Gilbert Sun News 02/26/2023

Town shatters homeowners’ Ocotillo Road relief hopes

BY CECILIA CHAN GSN Managing Editor

Some homeowners came to last week’s Gilbert Town Council meeting with hopes of saving their land from eminent domain – and instead got a gut punch.

Newly elected Council members Jim Torgeson, Chuck Bongiovanni and Bobbi Buchli requested that the Ocotillo Road widening project be placed on the Feb. 21

agenda for discussion.

e trio wanted to look for a less intrusive option for the project that currently a ects 46 properties in southeast Gilbert but was told at the last moment that their hands were tied.

“I’m normally a happy guy,” Bongiovanni said. “I’m not happy tonight.

“What I’m not happy is that this project was voted on in January of 2022 and I

Council defeats rail ban measure as ght goes on

BY CECILIA CHAN GSN Managing Editor

An ordinance that would have prohibited Gilbert from participating and spending any resources for passenger rail was derailed last week.

Council newcomers Jim Torgeson, Bobbi Buchli and Chuck Bongiovanni wanted to resurrect the ordinance opposing light rail and commuter rail for the Feb. 21 meeting after it was tabled

last fall. However, they failed to muster the necessary votes to pass the measure, which failed 4-3 with their colleagues saying it tied the town’s hands for future economic opportunities.

“We must vote ‘yes,’” Torgeson said. “I think that in order to send the proper message to this town, to the people who count on their safety, that counts on the character of this town that we need to give them this assurance and if we don’t, I think we are disingenuous

No mean feat

You don’t have to be Scottish to appreciate what Craig Carle and others did last year at Gilbert Regional Park during the Phoenix Scottish Games during the Caber Toss, one of many sporting events during a three-day festival that drew thousands of people. And if you missed this joyous conglomeration of athleticism, stirring music and pageantry, don’t fret: You have your chance to see it all this coming weekend at the same place. For details, see page 32. (David Minton/GSN Staff Photographer)

Bill would mandate rearms training in grades 6-12

BY SARAH MIN HELLER Cronkite News

The Arizona House is advancing a bill that mandates school districts and charter schools to teach rearms safety in grades 6-12.

Rep. Selina Bliss, R-Prescott, who sponsored HB 2332, said she wants children to learn proper gun safety in order to stop accidental deaths, and denied that the bill was about training youths to use rearms.

But opponents, including two high school students who testi ed against the bill this month, worry the training would take away from already limited school resources and push gun culture on campuses.

“I take classes ranging from math and science to history and the arts, classes that will prepare me for a productive and active lifestyle,” said Gilbert High School freshman Bridgette Hanson. “Neither I nor my fellow students have the time to

take on this anxiety-inducing gun training.

“And more importantly this gun training would take away resources from our school’s top priority and only responsibility to educate students in areas that

will prepare us to become productive, valuable members of society.”

For example, she added, in seventh-grade she took a newspaper class where she learned skills such as in communication and research.

“I was on track to be an editor in my second year of the program but unfortunately the program was cut,” said Bridgette, an honors student with a full course load. “ ere was no money left at our school for it.

“ is bill would take money from useful programs like newspaper and other skill-based classes and put that money into lethal weapons training. Lastly this training would not only give students a false sense of security but it would also shift the responsibility for gun safety o of gun owners … and shift the responsibility onto students who do not have fully developed brains,” she continued.

Rep. Laurin Hendrix, R-Gilbert, had the opposite view, saying, “I agree with the intent of the bill to move it forward.”

But the former Gilbert councilman raised a concern with the task force that would develop the curriculum.

e task force members include ed-

see GUNS page 8

Gilbert High School freshman Bridgette Hanson spoke against the bill that would mandate firearms training in schools. (Arizona Legislature)

An

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ROAD from page 1

personally found out today that we have an ordinance that states that any reconciliation of a vote must occur by the next town council meeting.

“Unfortunately, because of that ordinance, we are kind of powerless over any kind of vote to make sta look at any kind of potential changes.”

Bongiovanni and his council colleagues learned of the ordinance at an executive session just hours earlier.

Buchli said she followed the project during her campaign and attended meetings with the residents. “I wanted so badly for this to work out for you guys,” she said.

Torgeson said it pained him to be powerless to help the property owners and if he can do anything to help, he will.

e town plans to widen two-lane Ocotillo Road from Green eld Road to 148th Street to two lanes in each direction with a striped center left-turn lane while also adding bike lanes, sidewalks and a multi-purpose pathway.

Ocotillo has been planned as a minor arterial for a couple of decades and without the improvement, congestion will only get worst for the area, according to town ocials.

Sta pushed the option that called for 130 feet of right-of-way – 65 feet on each side of Ocotillo Road from its center for the project – but residents contend the project can be done with 55 feet on either side of Ocotillo instead.

e previous council, which comprised Mayor Brigette Peterson and Council members Scott Anderson, Yung Koprowski, Laurin Hendrix, Scott September, Aimee Yentes and Kathy Tilque voted Jan. 11, 2022, without comment to move forward with the land acquisition, which was on the consent agenda. Hendrix, September and Yentes are no longer on council.

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e a ected property owners, who are in a rural area, were not noti ed about the project until after the council’s vote. Nine of the properties are in Gilbert and the remaining 37 are in Maricopa County but within the town’s planning area.

Residents led by Terri Naddy began speaking out at the council meetings, prompting the council to direct sta last year to look for a compromise option.

But after several months, sta reported

that the original option was the best because anything less was not possible due to the easements that public utilities required.

Naddy, who will lose over 4,000 square feet of her property, questioned how residents could have contested the council’s January 2022 vote in a timely manner when she learned about the project just before Mother’s Day last year.

“How on earth am I supposed to do anything to counter what your sta deemed appropriate when I didn’t know about it?” said Taddy, who became emotional. “ at’s not OK.

“I will continue to ght with every ber of my being and every last dollar I have because this is not OK.”

Resident Terri Naddy spoke out against the Ocotillo Road widening project again last week, bitterly disappointed that even her supporters on Town Council say they’re powerless to find an approach less intrusive than taking some of her land and that of many neighbors. (YouTube)

Gilbert will be taking some land from 46 properties along Ocotillo Road for a widening project. (File photo)

To add insult to injury, Rich Robertson said the residents recently became aware of a document circulating among town sta last September that scored the a ected property owners on a scale of 1-4 based on their “vocal level” with one being the most vocal.

Some of the residents also had notes beside their names such as “reasonable people,” “easy to speak with not happy but not anti,” and “hard to get a hold of and could become problematic.”

“I’m a No. 2 and according to the notes it’s because I’ve been addressing the council and written letters,” Robertson said. “A four on this list are people who are considered to be reasonable

“ e Town of Gilbert has created e ectively an enemy’s list. Why are we as residents who are trying to exercise our rights are being ranked by your sta on how compliant we are with you? is is I suspect not how the council really wants its residents to be treated. I think it’s outrageous.”

Robertson added that when sta was directed to look for other design options last year other than the 160-foot right-of-way, Council did not include instructions to involve the residents.

“Instead all of it was done behind closed doors and the results were presented to council behind closed doors,” Robertson said. “So it was not surprising the result was the sta got what it wanted regardless of what the neighborhood wanted. e sta said 65 feet is the desired option from an engineering standpoint. I believe 55 feet is a viable option even if it’s less desirable.

“Fifty- ve fee is certainly more desirable to those of us facing bulldozers.”

Robertson faced losing 30 feet of his front yard and “seven very large trees in front of the house being cut down for the project.”

Peterson said she hadn’t seen the list that Robertson spoke of but apologized to him for it.

“I’m sorry if that was circulating through our town and through our sta ,” Peterson said. “I don’t know where it came from and it’s not acceptable. I’m disappointed. I’m just appalled that something like that might be going around.”

With that said, the mayor concluded the agenda item because it was for discussion only. None of the other council members spoke on the issue.

e Town the next day apologized for the use of the “vocal level” label shown in the resident list.

“ e document itself was a draft of the presentation that was being created for the resident small group brie ngs held in October,” Public Works Director Jessica Marlow said in an email. “ e list was a comprehensive summary of the property owners, the property data, location and what level and type of communication we had received.

“In hindsight, it should have been named di erently and was in no way intended to negatively label anyone, it was meant to help sta better understand how to address concerns ahead of the meetings.”

After the council meeting, both Naddy and Robertson stated that they are contemplating their next moves.

Torgeson, who garnered Bongiovanni and Buchli’s support to put the project on the agenda, expressed disappointment the following day.

“I truly, truly wanted these people to be made whole,” Torgeson said. “ ere is not a ber in my body that doesn’t want these people made whole.”

Torgeson also said that he agreed with Stephanie Robertson, who complained at the meeting that there was a lack of transparency and that the residents were given di erent information by di erent people regarding the project. He said he’s been getting di erent and con icting information from sta as well.

“At this point it’s so frustrating trying to get past the machine of bureaucracy,” Torgeson said. “ ey are trying to say we are stuck and can’t do anything about it but it doesn’t make legal sense to me.”

He questioned the ordinance, noting that no council can bind the future action of another council.

And, he added, “why is it sta is claiming that there is no other way to t all the utilities in less than 65 feet yet there are plenty of places in town where utilities are in less than 65 feet and they just refuse.

“ ey got the ear of four people who refuse to listen to logic,” he said. “ ere are three of us listening and four of us that aren’t.

“I’m not done. I’m trying to ght for these people. I believe in property rights.

I am consulting with attorneys outside to see what can be done.”

Worried Higley plans spending for coming scal year

BY CECILIA CHAN GSN Managing Editor

The Higley Uni ed School District Governing Board is expected March 8 to tentatively adopt a proposed $124 million spending plan that includes employee pay raises totaling $5 million.

Final adoption is in June for the budget that covers maintenance and operations spending for the 2024 scal year beginning July 1. e proposed budget is $4.3 million higher than the previous one.

“ is has been a huge focus for us as three years ago we were one of the very lowest paying,” Superintendent Dr. Dawn Foley said at the Feb. 22 board meeting.

“We are being very intentionally and thoughtful making sure we are recognizing across the board in all areas as we work to maintain competitive and attract people to Higley.”

e salary increases include a 4% increase for teachers and other certi ed sta such as instructional coaches; a $1 an hour increase or 5.5% for classi ed hourly sta , including bus drivers and janitors and a 2% increase for administrators such as principals, department heads and managers.

e proposed compensation also includes a $750 one-time stipend for all employees, a 2% raise for coaching, where the pay has been stagnant for many years, and a $5 increase for substitute teachers.

Increasing the sub pay is a pro-active move that would put the district ahead of others, allowing it to continue to ll vacant positions, according to CFO Tyler Moore.

Moore added that the bonuses would be covered from “a lot of one-time savings” and rather than hold onto it, the district decided to put it back to employees in an e ort to show recognition for all the work that they’ve done.

e pay increases for teachers and certi ed sta totaled $950,000 in cost and would raise the salary of starting teachers to $56,226.

“ is does put us as a leader for now,” Moore noted in comparing HUSD with school districts in Mesa, Chandler, Queen Creek and Gilbert.

He said that sta was still researching options to enhance insurance bene ts

for employees with savings realized from switching to self-insurance.

Because voters rejected a $77.2-million bond in November to fund capital projects, the district will transfer $6.6 million from the maintenance and operations budget to the capital budget, according to Moore. e proposed capital budget is $17 million.

Some good news, Moore said is the district will see savings with the re nancing of the remaining 30 years of payments on its two middle-school leases. Instead of shifting $4.1 million each year from the M&O Budget to the Capital Budget, the district’s annual payment is dropping to $3.5 million, according to Moore.

For next school year, the savings amounts to $620,000 and $618,000 for each of the following two scal years, he said, adding that the net budget di erence over 30 years is $18.6 million, which will go back into the operational budget.

“I can’t emphasize how big this is,” he said. “ e lease is not gone but it reduces the impact to the district and goes a long

way in addressing teacher pay.”

Moore said although the state Legislature lifted the spending cap for school districts this year, HUSD will face it again in Fiscal Year 2024.

e Aggregate Expenditure Limit is a 1980 voter-approved constitutional amendment that caps total education spending at what it was then, with annual adjustments for in ation and student growth.

Each year school districts brace themselves for potential cuts in their budget, unable to spend the money they already have due to the cap. e Legislature two weeks ago voted to waive the spending limit for the current school year, but has not addressed a more permanent x.

Moore said that school districts will have an early estimate in May of what the spending limit will look like for next scal year.

If state lawmakers don’t waive the cap, the district is looking at impacts to its operations with possible hiring and salary freezes, he said, adding that the district

could potentially tap into some of its budget contingency.

“We do not have the luxury to continue to set aside the amount of money we have been doing for the AEL,” he said. “We proposed a bond that failed and so in balancing the budget transfer from the M&O to Capital to support that as well as try to o er competitive salaries and all the increases incurred in terms of insurance and cost of living increases across the board.”

He said a $400,000 gap in funding for the new budget would come out of the budget carry-forward projected at $26 million, lot of it due to vacancy savings.

“We propose reducing the Fiscal Year ’24 budget carry-forward to balance that budget,” Moore said. “As noted earlier we’re slated to carry over $26 million so I feel con dent that the budget balance carry forward can support this net budget decrease.”

Board member Kristina Reese said she was concerned with the contingency

Higley Unified is proposing raises for teachers that will make the district’s starting pay more competitive with its neighbors. (HUSD)

money set aside for unexpected expenses and pointed to an earlier sta presentation that showed a $60,000 increase in fuel cost this scal year from last.

“We would not have projected our fuel increases the way they were,” Reese said. “Diesel continues to stay really high and just going up.

“We knew costs were coming up but we could not have expected it to look like this. It makes me uncomfortable – not to the point where I’m like ‘oh, no’ – but I’m leery because I don’t know what will happen if we will be better or worse next year.”

Board President Ti any Shultz told Moore she was fearful it will become worse.

“We do have to pay out teachers and our sta to be able to have good sta and to teach our kids and we don’t want to cut programs. So I appreciate the juggling that you do with the budget and I hope that we can be in a better place. I just am fearful it’s going to get worst.”

Board member Amanda Wade said paying employees a higher wage would end up costing the district less in the long run because HUSD won’t have to contract for workers, which cost more.

“I spoke with a few people who had concerns,” said board member Anna Van Hoek. “Obviously we want to see our sta paid well. But last year there was a 6% increase and then the $5 million more in salary increases this year.”

She asked how the district would be able to continue covering the increase in pay if voters reject renewing an override or increase of the district’s M&O Budget. She suggested instead a one-time stipend.

Moore explained that the proposed pay hike for teachers would be covered by the 2% in ation increase in funding from the state.

He added that the district is scheduled to go to the voters in Fiscal Year 2024 with an override election. If the override is rejected, the impact for Fiscal Year 2025 is approximately $3 million cut in spending and $8 million for the following year.

By Fiscal Year 2027 when the existing override expires, it would mean a $13 million reduction in the budget.

“If you look at what it’s approved for, a lot of it is for extra curricular (the arts and music),” Moore said. “If that were not to pass, I hate to say this, but we would go there rst (to cut).”

A portion of the override includes funding sta positions, which would mean potentially freezing salary, he added.

Van Hoek said she did a comparison and found that HUSD’s transfer of funds to the capital budget was higher than that of other Valley districts.

“When doing the comparison to other districts, Higley was at 83% in our M&O dollars,” she said; “where the other districts are like 12% and some even at 7%.

Community members are concerned

see HIGLEY page 8

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HIGLEY from page 6

Pay increases for Higley Unified employees will total $5 million in the fiscal year beginning July 1. (HUSD)

GUNS from page 3

ucators, school administrators, curriculum specialists, urban housing safety o cials, clinical psychologists and it continues on with a few others, he said.

“I’m not comfortable with that being the task force that is going to create the curriculum,” Hendrix said. “I’m hopeful we’ll see a change before it gets to the oor. If that’s the development team that is going to put this curriculum together I’ll be a hard ‘no’ on the oor.”

Bliss extolled the bill’s virtues.

“ e purpose of this bill is for children to learn about rearm safety from quali ed individuals with the focus on safety rather than from popular culture and various forms of media,” said Bliss, a lifelong Constitutional conservative.

“As a nurse for 36 years, half of which was in the emergency department, I’ve seen my fair share of fatal and near-fatal gunshot wounds.

“As an educator I realized the value of knowledge to empower others to do what is correct and as a mom I want my children to be safe.”

Bliss said she was aware of the value of education when it comes to rearm safety through her personal experience as a concealed weapons-carry instructor, as a member of e Armed Woman of America - Gunsite and Chino Valley chapters and as the Safety and EMS director of e Arizona State Ri e and Pistol Association.

“Statistics in 2021 showed that 259 accidental rearm injuries in this nation resulted in 104 deaths of our children,” Bliss said. “Many of these are when our children visit other homes or come across an unsecured rearm.”

e problem this bill is trying to solve is rearm accident prevention through education so that our kids are safe from rearm injuries and deaths.”

HIGLEY from page 7

about the fact that we are so much higher than other districts in capital.”

Moore explained the reason for that was the district didn’t have bond money or a capital budget override to rely on.

“A lot of our neighboring districts has these additional capital revenue sources

Bliss stressed that under her measure the training “does not cover topics such as rearm operation or hunting but rather the safe and unsafe handling of rearms.”

“ is is a non-controversial safety subject that teaches children safety topics such as when they see an unattended rearm – depending on the age – to stop, don’t touch, go nd an adult if you see a rearm,” Bliss said.

“ e beauty of this is handouts and materials can be shared with parents.

ey can take them home and discuss safe handling and the safe storage of rearms in the home.

“For this bill, this is one-time education and this bill takes into consideration the academic freedom in that it allows a variety of rearm accident prevention programs and curriculum that may be used. And this bill also allows a variety of teachers quali ed to teach the content.

“I want to emphasize again, this bill is not about live rearms training rather it’s about the training of the concept of rearm safety.”

and so we do not,” he said.

He added that cuts have already been made in the proposed capital budget and he has a hard time cutting it more.

“Yes, we do fund a large portion of our Capital Budget from our M&O because that’s the reality of Higley’s budget and how we have to maintain our schools,” he said

Arizona Education Association, with over 20,000 members, opposed the bill, saying that educators were not consulted during the crafting.

“We have too many unfunded mandates that are having a negative impact on our public schools,” said Isela Blanc, legislative liaison for the association at a Feb. 6 House Military A airs and Public Safety Committee hearing.

Blanc instead favored another gun-safety measure – HB 2192 authored by Rep. Jennifer Longdon, D-Phoenix, who sits on the committee. Longdon, a gun-control advocate, is a wheelchair user after she was shot in a random drive-by.

Longdon’s bill would require people owning guns and ammunition to properly store them away from children, which is what responsible gun ownership is, Blanc said.

“Stop putting pressure on educators and on our public school systems,” she said. “ e onus is on folks that own guns.”

Moms Demand Action, a nonpro t

Van Hoek asked what will happen with the counselor positions funded by the federal pandemic relief money that is expiring at the end of the year.

“How are we going to fund those counselors after the fact?” she said.

Moore said the $1 an hour increase would put HUSD in the middle of the pack for pay.

group advocating for stronger gun laws, also opposed the bill. e group has its own rearms safety program called Be SMART– an acronym for secure, model, ask, recognize and tell.

e program is aimed at parents and rearms owners to take the responsibility, not children, said Kelley Ireland, co-leader of Be SMART in Tucson. Ireland added that rearms safety training sessions in schools “could traumatize children.”

is is not the rst time such a bill has been considered. In 2022, Bliss’ District 1 colleague, Rep. Quang Nguyen, R-Prescott Valley, introduced HB 2448, which was nearly identical to HB 2332, with many sections of Nguyen’s bill taken verbatim by Bliss.

Longdon introduced an amendment to the bill that would give schools the option to teach the course instead of mandating they o er the training. But it was shot down on a party-line vote with eight Republicans against and seven Democrats in favor.

at committee eventually passed Bliss’ bill by an 8-7 vote

Longdon said that her amendment also would have allowed for exemptions such as for religious beliefs and students with Individualized Educational Plan as the experience of taking the course “might not be bene cial to their learning experience.”

“We are not exempting them either,” she said. “So we’re not giving parents the choice that they need to be able to make in the best interest of their personal family by not passing the amendment and so for that I’m a hard’ no.’”

According to the proposed bill, parents would be allowed to opt their student out of the training.

e House Rules Committee advanced the bill on Feb. 13 by a 5-3 vote.

(GSN Managing Editor Cecilia Chan contributed to this report.)

As for counselors’ salaries, the strict has been holding that in contingency and plans to bring them back into the M&O Budget when the COVID funding goes away, Moore said.

He added that the stipend is a one-time cost compared with increasing the pay even more for positions such as bus drivers would be an on-going expense.

State Rep. Laurin Hendrix, R-Gilbert, favors the bill on firearms training. (Arizona Legislature)

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Neuropathy or Poor Circulation? Diagnosing the Difference

Peripheral neuropathy is a condition that involves damage to the nerves in your feet. Symptoms include muscle cramping, difficulty walking, burning, tingling, numbness, and pain. In many cases, it’s caused by diabetes, but poor circulation can also cause these symptoms or make them worse.

Poor circulation or PAD (peripheral artery disease) is caused by the buildup of fatty material inside the arteries, limiting the amount of blood that

passes through them. “Blood brings oxygen and nutrients to your legs and feet which they need to stay healthy,” explains Dr. Shahram Askari of CiC Foot & Ankle. “If you have cramping, leg pain, or non-healing sores, you could have PAD.”

The good news is specialists are able to treat PAD with a minimally invasive procedure in an office setting. Using x-ray imaging, Dr. Joel Rainwater, an interventional radiologist at Com-

prehensive Integrated Care, is able to go into the bloodstream through a tiny nick in the skin to see if there is any plaque buildup.

“We’re able to see if there is a blockage and then remove it with special instruments,” explains Dr. Rainwater. “Once the plaque is removed, blood flow improves.” Patients are home within hours and back to everyday activities with almost no downtime and no stitches. Medi-

care as well as most insurance plans cover treatment.

If you’re just realizing that you may be suffering from neuropathy or poor circulation, make an appointment to see a doctor. Or, if you’re not finding relief from medication or treatment, a second opinion may be helpful to determine the cause of the tingling, cramping, pain, or numbness in your feet.

Dr. Askari and Dr. Rainwater can be reached at 602-954-0777.

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Banner Gateway Center expands Women, Infant Services Unit here

Banner Gateway Medical Center in Gilbert has expanded its Women, Infant Services unit, adding ve new labor and delivery rooms and nine additional postpartum rooms, said hospital spokesman Corey Schubert.

e expansion includes a new neonatal intensive care unit for babies that need extra care.

“We did have a NICU before, but it was small, with eight beds, and we have outgrown it,” Schubert said. “ e new NICU has 16 larger rooms, a family lounge, and lots of windows for natural lighting.”

A new outdoor space also was built exclusively for unit patients.

According to Schubert, the hospital handles an average of 4,000 deliveries each year and with the new rooms, it will be able to accommodate up to 6,000 each year.

e expansion is part of a 351,000-squarefoot addition that doubles the size of the medical campus, adding more space for surgical, emergency, endoscopy and imaging services. Licensed inpatient beds will

AROUND GILBERT

increase from 177 to 286.

e project included construction of two new surface parking lots, adding approximately 492 new parking spaces for visitor and sta use.

Despite in ation and supply-chain issues, the construction, which kicked o in February 2021, stayed within its $243-million budget, according to Schubert.

e expanded Women and Infant Services unit will open to patients on Feb. 28.

e full campus expansion, which was expected to add over 600 new jobs, will open on March 21.

Gilbert Town Council approves utility rate hikes to take e ect April 1

Utility rates increase for wastewater, reclaimed water and environmental compliance for storm water and air quality fees for all residential and nonresidential customers in Gilbert go into e ect after April 1.

Council voted 7-0 on Feb. 21 to approve the increases. No one from the public spoke on the issue.

Residents will see an increase of $8.02 for wastewater and $2.51 for environmental

compliance services on their bills. e impact to non-residential customers will vary.

With the rate increase, Gilbert will have the third-lowest average utility residential bill compared with surrounding cities.

A recent study determined that rate increases are needed in order to maintain the utility operations and ensure continued quality services. e water and environmental services rates will remain the same.

Gilbert customers can use the online utility bill calculator at gilbertaz.gov/BillCalculator to see how the rates increase will a ect their monthly bill.

More information on the new rates increase can be found at gilbertaz.gov/UtilityRates.

Man dead after fatal collision at Lindsay and Williams Field roads

A 44-year-old man died after two cars collided at Lindsay and Williams Field roads on Feb. 21, Gilbert Police reported.

e man was identi ed as Allen Joseph Wilson, who died at the scene.

Wilson was a passenger in a Chevrolet Colorado driven by a 49-year-old un-

identi ed woman who was transported to the hospital for treatment of serious but non-life-threatening injuries, according to police.

e woman was in the eastbound-turn lane at Williams Field and attempted to turn north onto Lindsay Road, police said.

e Chevrolet collided into a Dodge Ram truck that was driving west on Williams Field Road. e driver and the passenger of the Ram pickup were not injured and remained at the scene.

Council action on controversial light industrial project delayed

A controversial proposed rezoning of 302 acres to largely light-industrial uses has been continued to at least June.

Town Council Feb. 21 approved the request to delay action on the case to allow the developer more time to rework the proposal to address concerns of Morrison Ranch residents.

e land is located between Elliot and Warner roads along the west side of Power Road.

COUNCIL from page 1

in representing them.”

Although light rail is o the table for Gilbert, that’s not the case for commuter rail.

Two years ago, Amtrak announced a 15-year plan to connect up to 160 communities in over 25 states, including providing train trips between Buckeye and Tucson using existing freight tracks.. Gilbert has no say as to where the federally chartered corporation decides to place its commuter-rail stops.

According to Amtrak, 16 Arizona municipalities have indicated support of its vision, including Gilbert, Chandler, Queen Creek and Phoenix. e proposed stations so far included Queen Creek, Tempe, downtown Phoenix and Buckeye, Amtrak said.

Buchli said she campaigned against it for nine months.

“I do not think that Gilbert is a t for commuter rail or light rail,” she said. “Even if we’ve been told that commuter rail is not coming, we need to vote ‘yes’ on this and make sure that if somehow

it does get here in the future for us, for our children, for whoever that no town money, no town funds will be spent on commuter rail.”

Bongiovanni said he wanted to make it clear that if the ordinance was to fail, it didn’t mean that “we are putting in light rail or commuter rail.”

“Win or lose, I just want you to know your voice was heard and it isn’t over,” he said.

Councilman Scott Anderson questioned if what they were considering was good policy “if we let that train go through the town with no opportunity to gain economic development from it. I’m confused whether or not at this point I would support totally banning any opportunity to at least locate a station in the town if that happens in the future.”

Anderson also raised the concern that the ordinance would a ect the Town’s decades-old developer agreement to build a transit center in the Cooley Station master-planned community.

“ e transit center in Cooley Station is intended for buses, scooters, for all sorts of transportation, not just rail and that developer is depending on that,” Anderson said.

Torgeson pointed out that the ordinance didn’t say there can’t be a transportation center but just no passenger rail can go to it.

Under the proposed ordinance, the town would have been forbidden from using resources for stations, operation centers, o ce buildings and parking facilitate relating to or supporting commuter rail and light rail.

Torgeson called commuter rail outdated technology that “hasn’t been proven to be positive.”

“It does nothing but lose taxpayers’ dollars,” he said. “ ere isn’t a single place in the country where it breaks even.”

Councilwoman Yung Koprowski, a transportation engineer, called the ordinance short-sighted and that it would prevent the town from having a seat at the table should commuter rail come to fruition.

“ e ordinance as written is too strict in its terminology,” she said. “Because it says that no resources, including sta

see COUNCIL page 15

Former Giobert Council member Aimee Yentes had proposed the ban and she appeared before her former colleagues last week to urge its passage.. (YouTube)

COUNCIL from page 14

time could be spent on this topic at all. A big part of the leadership and why we sit up here as a representative body is to plan for our future residents. We can’t plan in a vacuum or without the full spectrum of information.”

She said that public engagement occurs during these planning processes and studies and to cut o the discussion about future needs shortchanged residents and voters.

“ e future requires options,” Koprowski said. “We may not need or want passenger rail today or even in the future but to completely remove alternative transportation options from out future and to not be able to even talk to stakeholders about what may come up in the future, it just limits the potential for Gilbert.”

Six residents spoke in favor of the ban, including former Councilwoman Aimee Yentes, who spearheaded the ordinance while in o ce. Two residents submitted comment cards in support.

Yentes said the town needs to be proactive and pass the ban.

She said the powers that be and the jurisdictions involved in making these decisions absolutely are putting together the pieces for the commuter line from Phoenix to Tucson through Gilbert and Queen Creek. And, she said the governor’s proposed budget included $7 million for it, just enough money to throw at consultants.

She also said that the 2008 developer agreement didn’t obligate the town to build the transit facility.

Resident Aaron Accurso encouraged passage of the ordinance without any changes.

“When it was discussed last fall, there was an attempt to amend it and water it down,” Accurso said.

“We may not need or want passenger rail today or even in the future but to completely remove alternative transportation options from out future and to not be able to even talk to stakeholders about what may come up in the future, it just limits the potential for Gilbert.”

“You might be concerned about contracts that the town has already signed onto with regards to possible commuter rail stations, transit stations,” Accurso said. “I believe that the cost of breaking those contracts would be much less than the cost of upkeep of those potential facilities in the long haul. We don’t want commuter rail, light rail or any of these types of transit stations in the Town of Gilbert and I think I’m speaking for quite a majority of our town residents.”

Mayor Brigette Peterson said she was willing to continue the issue and bring back a revised version that all her colleagues could support.

“No matter what we restrict here in the Town of Gilbert, Amtrak could use the rail that comes through the middle of Gilbert to put a passenger rail on that track and run that train from Buckeye to Tucson and back again every single day,” Peterson said. “So this ordinance won’t stop any of that. I’m afraid if we pass something, we’re going to work ourselves into a corner.”

She echoed Koprowski’s concern that if commuter rail does come through Gilbert, the ordinance would prevent the town talking with Amtrak and from planning for

its impact.

e council nally voted after Bongiovanni called for the vote twice. ose who voted against the ordinance were Peterson, Koprowski, Anderson and Vice Mayor Kathy Tilque, who did not comment on the issue.

“I’m disappointed we took it to a vote,” Peterson commented afterwards. “We can work on an alternative and bring it back so that we are more clear and we don’t hinder business for the future for the Town of Gilbert.”

A day after the meeting, Torgeson said he’s already working on new proposed ordinances for light rail and for commuter rail that he hoped to have them on the council’s March 7 agenda.

Giving Machine garnered $1.03M in Gilbert last year

BY CECILIA CHAN GSN Managing Editor

Gilbert residents were quite generous this past holiday season donating $1.03 million for ve charities via the annual Giving Machines.

Since 2018 the town has hosted the vending machines, which allow people to pick items to donate to selected nondenominational nonpro ts.

e machines are part of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ global Light e World initiative, which encourages people to perform instant acts of service that make a di erence in others’ lives.

“We’d like rst to thank all of Gilbert for letting us have these machines starting ve years ago and then all the way through now because they’ve grown and each year they’ve been better and better,” said Steve Lowder in a ceremonial check presentation at the Feb. 21 Council meeting. Lower and his wife, Fran, oversee the campaign in Gilbert.

For the rst time the church expanded the number of locations in Arizona, using mobile machines in Glendale, Tucson, Flagsta and the Gila Valley. Two machines were placed at the Water Tower Plaza downtown from November to January.

“We expanded our local charities from four to 25 throughout the state of Arizona, which was exciting and they all received great donations,” Lower added. “As we looked at those donations what we realized is that we’ve touched over 650,000 people in Arizona and lifted them in one way.”

In the prior holiday season, the Gilbert machines raised over $900,000, of which nearly $700,000 went to six local charities.

“Our Gilbert residents are very generous,” Mayor Brigette Peterson said. “ ese folks, the Church of Jesus Christ Latter-day Saints put these machines out and they send volunteers to them every hour that the machines are opened.

“ ey pay for every cent of delivery. ey pay for everything that has to go into the machines, taking the machines down, putting the machines up.

“Every single bit of aspect the Church pays for and every dollar that is raised in those machines goes to charities. Gilbert’s machines had charities local to Gilbert. Glendale’s machines had charities local to

Glendale, same with Flagsta . “ ey are not trying to donate all over the world necessarily (but) there are some national charities involved but for the most part you are going to see the checks handed out to the local charities that are right here that we talk to and deal with every single day to a ect those 650,000 lives.”

e four local and one international charity received the following from the Gilbert machines:

• AZCEND – Provides help such as food boxes, rent and utility assistance and shelter – $101,350.

• Gathering Humanity – Provides essential goods to Arizona immigrants and refugees – $102,278.

• House of Refuge: – Provides transitional

housing and support services for families experiencing homelessness – $73,743.

• Special Olympics Arizona – Provides year-round sports training and athletic competition for children and adults with intellectual disabilities – $76,568.

• African Girls Hope Foundation – empowers, equip and educate underprivileged girls in Sub-Sahara Africa – $116,700.

• Midwest Food Bank – Collects food and distribute it to nonpro t community or government agencies, including food pantries, soup kitchens, homeless shelters, and schools – .$129,435

According to the Church, 28 locations hosted the machines. e global giving totaled $6.2 million.

In 2018, Gilbert received two Giving Machines and one Water Machine that sold bottles of water with the proceeds going to a water charity.

In 2019 two machines were in Gilbert and in 2020 there were no machines in Town or anywhere in the world due to the pandemic. And in 2021 the Church put four machines in Gilbert.

When the campaign kicked o in 2017 it started with one Giving Machine in Salt Lake City, Utah, which raised over $550,000. e following year, the program expanded to other communities around the world, including Gilbert.

Over the years, the Gilbert machines have bene ted A New Leaf, Helen’s Hope Chest, St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance, Child Crisis Arizona, Catholic Charities Community Services Arizona and Catholic Charities Community Services of Arizona.

Lawmakers try to shorten train delay impact on drivers

BY HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services

If you’ve been stuck for minutes or hours waiting to get across railroad tracks, Arizona lawmakers are moving to provide relief.

Legislation approved last Friday by the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure would limit the length of trains going through the state to 8,500 feet. And while 1.6 miles may seem like a lot,

Scott Jones, a licensed locomotive engineer in Arizona, told lawmakers that the two main railroads operating in the state have been running trains a lot longer than that.

What’s wrong with that, he said, is when they have to stop to do switching operations. And he said that can leave trains on the main track extending out of the yard and blocking tra c on both sides.

Jones cited photos of a 16,800-foot train, half of it carrying new cars and trucks to the vehicle distribution facility in El Mirage.

“And they’re blocking crossings all the way down Grand Avenue,’’ he said, stretching as far as Bell Road to 99th Avenue in Sun City. And in the meantime, Jones said, access across the tracks at ompson Ranch Road, including to a school and re station, remained blocked for an hour and 20 minutes.

ere are other situations in downtown Phoenix in the rail yard near Chase Field, Jones said, where people trying to get to the ballpark from the south on streets that have grade crossings are blocked.

But Rep. Consuelo Hernandez, D-Tucson, whose district extends into rural Santa Cruz County, said this isn’t strictly an urban problem. She said roads in her area of the state have been blocked for more than an hour.

“When you can’t get across because a train is crossing, that means you can’t go to work, you can’t go to school,’’ Hernandez said. “It also means that if there’s an accident, God forbid, the rst responders cannot get to that location on time.’’Dunn acknowledged that

Giving Machines in Gilbert during the holidays bring out generosity among residents. (GSN file photo)

GOP lawmaker’s bill would give teachers a $10K raise

BY BOB CHRISTIE Capitol Media Services

Afreshman Republican lawmaker who helped shepherd former Gov. Doug Ducey’s effort to raise teacher pay to end a 2018 statewide teacher strike is working to boost educator salaries by another $10,000 a year.

And the measure cleared its first hurdle on Monday with a 10-5 vote of the House Appropriations Committee with most Democrats opposed for a variety of reasons.

HB 2800 is designed to address that Arizona teachers remain among the lowest-paid in the nation despite the 20% raise they won after the strike, said Rep. Matt Gress, R-Phoenix, a former Madison School District teacher.

He said he wants to make Arizona a mecca for teachers by boosting pay well above the national average.

“This would potentially move us

into the Top 10 when we get the new rate base,’’ Gress told Capitol Media Services on Monday.

“The goal here is, in other states there’s going to be a billboard saying, ‘Come to Arizona, the starting teacher pay is X’ versus other states coming to Arizona and poaching our teachers,’’ he continued. “We really need to take bold action on getting the money to the teachers.’’

Gress’ proposal is one of two considered by the House Appropriations Committee that are designed to boost teacher retention and get more people to come to Arizona to teach in public schools.

The other is a Democrat’s bill subsidizing family health insurance for teachers and staff who work in public school districts and charter schools. It got approved by the panel, with hesitancy from some Republicans.

Gress’ teacher pay raise bill, however, faces a tough go in the Legislature

because of its price tag.

The overall cost of his plan to give teachers a nearly 20% raise by 2025 is nearly $700 million a year, a big chunk of this year’s anticipated $1.8 billion budget surplus.

But that surplus is expected to go to nearly zero by the time the plan would be fully implemented – meaning its chances are iffy at best.

Potentially more problematic is that $700 million would have to be provided by lawmakers each and every year into the future or the extra pay would disappear.

Gress, however, remained optimistic. He noted that state revenues this year continue to grow beyond projections.

It wasn’t Republicans worried about finances who opposed the measure.

One concern was that while the state would fund teacher salaries, districts would be stuck with the associated costs like retirements and benefits.

Then there’s the fact that other school workers, like librarians, social workers and support staff, were left out.

Rep. Judy Schweibert, D-Phoenix, said none of this addresses the expenditure cap on education dollars, something lawmakers can – but need not – raise every year.

The additional dollars, she said, would give schools “in a very precarious position where they’re just at the mercy even more so that they are now of the Legislature every year.

The Feb. 20 vote came over the objections of most of the Democrats on the panel.

Rep. Athena Salman, D-Tempe, pointed out Gress crafted the measure so the dollars would flow only if lawmakers approve a parallel measure to increase information that would be available to the public on a “school transparency portal.’’

see TEACHERS page 19

Cargo deal brings East Valley a step closer to Mexico

BY SCOTT SHUMAKER GSN Sta Writer

Though the East Valley sits about 175 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border, the city took a step closer to becoming a port-of-entry for goods to and from Mexico as the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport Board approved a threeyear deal to lease two hangars to Danish shipping giant DSV Air & Sea.

e airport is governed by a board that also includes Gilbert and Queen Creek because of its regional importance.

O cials said the hangars are a foothold for a larger partnership that could see DSV eventually lease as much as 1 million square feet of space at the airport and set up an import and export hub with TSA screening facilities.

DSV specializes in international shipping and says it is one of world’s largest shippers of goods between Asia and Mexico.

Its expansion here is a sign that the international business world believes there’s substance behind the hype about Arizona becoming a new semiconductor and high tech manufacturing hub.

DSV Director Tina Larsen told the board it expects local shipping demand from semiconductor factories, electric car manufacturers, mining operations and the alternative energy industry.

“Not to mention perishables,” she added. “You may have avocados and things like that.”

PMGA o cials and board members were all smiles as Larsen described the company’s vision for a hub at Mesa comparable to existing cargo operations in Huntsville, Alabama and Rockford, Illinois.

If a March 9 test ight goes well, the company plans to start with two to four cargo ights per week at the airport with the 747, the largest widely used cargo aircraft.

“We think this is an incredible opportunity to show DSV that this is where they belong,” PMGA President J. Brian O’Neil told the board.

e March test ight will determine how well the 747 can navigate the ramp from the runway to DSVs new space.

“ is is an extremely large aircraft,” O’Neil told the board. “ ere’s going to be wing walkers, there’s going to be towing of this aircraft. We are working very closely with DSV.”

“Wing walkers” are workers who will walk beneath the tips of the plane’s wings to ensure they don’t clip anything on the journey to the hangar.

According to the International Air Transport Association, goods are generally shipped by air if they are either high value or needed in a timely manner.

Last year, airport o cials reported an uptick in cargo ights landing at the airport to deliver materials to the Lucid EV car factory in Casa Grande. Previously these ights went through Tucson, but the car maker has been shifting to PMGA. at may be a small taste of the future for Mesa’s airport if DSV sticks around.

Larsen said the March test ight will be carrying material for “one of the semicons in the area,” referring to a semiconductor manufacturer.

Mesa caught the company’s attention in part because of the joint U.S.-Mexican customs inspection facilities under development in the southwest corner of the airport at SkyBridge Arizona, a 360acre campus under development that will cater to international air cargo with customs, warehouses and other facilities.

“We have a lot of hope for this area,

and we believe it is a signi cant part of our growth objectives for years to come,” Larsen told the board.

Larsen said DSV’s Los Angeles hub currently handles much of its Asia-to-Mexico business, but the company wants to shift part of that to Mesa.

PGMA’s air cargo operations are ramping up at a good time for the airport’s goal of becoming an international port-of-entry via air.

e New York Times reported this month that manufacturers are investing billions in Mexico as they shift production away from China to be closer to U.S. markets.

In another development that could bring Mesa closer to Mexico, PMGA is beginning to plan for the possibility that its largest carrier, Las Vegas-based Allegiant Airlines, could start o ering ights to Mexico from the airport.

e company announced a partnership with Mexican leisure travel carrier Viva Aerobus last year, and the carrier is currently awaiting a decision from the U.S. Department of Transportation on whether the agency will allow the collaboration.

e Las Vegas Review-Journal reported this month that Allegiant pilots oppose the merger because there are currently no assurances that Mexican pilots will not do all of the ying.

Allegiant is evidently eyeing Mesa as a site for Mexico-bound ights as it has asked airport o cials if they can set up a U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility at the passenger terminal.

PMGA envisions setting up a customs facility by repurposing a 6,500-squarefoot tension fabric structure it purchased last year to serve as a temporary terminal during construction on its expanded vegate terminal.

“Once the terminal addition is completed, we’re going to take this building down … and we’re going to try and convince U.S. Customs and Border Protection to allow us to use this as a Federal Inspection Services facility,” O’Neil said.

Immediately after the airport board meeting, SkyBridge held a groundbreaking ceremony for its next building, a 250,000-square-foot industrial space targeting air cargo, e-commerce, manufacturing and defense specialists.

Former Mesa council member David Luna touted the groundbreaking as a step forward in increasing international trade in the region.

Luna said he was involved in the City of Mesa’s e orts to bring a joint U.S. and Mexico customs facility to the airport so it could function as a port of entry.

“ is is a perfect example of how the two countries can collaborate in terms of economic development,” Luna said.

Former Mesa City Council member David Luna, center left, Gilbert Mayor Brigette Peterson, former Nogales Mayor Marco Lopez Jr., and SkyBridge Arizona President Ariel Picker break ground for the new hangars. (Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport)

TEACHERS from page 17

But with that measure sidelined so far, Salman called the vote on Gress’ bill “half-baked legislation’’ and “an exercise in political theater.’’

Gress called the vote “bizarro world.’’

“Republicans are voting in favor of getting more money into the classrooms and raising teacher pay and holding schools accountable, and Democrats aren’t,’’ he said.

School districts across the state have struggled in recent years to fill classroom teaching posts, with yearly surveys by the Arizona School Personnel Administrators Association showing more than 2,500 vacancies just a month into the current school year.

That means nearly 7,600 teaching jobs are either vacant or filled with uncertified teachers. The state Education Department says there are about 60,000 teachers in public K-12 district and charter schools.

One of the biggest factors in hiring and retaining teachers is low teacher pay in the state, which ranked 44th nationally, according to the most recent survey by the National Education Association, the national teachers union.

That is up from nearly dead last in 2018, when tens of thousands of K-12 teachers went on strike and forced the GOP-controlled Legislature and Ducey to enact a 20% pay raise.

Gress’ measure, HB 2800, is crafted to address not just starting pay but across the board.

On one hand, he acknowledged, 40% of the education workforce is in years one through five of the profession.

“And that’s where you see most of the churn to begin with,’’ Gress said. But he said boosting pay only for new teachers and not for those who are more experienced “could create significant workforce issues for schools.’’

The measure also specifies that low-performing teachers do not qualify. And teachers must spend half their time in the classroom to qualify.

But he said it is one thing that could

help.

“What I really believe this bill represents is advancing an issue that all Republicans, I believe, agree with, and I think Democrats, do, as well, that teachers need to be paid more,’’ Gress said.

Gress, who represents a Phoenix district and was Ducey’s budget director from 2017 until he left office this year, said he is hopeful he can get it passed.

The health insurance proposal that won approval, HB 2737, would subsidize up to 90% of the cost for teachers and support staff to add their dependents to their health insurance coverage.

Teachers now pay less than $100 a month for their own health insurance coverage, but adding family coverage can bring the cost to $1,000 a month, bill sponsor Rep. Amish Shaw.

at drives younger teachers from the profession as they start families and are hit with the cost of insuring them, said Shaw, a Democrat who represents a Phoenix-area district.

“A lot of what happens is that the teachers are leaving, and other professionals are leaving, because of the cost of health insurance,’’ Shaw said. “ e intent is to retain a good employee who otherwise wouldn’t have been able to get their kid or dependents covered.’’

e proposal met with some resistance from Republicans on the committee. at included Gress, who said he believes teachers should instead be added to the state insurance pool to save money.

“I’m all for helping defray the cost of fringe bene ts,’’ Gress said.

“I am not convinced this bill is the right solution to it, because we’re just going to be subsidizing all of these contracts that (school districts) have with various insurance companies,’’ he explained. “And I don’t think that they’re getting the best price given the economy of scale.’’

Shaw’s proposal appropriates $10 million for the insurance subsidy, which would provide up to $6,000 a year and apply only to teachers and sta who earn less than $75,000 per year. With average teacher salaries at only $52,157 last year, virtually all teachers would qualify.

East Valley family takes ‘leap of faith’ on reality TV

BY JOSH ORTEGA GSN Sta Writer

hen the Cook family of Mesa heard about a new reality show, they looked at it as an opportunity to strengthen their bond.

So they jumped at the chance to be part of “Survivalists,” a reality show on Brigham Young University TV hosted by adventurer Colin O’Brady that pits two families against each other in a three-day trek across rugged terrain competing in outdoor challenges at remote parts of the world.

Families must use teamwork, communication and survival skills and along the way, they learn to heal, forgive and forge ahead.

Lane, Kathryn, Addison and Savannah Cook appeared on Season ree, Episode Two that premiered on Jan. 22,

Nearly a thousand families applied and the Cooks made the cut for the season’snal 20 groups of contestants.

ey ew to Mexico and for four days and three nights, the Cooks embarked on a timed race through the Baja California desert, traversing deep sand and overcoming various challenges with only a 40-pound backpack full of their gear and each other.

On the second day, Addison Cook recalled the excitement she felt seeing a set of bicycles and thought they wouldn’t have to walk through deep sand anymore.

But sadly, they only turned a corner to their next challenge: a steep and unforgiving hill.

“It was so steep,” Addison said, whose families dubbed it “hell hill.”

Amid the anguish of Addison bawling her eyes out, Savannah cussing like a sailor and their dad dying for a break, Kathryn said the thrill of crossing the nish the line became their only motivator.

“It was really tough and it was hard, but we wanted to nish and do it,” Kathryn said.

e episode’s title, “Leap of Faith” came from the family’s third day when they trekked up a canyon and came upon a 50foot waterfall with one simple challenge: if every member of the team jumped o the waterfall, they would take an hour o their overall course time and enjoy a warm, cooked dinner.

Temptation hit hard given the family subsisted for the last three days o beef jerky, granola bars and just-add-hot-water instant meals. Along with a competitive advantage, Kathryn said the family

jumped at the opportunity, despite her terrifying fear of heights.

“I am not a jumper,” Kathryn said. e girls of the family made the jump but without the family patriarch, who had to drop out of the contest due to medical reasons.

“He was just really experiencing a lot of pain and issues that made us kind of go really slow, which was really sad,” Kathryn said. “But we just we wanted to nish.”

Medical sta advised that if an emergency happened, the remote location of the waterfall would make rescue possible albeit very di cult. So, erring on the side of caution, Lane dropped out.

Unlike their friend, who appeared on the rst season and won the $10,000 prize, the family did not.

But Kathryn said simply nishing the competition gave sense of accomplishment, especially for her daughters.

“It was really, really hard to see their

dad’s struggle,” Kathryn said. “ at was really hard for them.”

Lane in March will mark eight years in remission from follicular non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma – a type of slow-growing blood cancer that a ects white blood cells. For seven years, Lane battled through ve different chemotherapy treatments.

Lane graduated with his master’s degree from underbird International Management School and in 2000 started operating a U.S. company in Guadalajara, Mexico.

But the Westwood High alum wanted to start his own business and in January 2003 the couple moved to Mesa. Now, Lane owns Vision Makers International stone supplier with showrooms in Mesa, Scottsdale, and Blu dale, Utah.

Although they didn’t win, Kathyrn said she went into this ordeal as a life lesson to teach her daughters that overcoming di cult situations gives con dence for future endeavors.

e lesson is not lost on Addison, who credits her success to her faith in God.

“He wouldn’t give me trials I can’t overcome that,” Addison said. “During the challenge, I thought I was not going to be able to do it, and it was so hard that I would doubt myself a lot, and doubt that we could even nish, but we nished.”

Kathryn also credited her husband as an “absolute trooper” for agreeing to try the experience even though he “really shouldn’t have been doing it.”

“So, I’m really thankful for that experience we had even though we didn’t win the money, it was worth the experience,” Kathryn said.

Mesa residents, from left, Lane, Kathryn, Addison and Savannah Cook appeared on Season Three, Episode Two of the reality show “Survivalists” on BYU TV. (Special to GSN)

Bill requiring the Pledge of Allegiance in class advances

HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services

State lawmakers voted Feb. 21 to require students to recite the Pledge of Allegiance each day, courting a likely lawsuit.

Existing law spells out that schools have to set aside time each day”for students who wish to recite the pledge.’’ But HB 2523, given approval by the House on a 31-29 party-line voice vote, adds language that says each student “shall recite the Pledge of Allegiance to the United States flag during this time.’’

The only exception would be for students who have a request from a parent to opt out. And students who are at least 18 could refuse.

Rep. Barbara Parker, R-Mesa, told colleagues she sees no problem with this.

“We stand and recite the Pledge of Allegiance every day on this floor,’’ she said. “What’s good for us is good for the children.’’

What it also is, according to Rep. Jennifer Pawlik, D-Chandler, is illegal.

There had been a 1940 U.S. Supreme Court ruling which said that Jehovah’s Witnesses could be required to salute the flag and recite the pledge despite religious objections.

But Pawlike noted the court reversed its stance three years later after the West Virginia Board of Education adopted a resolution ordering that the salute to the flag become a regular part of activities in public schools, requiring students to participate and saying that refusal would be “regarded as an act of insubordination, and shall be dealt with accordingly.’’

“If there is any fixed star in our constitutional constellation, it is that no official, high or petty, can prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion, or other matters of opinion or force citizens to confess by word or act their faith therein,’’ wrote Justice Robert Jackson. “If there are

any circumstances which permit an exception, they do not now occur to us.’’

And Pawlik said that was buttressed by a 1969 Supreme Court ruling which upheld the First Amendment right of students to wear black armbands at school as a silent protest against the war in Vietnam.

“It can hardly be argued that either students or teachers shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate,’’ wrote Justice Abe Fortas.

Parker, however, said there is nothing in the U.S. Constitution requiring separation of church and state. The only restriction, said Parker, is that the government cannot form or enforce a state religion.

She also pointed out when the Supreme Court ruled in 1943 the words “under God’’ were not in the pledge.

“And nobody’s ever opposed that,’’ Parker said.

Finally, she said, nothing changes for students who don’t want to say the pledge -- at least for those whose parents excuse them from that obligation.

“The current law is that parents have a right to direct the education of their child,’’ Parker said. “And this is a parents’ rights state.’’

A final roll-call vote would send the measure to the Senate.

In a separate measure, a vote is pending in the Senate on a related bill to financially penalize schools that do not obey existing laws requiring that there be a U.S. flag in each classroom.

“This is to make sure that students growing up understand the country in which they live and embrace the citizenship and the founding principles that we hold so dear,’’ said Sen. Wendy Rogers, R-Flagstaff.

Rogers acknowledged she had no figures on how many schools were not following the law. But she said she had heard from constituents that there are instances of noncompliance.

CUSD board member in dust-up over school speaker

BY KEN SAIN GSN Staff Writer

Amember of the Chandler Unified School District Governing Board is facing criticism for attending a Turning Point USA event at Perry High School on Feb. 21.

Five speakers called out Kurt Rohrs for attending a presentation by three speakers at the Gilbert school. Turning Point is a student group that supports conservative political candidates.

The lead speaker, Stephen Davis, a podcaster known as the “MAGA Hulk” (Make America Great Again), was canceled out of an appearance at the University of California Davis in late October after about 100 people engaged in a brawl.

According to media reports, the clash was between members of the Proud Boys and left-wing protesters. The extreme-right Proud Boys were

involved in the storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

“I’m disturbed and outraged by the actions of one of our Governing Board members and the message it sends to our community,” said Katie Nash, a CUSD parent, former teacher in the district and past president of the Chandler Education Association.

“As we look to our portrait of a learner, the creation of which included many stakeholders including staff, parents, students, and community members, it has attributes like empathy, critical thinking, collaboration and global citizen,” Nash said. “I fail to see where violence, hate, exclusivity, and uniformity fit in.”

CUSD parent Brandy Reese said she does not believe a divisive political group should be a club on a high school campus.

“Turning Point USA keeps watch lists of school boards and professors that it considers radical,” Reese said.

“This includes this school board, it posts the members, board members photos, names and contact information.”

Rohrs said the speakers were misinformed. First, they quoted him from a satirical website that he does not run. Second, he is required to wear his board member ID whenever he is on a CUSD campus.

He said he went to the event because he had heard some information about the speakers and wanted to find out for himself what they were about.

“Don’t believe everything everybody tells you, go find out for yourself, go do your own due diligence, learn about it instead of relying on it, because you never know, when people are telling you things, just to manipulate you or get you to do something,” Rohrs said.

“And I think in some respects, that’s kind of what happened here. Because there’s a lot of disinformation that

came out.”

The district said Turning Point is a recognized student club at Perry High, having followed all the rules necessary to become one. They limited attendance to just club members, and only 14 students attended the presentation.

“Permission slips were required,” the district said in a statement. “Students needed parental consent to attend the club meeting to hear the speaker. Students need parental consent to join school clubs in general. All clubs must have a sponsor who is a certified staff member. Additionally, all clubs must follow district approved bylaws and have officers before it is approved by the district.

“Safety is a top priority, and we take it very seriously. At no time was the school or students in danger. The speaker’s engagement was not open

see SPEAKER page 23

Gilbert teen wins regional Shakespeare competition

GSN NEWS STAFF

AGilbert student is heading to New York City this week to compete in the semi nals of a national Shakespeare competition after winning an Arizona regional competition.

Clara Newton, a Basha High School senior, won rst place at the English-Speaking Union National Shakespeare Competition for the Central and Northern Arizona Regional tournament. e annual competition was held in association with Southwest Shakespeare Company and similar to competitions held by 58 other chapters nationwide.

Clara will now join more than 50 other winning contestants from around the country for the competition’s semi- nals in New York City on March 2.

Clara’s winning performance was Viola’s “ring” monologue from Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night.” e regional tournament was held at the American Leadership Academy-Gilbert North campus on Feb. 11.

“I was instantly intrigued by the concept of this piece,” Clara said. “I loved that Shakespeare bent gender norms by having Viola disguise herself as a man, and the problematic love triangle it created.”

In New York, each student will perform a monologue and sonnet before a panel of distinguished judges as well as their fellow contestants. Based on their performances, 10 students will advance to the nals in late April.

e English-Speaking Union National Shakespeare Competition is a performance-based education program in which high school students nationwide read, analyze, perform, and recite Shakespeare’s works.

rough the program, students develop communication skills and an appreciation of the power of language and literature. In the Competition’s three progressive levels, students perform in their own schools, at ESU Branch community competitions, and at the National Shake-

see SHAKESPEARE page 25

Gilbert Visual Art League showing over 100 works

Augie Tantalo’s “Dazzling Desert”

among the 109 exhibits at the Gilbert Visual Art League’s 20th annual Juried Fine Art Show and Sale at HD SOUTH.

(Courtesy

BY DONNA FINER GSN Guest Writer

Gilbert Visual Art League’s 20th annual Juried Fine Art Show and Sale opened Feb. 25 with a reception at HD South’s Gallery 4, with many of the 49 artists in the show greeting guests and visiting with other creatives.

Cash awards were given to artists in various art categories.

“I’ve always dreamed of entering an art show, from the time I played Monopoly as a kid,” said League President John Priddy. Monopoly had a

Community Chest card that said, ‘Win an art show, collect $200.’ I thought that was something that someday I’d like to do but had no idea I would actually do just that.”

Among the 109 pieces in the league’s show are acrylics, drawings, mixed media, oils, pastels, photography, sculptures, and watercolors.

“The show has always been a wonderful representation of artworks from abstract to realism,” said Jane Bradley, professional artist and GVAL member.

Basha High senior Clara Barton is heading to a national Shakespeare competition this week. (Special to GSN)

is

Gilbert Visual Art League)

speare Competition in New York City.

“Since 1983, more than 400,000 young Americans of all backgrounds have taken advantage of this opportunity to bring the timeless works of Shakespeare to life and learn to express his words with understanding, feeling, and clarity,” organizers said in a release.

After graduation, Clara plans on attending the University of Arizona at the W.A. Franke Honors College. “I am undecided in my major, but I am excited to discover what I want in a career,” she said.

Right now she’s focused on the next round in the Shakespeare competition.

“I am incredibly honored to represent Arizona. It’s very exciting that my love for theatre has led me to this wonderful opportunity to learn more about my craft and meet some amazing people,” she added.

Drawing young people to Shakespeare is crucial to Southwest Shakespeare Company’s mission, which includes

extensive education and outreach programs.

e company believes Shakespeare is best learned through live performance, and has an extensive student matinee program, touring productions to area schools, as well as seminars, talk-backs and workshops. e company has been part of the National Shakespeare Competition for many years.

Founded in 1920, e English-Speaking Union is a non-pro t, non-political educational organization that employs English as a catalyst to foster global understanding and good will through educational and cultural exchange programs. e ESU carries out its work through a network of 58 Branches nationwide along with a liates in the United Kingdom and 60 other countries.

For additional information about the English-Speaking Union, please visit www.esuus.org. For additional information regarding the English-Speaking Union National Shakespeare Competition, please visit www.shakespearecompetition.org.

LEAGUE from page 24

Gilbert Visual Art League has 78 members in many cities of the East Valley and Phoenix. “The Annual Juried Show is open to all artists. This year’s artists live in Cave Creek, Chandler, Fountain Hills, Gilbert, Mesa, Phoenix, Queen Creek, and Tucson. We have several new artists juried into the show this year. That is exciting for GVAL and all the people who come to view the art. Almost all of the art is for sale at reasonable prices,” said show Chairman Peter Eobbi.

The art show will be displayed at HD South in Gallery 4 until April 4, Admittance to the gallery is free with a small museum fee. HD South is Gilbert’s art, culture, and history center. It is on the corner of Gilbert Road and Elliot. Check hdsouth.org for the museum’s open hours.

When an art piece is sold, HD South, a non-profit organization, will receive 20% of the sale.

Artwork in this show may also be

“Helping artists, providing lessons for youngsters, and encouraging the recognition of how art enhances everyday life is part of our mission. This is what GVAL is.”

viewed online through January 2024 at gval.org. Secure online sales help support GVAL, a non-profit, which receives 20% of online sale proceeds.

“GVAL gave me the opportunity and inspiration to improve my artistic talent and become part of an artist community that does more than just judging paintings,” Priddy said.

“ Helping artists, providing lessons for youngsters, and encouraging the recognition of how art enhances everyday life is part of our mission. This is what GVAL is.”

CUSD program helps struggling students succeed

BY KEN SAIN GSN Sta Writer

Last summer Perry High School student Gabriel Ruiz was worried about his upcoming senior year.

“It was not good,” Gabriel said. “I was down a lot of credits, I didn’t think I would graduate at the time. I knew I could make up my core credits, but I didn’t know about electives or any of that stu .

“I didn’t think I would graduate. I thought I might drop out and get my GED.”

Fast forward to this month and Gabriel learned that not only will he be graduating, but he just got accepted to attend Northern Arizona University.

He credits Chandler Uni ed School District’s Early College program for helping him turn it around. e school is on the campus of Chandler-Gilbert Community College and o ers a small-school alternative to students in need of extra attention.

“It’s a small school,” said Gabriel, who said he thought he was going to be 12 cred-

its short of graduating when the school year began. “At Perry, it’s hard to get noticed because your teachers have like 300 kids. It’s hard to get their attention sometimes, or reach out for help. Here, I just needed that little extra push to get my way there.”

Janeen Scaringelli, the director of Early College, is in her rst year in that position and has seen enrollment more than double this year, from 43 students last year to 95 now.

In fact, since the program only has three classrooms, leaders have had to put some students on a waitlist to get in.

What was the key to getting enrollment to more than double in her rst year?

“My connections with the counselors at the high school,” Scaringelli replied.

“[We] met and talked with them to promote our program, but it’s really having that personal connection with the counselors, letting them know that we are going to take care of their kids as best we can,” she said.

Students enrolled in the Early College program come from all six CUSD high

schools and are from all four grade levels.

ey remain part of those schools, meaning they can play on sports teams, or participate in band, drama, or attend homecoming and prom.

However, they take their classes at CGCC. In addition, they are eligible to take college courses. e college provides a grant so they can sign up for classes at a discounted rate. e typical Early College student has his or her high school classes in the morning, then college classes in the afternoon.

is di ers from the dual enrollment program, where students get college credit for classes they take on their high school campus.

is year, for the rst time, an Early College student will not only be graduating from high school, but will also have earned an Associate of Arts degree from CGCC.

So what types of students bene t from the Early College program and why are counselors recommending students?

“ ey’re not being successful at their

school, and they feel that a … smaller school environment will assist,” Scaringelli said. “ ey also know we have a full-time counselor who’s absolutely amazing. I have a former counseling background. So we kind of give tender, loving care.”

Because of space limitations, all grades take English together at the same time. Students sit in di erent groups based on their grade level. e teacher takes turns working with each group, while making sure the other groups have a project they need to be working on.

Scaringelli said Gabriel is just one success story and that there are many more.

“His life changed because of here, because he was able to have the opportunity and people that believed in him, because we pushed him,” she said.

Gabriel agrees, saying he can see a brighter future now than the one he imagined last summer.

“I think [I’ll major] in computer science,” he said. “I like computers and I’m pretty good at math, so I’d like to do that.”

Gilbert cafe serves up churros in various ways

BY MELODY BIRKETT GSN Contributor

Childhood memories of eating churros and watching them made in Santiago, Chile, motivated Jared Naumann to bring the dessert concept to Arizona.

First, in 2016, Jared and wife Annie visited Spain to try them there.

“When we tried them over there, one of the things I really liked was not only the churro itself but the hot chocolate,” said Naumann, owner of Dulce Churro Cafe in Gilbert and Chandler.

“I’m not a big fan of hot chocolate but when I tried the hot chocolate in Spain, I was surprised and shocked at how good it was. It’s a dark chocolate you dip churros in,” adding that in Spain, people eat churros for breakfast.

There is one big misconception surrounding the tasty treat, he said.

“While a lot of people think churros come from Mexico, they don’t,” Naumann said. “They come from Spain.

That’s where they originated. They came to Mexico in 1930. Spaniards went to Mexico and started to make churros there.”

He said each country throughout South America has its own small variation on how to make churros but they’re typically eaten plain or filled with dulce de leche. Mexico introduced the concept of cinnamon sugar.

In Spain, the shape of churros also is different.

“It’s a little loop,” explained Naumann. “A small loop. Second, the dough is simply made with flour, salt and water. You can add a little bit of sugar if you want to. It’s a very simple mix.

“Over there they fry churros in sunflower seed oil or olive oil that gives it a little bit different taste. After I tried it, I wanted to look into it more.”

The Naumanns learned about a churro school in Spain and six months after his first visit, Jared went back

see CHURROS page 28

3 new businesses opening in Epicenter in Agritopia

Three more businesses are setting up shop in Epicenter, the highend, vertically integrated mixeduse community and retail destination in the heart of Agritopia.

Matt’s Big Breakfast, Wylde Hair Salon and urbAna are joining Belly Beer Barn, Barre3, Peixoto Co ee, Vintage Home, Source and Undertow at the blossoming high-end retail center on E. Ray Road near Higley Road.

Matt’s Big Breakfast is now open with o cial grand opening events to follow

in the weeks ahead. Wylde Hair Salon will be opening tomorrow, Feb. 27 and urbAna will be opening next weekend. A fourth business, Bunky Boutique, is expected to open by mid- March.

Matt’s Big Breakfast, which opened its rst location in Phoenix in 2004, boasts that it is “dedicated to providing you a best in class breakfast experience every time.” It will be open daily 7 a.m.-2 p.m.

Wylde Hair Salon owner Allison Colburn said her salon “is meant to be your neighborhood spot, to be there for life’s changes, or simple touch ups.”

“From your wedding day to your daugh-

ter’s rst dance. Wylde Hair Salon provides a friendly and personalized service with their team of highly skilled and creative professionals. ey o er color, haircuts, braids, extensions and other hair treatments for whatever Wylde mood you are in.”

“We are so excited to open in the Epicenter because Gilbert is where we have grown up and built our lives,” Colburn said. “To now open our salon doors to the community we love by making women feel pampered, beautiful and supported is what Wylde is all about. We are in such great company with the other local businesses it feels like such an honor to be a part of this

community that is being built here at the Epicenter.”

Information: 480-258-1365

Calling itself “a celebrations store,” urbAna describes itself as “a sophisticated boutique and go-to home store for curated luxury gifts, artisan decor items, party goods, entertaining decorations, and designer furnishings. It also supports Valley artists, designers and creators.

“I feel so grateful for the community of Gilbert and their love of local businesses. Very honored to be part of it,” said owner Rachel Malloy.

Information: urbanashop.com.

Jared and Annie Naumann bring the taste of Spain to their Dulce Churro Café. (Special to GSN)

GSN NEWS STAFF

and took the class – learning about the history, preparation and business of churros.

He then bought churro equipment.

“By far, Spaniards make the best quality, longer-lasting equipment for churros,” Naumann said. “I decided to buy all the equipment. I brought it all back.”

Next, it was time to design the restaurant around this concept — not only the way churros are made in Spain but also in Chile and Mexico because Naumann wants customers to have a choice.

His shops make one dough but offer several shapes that include el grande, loop, Spaniard, bites and donut shapes.

“People can have the churro from all different parts of the world,” he said.

“One of the main things I wanted to do is let people have the experience. You can watch them fry the churros if you go to Mexico or Spain.”

“One of the main things I wanted to do is let people have the experience. You can watch them fry the churros if you go to Mexico or Spain.”

Naumann designed his shops where churros are made to order but also where customers can watch how they’re made.

“The equipment is fun to watch,” said Naumann. “We created a corner with glass…where people can come up, order their churro and then walk over and see the churro being made from scratch.”

He said the whole restaurant is designed around the fryer because it’s different than what you see in other kitchens.

Customers have a choice of glazes, toppings, fillings and ice cream.

“We fill them right in front of you,” said Naumann. Fillings include dulce de leche, Nutella, Bavarian cream, peanut butter, strawberry and lemon.

All churros come with cinnamon sugar but Naumann said many people order them plain.

“From that point, you can create your own and add icing, glazes, drizzles like chocolate, caramel, strawberry and white chocolate,” explained Naumann. “You can also choose toppings such as Fruity Pebbles, Oreos, marshmallows, almonds and sprinkles. Sprinkles are the favorite among kids.”

Filled churros are the most popular with dulce de leche being the favorite filling followed by Nutella or Bavarian cream.

As far as the shapes go, the grande filled is the #1 choice among customers followed by bites. The Spaniard shape seems to be the more popu-

lar one for dipping into Spanish hot chocolate.

Naumann opened his first churro store in Gilbert on March 30, 2018, and opened his second store in Chandler two years ago.

“When we opened, we had a line out the door, around the building from 11 a.m.-midnight every day, non-stop,” Naumann. “We served over 12,000 orders in the first 1 1/2 months. We hired 13 employees in the first month.”

Eventually, the business got into catering and serves hundreds of guests each weekend at wedding receptions.

The Mesa resident would like to start franchising but is also looking to open another store in the West Valley and possibly in San Tan Valley and Queen Creek.

Dulce Churro Cafe

1674 N.Higley Road, Gilbert 480-981-3628

1050 W. Chandler Blvd., Chandler 480-900-7038

dulcechurrocafe.com

Chandler Gilbert Arc has been serving individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the East Valley since 1975, providing

Chandler

Gilbert Christian falls in 3A girls’ soccer championship

BY OWAIN EVANS GSN Contributing Writer

Delin Peterson’s pace proved too much for Gilbert Christian as the Benjamin Franklin Chargers took the girls’ soccer 3A crown.

The sophomore contributed two goals and one assist as her Chargers side came back from behind to win their first state title 3-1.

“It’s absolutely amazing,” Benjamin Franklin coach John Greksa said. “It’s the first one in our school’s history, so I’m so proud of these girls. Just so proud.”

After a cagey opening half-hour, Gilbert Christian broke the deadlock

in the 39th minute. Benjamin Franklin had the best of the opportunities prior to that point, but Caprice Chiuchiolo’s strike from distance put the Knights ahead.

Any hope of riding that high into the half-time break was quickly dashed. Moments later, with just 15 second remaining in the half, Peterson made up for some of her earlier misses by burying an equalizer.

“Once we gave up that goal in the first half, it just basically gave them all the momentum going into the second half,” Knights coach Hector Orellana said. “I felt like they were caught off-guard by our goal, but that pretty

East Valley athletes shine at state wrestling nals

(Courtesy Desert

BY ANDREW LWOWSKI GSN Contributing Writer

Chants of “Two! Two! Two!” and cheers from family and friends rained down on all the state’s top wrestlers from every school and division as they battled in the 2023 AIA state championship at Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Feb. 18.

Sunnyside of Tucson proved to be the top dog again in Division I, coming in rst with a dominant 307.5 points and placing 13 kids throughout the 14 weight classes.

“It almost seemed like it was Sunnyside versus all the matches out there,” Hamilton coach Travis Miller said half jokingly.

However, the East Valley made sure it was well represented with 41 kids placed from Ahwatukee, Chandler, Gilbert,

Mesa, Queen Creek and Tempe.

In Division I, Mountain View came in third with 135 points with seven kids placing. Desert Vista came in a close fourth place with 122 points, placing ve.

Logan Smith, who placed third at 132 pounds for Desert Vista, said he was disappointed in his performance, as well as the under’s.

“I could’ve done better,” he said. “Not what we (as a team) expected. We could’ve done better de nitely.”

Despite his disappointment, Smith will leave Desert Vista with numerous accolades under his belt.

e third-place win secures his spot as the only under wrestler currently on the team to place at state in the topthree in all four years of high school. He’s also the program’s only current four-

see WRESTLING page 31

Gilbert Christian sophomore Caprice Chiuchiolo scored the first goal of the 3A girls’ state championship match Saturday, Feb. 18. But the Benjamin Franklin Chargers quickly took away all momentum to win the title. (Owain Evans/Tribune Contributor)

Several East Valley athletes represented their respective schools at a high level Saturday, Feb. 18 at Veteran’s Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix for the state championship wrestling meet.

Vista High School

SOCCER from page 29

much changed the game.”

Benjamin Franklin did bring some of that momentum in the second half, but Gilbert Christian held them off valiantly, creating a handful of chances of their own. However, it fell to a spell of three minutes, just over halfway into the second period, to prove the difference for the Chargers.

With 63 minutes on the clock, Peterson cut inside from the byline, before playing a ball across the face of goal for Izzy Lewis to tap home. Shortly after, Peterson’s pace took her past several defenders, and Selah Hommell in the Knights’ net proved no match for her shot.

“We saw that was their gameplan, just to find Delin on the side,” Orellana said. “It’s one of those things where you have to show up and win those one-on-one matchups. We did what we could, but she’s a talented player.”

It was the third time – second resulting in a goal – that a quick Peter-

son attack after a kick-off created a goalscoring opportunity.

“We’ve got speed on the top, on the front line there,” Greksa said. “We wanted to utilize that. We knew we could get those balls up to our forwards up there and use that speed.”

From there, there was no looking back. Benjamin Franklin worked diligently to close down Chiuchiolo and others such as Daniella Orellana, unwilling to give them enough time on the ball to find a way back into the match.

“We just had to work on keeping ourselves together and composed,” Peterson said. “We had to be careful that we didn’t just go crazy and let anything happen.”

As the final buzzer sounded, jubilation broke out among the Charger players and their traveling support. As the celebrations continued at midfield, Knights coach Orellana consoled his young squad.

“Listen to them celebrate,” he told his players. “Listen to all this. We’ll be back.”

The Benjamin Franklin Chargers took home the 3A girls' soccer championship Feb. 18 at Gilbert Christian. (Owain Evans/Tribune Contributor)

WRESTLING from page 29

time sectionals champion all in di erent weight classes.

Smith signed with Central College earlier this month, a Division III school in Iowa. He is currently weighing his options, however, as he may decide to pursue a di erent route in college.

One of Smith’s teammates, Carter Holt, placed third at 138 pounds for Desert Vista. He echoed Smith’s testament that the under underperformed and were disappointed with their results.

“We did better earlier in the week,” he said. “We didn’t expect Damen (Miller) to lose. We couldn’t get it done tonight.”

Miller, who wrestles at 144 pounds, was the only Desert Vista wrestler competing in a state title match. He fell Sunnyside’s Christian Rivera.

Casteel fell in fth place with 91 points while Desert Ridge placed sixth with 79 points.

Hamilton nearly cracked the top-10 at 11 with 50.5 points.

“Being at the DI level, you never know what’s going to happen,” Hamilton coach Travis Miller said. “ ere’s a lot of good competition, but I’m really proud of our kids and how well they did and the placers we had making the podium. Putting Hamilton near the top-10 for us is big. I’m proud.”

Miller added that his second-place nisher at 165 pounds, Grant Murray, gave Mike Avelar of Sunnyside — who is committed at the collegiate Division I level — a run for his money.

“He (wrestling in his rst state nals) really brought it to him,” Miller said. “He made a seasoned champion look a little bit nervous before championships do what champions do.”

Chandler, Corona del Sol and Queen Creek closed out the East Valley in Division I.

Queen Creek coach Joel Anderson acknowledged the dominance by Sunnyside but credited his boys for the grueling season and e ort in the championship rounds.

“I’m incredibly proud of my boys,” Anderson said. “You know, the season is long, not everyone sees the mat during the season, it’s tough. But the determination and grit make it here and to have my boys on that podium, it feels great.”

e Bulldogs placed two wrestlers, Riggs Anderson with fourth place at heavyweight (285 lbs) and Beau Shepherd with third place at 135 lbs.

e East Valley had little action in Division II, with Marlin Whyte of Mountain Pointe being the only contender, placing rst at 165 lbs. e Pride nished 17th in Division II.

While Mesquite and Marcos de Niza were the two East Valley programs featured in Division III, the Wildcats had four make the podium. Angelo Martinez placed fth at 106, Trevor Ouellette placed third at 120, Eli Conde placed second at 138 and Michael Story placed fth at heavy weight.

Lius Pichardo was the lone Padre in Division III to place for Marcos de Niza, he nished third at 165.

e East Valley was well represented on the girls’ side early Saturday morning. Casteel’s girls nished in third place. e Colts were led by Isabella Munoz, who captured her third state championship in 145, as well as Anneliese Kisting (126) who was in the nals for the second time in her career.

Freshman Mia Johnson took fth in her rst state meet for Casteel.

Mountain View’s Taina Uasike placed second in the 185-pound class. Her nish is the highest in the history of the Toro girls’ wrestling program. Basha’s Trinity Bouchal captured her second state title wrestling in 165. Have

Prescott Valley, AZ

Findlay Toyota Center March 3, 2023

Glendale, AZ

Phoenix, AZ

Footprint Arena March, 4, 2023

Dessert Diamond Arena March 5, 2023

Grab a kilt and head to the Scottish Games

GETOUT STAFF

For 57 years, thousands of Arizonan Scotsmen and women have gathered in the metro area to celebrate their culture and heritage.

They’ll be doing it again next week when the Phoenix Scottish Games are presented by Caledonian Society of Arizona at Gilbert Regional Park, 3005 E. Queen Creek Road, Gilbert.

The games, which were moved to Gilbert Regional Park from Phoenix’s Steele Indian School Park, begin at 5 p.m. Friday, March 3, and run through Sunday, March 5.

You don’t have to be Scottish to join the fun – and if you’re not sure of your roots, there are genealogists on site

who can help trace them.

The weekend opens Friday evening with a colorful and stirring presentation called the Phoenix International Tattoo, a dazzling display of music and marches that echo the pageantry of the Scotland’s famed pipe band competitions.

This year, 28 members of the Isle of Skye Pipe Band from the city of Portree are flying into perform – some leaving their homes to travel abroad for the first time in their lives.

They will join an international cast of over 100 performers who include MarineSandpiper, Southern California’s only rock and roll bagpiper, and

see SCOTTISH page 34

Italian association celebrates heritage with festival

BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI GetOut Editor

Six men dreamed of bringing a piece of Italy to the desert, so the country would be represented in the best light.

us, the Scottsdale-based nonpro t Italian Association of Arizona was born.

“ e founders wanted to nd a way to bring Italians and those of Italian heritage together in one place to share pieces of their culture that fade away with every generation,” said Francesco Guzzo, executive director and Gilbert resident.

“ e founders wanted to nd a way to share that culture with those who appreciate what Italians and Italy has to o er. As much as we all love and enjoy true Italian cooking, Italy represents so much more than the food.”

e art, music, culture and traditions will be honored during the eighth annual Italian Festival at Heritage Square in Phoenix on Saturday, March 4, and Sunday, March 5. e following weekend, Saturday, March 11, and Sunday, March 12, Sun City will host the rst Italian Festival at the Sundial Recreation Center.

“We started with a small event along the Southbridge in Old Town Scottsdale in 2014 with a few vendors and lot of enthusiasm,” Guzzo said.

“Eight festivals later, we are hitting attendance capacity and keeping Italian traditions alive.”

e Italian Festival has a variety of live entertainment during the weekend including opera singers, e Sicilian Band, accordion player Cory Pesaturo, and traditional ag wavers from the Piemonte

Sime of the 28 members of the Isle of Skye Pipe Band from the city of Portree in Scotland are leaving home for the first time to perform in the Friday opening of the Phoenix Scottish Games at Gilbert Regional Park. (Special to GetOut)

The famous flag wavers, Sbandieratori from Asti, will appear at the Italian Festivals in Phoenix and Sun City. (Courtesy of the Italian Association of Arizona)

ITALIAN from page 32 region.

“ e ag wavers are nally able to come back after being gone since 2019,” Guzzo said.

“Fifteen or 16 ag wavers are ying in to perform throughout the festival.

at’s a big deal for us. Everybody loves the ag wavers. Since COVID, they’ve been locked down and Italy was never back to normal the way it was here.”

e event will provide authentic cuisine such as fresh biscottis, gelato, espresso, pasta and pizza. A few local vendors include L’Impasto, Little Italy of Scottsdale, Pasta Rea, My Daddy’s Italian Bakery and Pomo Pizzeria.

Non-food vendors will sell jewelry, handmade Italian leather purses and other items. Plus, children can enjoy face painting and balloon makers in the Kids Fun Zone.

e Italian Festival in Phoenix is sponsored by Peroni, DTPHX, Galbani, Queen Creek Olive Mill, Anderson Windows, PepsiCo and Desert Rose Transportation. e VIP Experience is thanks

to Campari & Aperol.

Guzzo called La Cucina Galbani Cooking Stage a highlight.

“No one would have thought there would be such a solid Italian community in the desert and yet, here we are,” he said.

“It’s a little dispersed, but our voice can be heard and now we can nally be seen. Historically speaking, the rst known Italian to come through Arizona was Father Kino back in the late 1600s and built missions that still stand today.”

In 1691, Father Eusebio Kino made the rst of about 40 expeditions into Arizona.

Now there’s a new generation of Italians making their mark in Arizona, he said. ey range from Jerry Colangelo, businessman and sports executive, to chef Joey Maggiore who owns several local and national Italian and concept restaurants and is keeping his father’s (Tomaso Maggiore) legacy alive.

A repeat visitor to the festival is Margherita Fray of Scottsdale. e 96-yearold is the last living known partisan and an artist.

“ ere’s something unique and special about that lady,” Guzzo said. “I love that lady to death. We’re happy to support her and give her an opportunity to showcase her artwork. It’s just beautiful.”

Entrenched in the arts, she also penned a book called “Marisa’s Courage.” She was raised in an anti-fascist family in Italy, where they were witness to bombings and executions by homegrown and foreign aggressors.

She became a member of the Resistenza as a partisan, belonging to a group called the Garibaldi Brigade around her home city of Turin and participated in dangerous missions to support the ghters in the underground for several years.

Fray is still emotionally distraught over memories of this time. In 1947 she came to America as a war bride, marrying a man she had brie y met a year earlier. She endured the marriage to a “deeply awed” man and moved to Scottsdale in 2000.

“ ere are still wars today and lives are still being lost,” she said through her daughter, Angela Fray. “ e war in Ukraine has really a ected me and

brought back many memories. Countries don’t ght wars. e leaders of countries ght wars.”

Fray said she enjoys meeting people at the festival and sharing her story in person.

“I am amazed that there is still so much interest in World War II,” she added. At the festival, she enjoys “the food and meeting vendors and seeing people enjoy themselves. e Italian Association does a great job.

“Italy has ancient history and art. I am really proud of being Italian. I am from a beautiful city and the former capital of Italy.”

If you go

Italian Festival

When: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, March 4, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, March 5

Where: Heritage Square, 115 N. Sixth Street, Phoenix

Cost: $10 in advance, and $20 day of. VIP experiences available Info: italianassociation.org

SCOTTISH from page 32

Craic in the Stone, who update traditional Scottish music with the sounds of the Pogues, Led Zeppelin, the Beatles and other contemporary groups.

That performance will be followed by the ore traditional military tattoo, featuring performers from the United States, Canada and Scotland.

Aklso participating in both Friday even shows are the Alma College Kiltie Dancers, Arizona Academy of Highland Dance, Jason Cartmell’s Rockstrocity and the Mesa Caledonian Pipe Band.

One of the most notable guests at the tattoo will be Alex Aghajanian, president of the Tournament of Roses Parade. His visit kicks off the Pipes on Parade project that will perform in the 2024 parade featuring many pipers and drummers from Arizona.

“This will be the largest pipe band in the history of the parade and already represents 12 countries,” said spokesman Darryl Toupkin.

“This will be the largest pipe band in the history of the parade and already represents 12 countries..”

Another guest is the Earl of Caithness, Malcolm Ian Sinclair, who is visiting from Scotland to preside over the Clan Sinclair family gathering at the games.

Performances run Friday from 7-8:45 p.m. but gates will open at 5 p.m. so guests can enjoy other entertainment and food.

Once the games themselves kick into high gear Saturday, there will be plenty of eye-popping action for young and old alike.

Men and women will be testing their strength in games like the Caber Toss, Sheaf Toss, Scottish Hammer Throw and Stone Put as well as wrestling.

Don’t like athletic competitions? No worries.

Also on the card all weekend is music, dancing and storytelling as 35 clans gather in small camps throughout the park to celebrate family reunions.

Entertainment includes the International Bagpipe Competition with at least six pipe bands, the Highland Dancing Competition and music by groups that include the Noble McCoy Band, Stoneybank, the Alma College Kiltie Highland Dancers and Jason Cartmell’s Rockstrocity.

Mary, Queen of Scots will be attending with her court and Toupkin said attendees can expect to see spontaneous parades thoughout the weekend.

Food will include meat pies and what Toupkin promises to be “the best fish n’ chips in the Valley.”

Thirsty attendees can check out the Locheil and Guinness beer gardens and whiskey and wine tasting booths. There will even be a cigar lounge on the premises.

Christopher Yate, an acrobat and stilt walker, will be entertaining and a British vintage car show will be offered.

Kilts and other Scottish apparel will be offered by some of the scores of vendors on the premises and there also will be plenty of kid-friendly activities such as a “fishing pond,” archery lessons, costumes, arts and crafts and others.

The event also is pet friendly and people are encouraged to bring a lawn chair or blanket to enjoy the entertainment.

Proceeds from the games support scholarships for Highland athletes and entertainers and other activities of the Caledonian Society of Arizona, the largest Celtic organization in the state.

For information and tickets: phoenixscottishgames.com.

1 Shade of blue

6 Wanderer

11 Physician, slangily

12 Lessened

14 Veep before Biden

15 -- del Fuego

16 Some fridges

17 Egypt’s Anwar

19 Have a bug

20 Sunrise direction

22 -- Alamos

23 Faction

24 Cybercommerce

26 Pungent relish

28 Scratch

30 Pub pint

31 Passageway for Santa

35 “Three Sisters” sister

39 -- Godiva

40 Dict. info

42 “Star Trek II” villain

43 “Hail, Caesar!”

44 Carvey and Delany

46 “-- had it!”

47 Winter, for one

49 Lon of horror lms

51 Inventor’s insurance

52 Oregon city

53 Modern messages

54 Actions DOWN

1 Prepare leftovers

2 Black Sea port

3 Feminine principle

4 High cards

5 Faithful

6 Boris’ cartoon partner

7 Final notice

8 West of Hollywood

9 Subway line in an Ellington song

10 Mock

11 “Me and Bobby --”

13 Longtime Chicago mayor

18 Elmer, to Bugs

21 “Lassie” lad

23 Porterhouse, e.g.

25 PC linking system

27 Einstein’s birthplace

29 Stinging insects

31 Purse fastener

32 Attack

33 Think up

34 Hankering

36 Polished

37 Sanctuaries

38 In the blink of --

MorrisDavidDorenfeld SPRUCEHEADMaineTapestryArtist MorrisDavid(Morrie) Dorenfeldpassedaway peacefullyatSussman HouseinRockport,ME onMondaymorning, February13,2023,one monthshyofhis86th birthday.Acelebration ofhislifeisbeing plannedforthespring.Thosewhowouldlike toreadafullobituarymaydosoonhisBook ofMemoriesatwww.bchfh.com

SigntheGuestbookat: obituaries.EastValleyTribune.com