehicle Washing, Wireless Security C ameras, Janitorial Services, and Security Services. Fo r more information, bonding, lines of credit, insurance, RFP, scope of work, and to receive a bid form please contact A Barry at MVDBE2@mvtransit.com or (925) 381-5135. Bids are due to MV on October 17, 2022, 5:00 PM PST.

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D

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