AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS, NOVEMBER 2, 2022

www.ahwatukee.com

Council race dwarfs other elections here in cash

BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor

Themarquee race locally in next Tuesday’s election – the contest to become Ahwatukee’s first new representative on Phoenix City Council in more than a decade – is living up to its billing where money is concerned.

Campaign financial statements filed for the first three quarters of the election cycle by the two women and six men running to replace termed-out District 6 Councilman Sal DiCiccio

show the combined total of cash poured into their war chests is nearly twice the total raised in the four other contests directly impacting Ahwatukee.

Their $1,134,864 in total campaign donations easily exceeds the total $685,549 donated to the six Legislative District 12 hopefuls, the three Kyrene and three Tempe union governing board candidates and the political action committee pushing passage of Tempe Union’s bond and two override measures. And those totals don’t even include the money any of those candidates or the Yes Support

Our Schools PAC collected in October. Campaign financials for last month were due last weekend, after AFN’s print deadline.

Those financials also will give a more complete picture of how much money all the candidates spent in the final weeks of their campaigns.

The statements for donations and expenditures through Sept. 30 show the eight council candidates’ total expenditure of $525,689 almost equals the total spending by the three

Warehouse developer details 50th Street project

BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor

of three huge industrial

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what

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But no matter what companies move in, large

would primarily make up the additional 1,700

that

small

in the already

1,800

And that’s before a 417-unit apartment complex could be going up on the same block as Via West’s Converge Logistics Center in the area of Thistle

Drive

50th.

of all that additional

Steve T. Strickbine

Hiatt

National

Reynolds 480-898-5603 zac@ahwatukee.com

The view of one of the lakes at the Ahwatukee Lakes Golf Course isn’t too appealing for some homeowners living along the shore. As this photo, shot on Oct. 27, shows, algae that neighbors say has been a persistent problem for weeks remained on the surface of the lake near S. 41st Place. (David Minton/AFN Staff Photographer)

Laura Meehan, 480-898-7904,

lmeehan@ahwatukee.com Katie Mueller, 480-898-7909 kmueller@TimesLocalMedia.com

Elaine Cota, 480-898-7926

ecota@ahwatukee.com

Executive Editor: Paul Maryniak, 480-898-5647 pmaryniak@ahwatukee..com

GetOut Editor: Christina Fuoco-Karasinski, 480-641-4518 christina@TimesLocalMedia.com

Sports Editor: Zach Alvira 480-898-5630 | zalvira@TimesLocalMedia.com

Designer: Ruth Carlton | rcarlton@TimesLocalMedia.com Photographer: David Minton | dminton@TimesLocalMedia.com

Production Coordinator: Courtney Oldham 480-898-5617 production@@TimesLocalMedia.com

Reporters: Cecilia Chan. 480-898-5613 | cchan@@TimesLocalMedia.com

Circulation Director: Aaron Kolodny 480-898-5641 | aaron@phoenix.org Distribution Manager Brian Juhl brian@TimesLocalMedia.com

Ahwatukee

aaron@phoenix.org..

Ahwatukee Lakes homeowners complain of algae, scum

AFN NEWS STAFF

Some homeowners along one of the lakes at the Ahwatukee Lakes Golf Course hope that the current court fight over the site’s restoration will remove algae and scum that has persisted for more than a month.

Neighbors say the algae has remained on the lake near S. 41st Place and some are worried about mosquito-borne illnesses, especially West Nile Virus.

One neighbor said she’s been diagnosed with three lung nodules and because she has never smoked, wonders if they are related to “all the chemicals they put in my lake as you could smell them and the whole bottom and perimeter of lake was a rusty color.”

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Additionally, some people who live in the Lakes neighborhood have suffered from West Nile Virus, although no cases have been tied to the lakes or even the community.

Tim Barnes, the lawyer for two Lakes homeowners who have waged a legal battle since 2014 over the 2013 closure of the 18-hole executive course, is asking a Maricopa County Superior Court judge to impose a $2 million sanction on course owner ALCR over its restoration.

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In papers filed three weeks ago, Barnes alleged that ALCR had not fully complied with directives by two different judges that detailed what should be restored.

Barnes’ petition doesn’t mention the al-

mid-October

the

mas ter

more time was needed for newly planted

rooted and

the

mature.

date has yet been filed on Barnes because Judge Melissa. Julian has extended the deadline for ALCR’s reply to

NEWS?

Maryniak

480-898-5647 or pmaryniak@

This broader view of the lake near 41st Place shows what it looks like from one homeown

backyard.

Minton/AFN Staff Photographer)

Kyrene Govenring Board board adopts bans on mask, COVID-19 vaccine mandates

STAFF

COVID-19

may be little more than

a bad memory for some parents and children, but the reaction to schools’ mask mandates during the height of the pandemic will be around for the foreseeable future where that virus is concerned.

That was clear last week when the Kyrene Governing Board, bowing to laws passed last session by the Republicancontrolled state Legislature, adopted measures that say the district will not require students get COVID-19 shots nor impose mask mandates on students or anyone else on its campuses.

Both policies were approved without comment by the board, which last month bristled at some of the new laws, including the ban on COVID-19 vaccination. That ban was attached to a long-standing law that forbids districts from requiring kids get HPV vaccines – a statute the Legislature passed several years ago because it feared that such a requirement would encourage promiscuity among students.

Kyrene’s mask policy now states: “The District does not require masks or face coverings anywhere on the District’s premises except where long-standing workplace safety and infection control measures that are unrelated to COVID-19 may be required.”

Ironically, the ban on COVID-19 vaccine mandates came days after an advisory committee to the Centers for Disease Control recommended that COVID-19 vaccines be added to the list of shots students must have to go to school. Parents can obtain waivers from any vaccine requirement and can do so fairly easily.

The CDC’s advisory committee meets every year to review the vaccination schedule and make updates. The schedule is meant to help guide doctors in determining when to administer a number of important vaccinations, particularly for children, including vaccinations for polio, measles, whooping cough and tetanus.

The decision to officially add COVID vaccination to the schedule goes to the CDC. The agency is expected to sign off on the recommendation, but even the advisory committee noted that such a vaccine mandate would be up to individ-

ual states to adopt.

But that didn’t keep Arizona Senate President Karen Fann from lashing out at the CDC the

“This is just another example of how out of touch the federal government and its agencies are with everyday families,’’ the Prescott Republican said in a prepared statement that was loaded with a political component.

“With Republicans currently in control of our state government, we can promise that we will never subject Arizonans to the requirement of an experimental vaccine that has raised questions over longterm health-implications,’’ she said.

Fox talk show host Tucker Carlson seized on the advisory committee’s recommendation and called it a move that amounted to a mandate for school attendance.

Not true, according to agency officials, pointing out nothing in federal law gives them such power.

Fann conceded the point. But she told Capitol Media Services there is still need for state vigilance, saying there are still ways the government can effectively pressure Arizona to fall in line without a mandate.

It can start, she said, with the “liberal’’ states agreeing to go along. Then there is a push on “our more conservative states.’’

“And the next step is usually the federal government finds a way to tie money to it,’’ Fann said, with promises of additional dollars for states that agree to what it wants, like a COVID vaccine mandate for school-age children, or some financial penalty for not going along.

“And this is how it all starts,’’ she said.

One thing GOP lawmakers did do earlier this year is make sure that the governor or the health department cannot accede to such pressure.

On party-line votes, both the House and Senate approved HB 2086 – the law that Kyrene on Oct. 25 implemented as district policy.

Sponsored by Rep. Joanne Osborne, RGoodyear, the measure trims the ability of the Department of Health Services to require certain vaccinations.

Right now the agency can, after going through a rule-making process, add to the

what is required, though parents

out

religious, medical

schedule,’’ she wrote in her public blog.

personal

2086, signed by Gov. Doug Ducey specifically takes immunization against COVID-19 or any of its variants

the table.

Will Humble, executive director of the Arizona Public Health Association, pointed out that the state health director – a position he previously had held – cannot simply add a vaccine to the list of what is required for school attendance.

Even with the new legal restrictions on their powers to mandate, state health officials still are urging parents to get their youngsters vaccinated.

Just last week, Carla Berg, the agency’s deputy director of public health, noted that the Food and Drug Administration authorized a new bivalent Pfizer vaccine for youngsters age 5 through 11 and the Moderna vaccine for ages 6 through 18. Both are designed to protect against not just the original virus but Omicron subvariants.

“I encourage you to consider this booster as part of your child’s vaccination

Fann said HB 2086 is a necessary curb on the state health department, as lawmakers have no control over the CDC or federal government.

“There is more and more stuff coming out now that maybe this stuff isn’t quite so safe for kids,’’ she said. “I don’t think the government ought to be forcing potentially unsafe vaccines or anything else on parents or states.’’

The latest figures from the state Department of Health Services shows that 73.7% of the state’s nearly 7.3 million residents have received one or more doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. But the agency said the vaccination rate for those younger than 20 is just 38.3% – and about 33% for those in the 5-11 age group, five points lower than the national average.

“I think that because there was so little testing done on this and it’s still such a relatively new drug,’’ Fann said. “And now we’re finding out there’s all these other strains and they want to get a third and fourth vax and everything else, boosters.’’

Capital Media Services contributed to this report.

Super Bowl unveils supporting events

BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI AFN Staff Writer

The Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee and National Football League has unveiled an expanded line-up of events taking place in the lead-up to Super Bowl LVII.

“Arizona will provide a unique backdrop for a weeklong celebration heading into Super Bowl LVII which will culminate what is proving to be a remarkable 2022 NFL season,” said Peter O’Reilly, executive vice president, club business & league events for the NFL.

“We look forward to providing an incredible Super Bowl experience for the Arizona community, our players, clubs, partners and fans.”

Events will be held across the Valley, from Mesa to Glendale leading up to the Sunday, Feb. 12, game. Jay Parry, president and chief executive officer of the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee, revealed Hance Park will host the first Official Super Bowl Watch Party on gameday.

“Locating Super Bowl events throughout the Valley is a testament to the collaboration and leadership of our partners and elected officials, with each community having something unique to offer visitors and locals,” she said.

Parry was quick to thank Avondale and Peoria for “their terrific support of the Super Bowl.”

ESPN selected Scottsdale as its hub for bringing “Super Bowl coverage to the world,” she said. The ESPN Main Street Tailgate will kick off Feb. 8.

“Fans know the thrill of being caught on camera behind some of the world’s best broadcasters,” Parry said. “Now, that’s referred to as a photo bomb. But, as every major network converges on the Valley in February, there will be so many opportunities for our locals to earn some on-air time.”

Fox Sports, the official broadcast partner of Super Bowl, chose Glendale for its week-long coverage leading up to the game at State Farm Stadium.

The Super Bowl Experience Presented by Lowe’s will be held at the Phoenix Convention Center, O’Reilly said, calling it the “crown jewel” of fan events. Tickets, which start at $20 or free for kids younger than 12, go on sale Dec. 17.

Super Bowl Opening Night Presented by Fast Twitch is set for Feb. 6. Fans can

take part in a meet and greet with players at the Footprint Center. Tickets are $20 as well and go on sale Dec. 17.

“All of the participating players in the game are there,” he said. “It’s an incredible fan experience to see the players, helmets off, up close and personal. It really sets the tone for the week.”

Acts will be announced soon for the three-night Bud Light Super Bowl Music Fest at Footprint Center.

Feb. 9 fans can watch NFL Honors Presented by Invisalign at Symphony Hall or on NBC.

“It’s such a beautiful venue,” he said. “It really shines where our biggest football stars and celebrities will walk the red carpet. That’s the night when the MVP is revealed, same with the Rookie of the Year, the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year, Pro Football Hall of Fame Class.”

Taste of the NFL will offer the country’s best chefs at Chateau Luxe on Feb. 11.

“That’s our annual purpose-driven culinary event that takes place each year,” he said. “That’s an event featuring celebrity chefs from around the country.”

O’Reilly said he’s proud to be part of the team scheduling the peripheral events.

“It’s amazing to be partnered again with you having done this with Super Bowl 49,” he said. “That was my first year in this role and I couldn’t have asked for a better partner back then. We’re a better partner right now.”

Besides leaving a strong economic impact, the Super Bowl yearns to help the community in other ways.

“We discuss how we can leave a positive legacy in the community and we do that through incredible programs,” O’Reilly said.

“We’re back here in order to do something special and put our marker out there as the greatest Super Bowl ever. We’re incredibly excited and ready to roll.”

This is the fourth time the Super Bowl has been in Arizona.

“We’ll continue to look at Arizona as a Super Bowl home,” he said. “There have been incredible games here. Hopefully, that continues with Super Bowl 57. You have the special sauce here. The people are supportive and it’s just a beautiful location to draw with locals and people from around the world.”

EV ghost hunters on spirited quest in region

BY JOSH ORTEGA AFN Staff Writer

If you hear or see something strange in your neighborhood, who you gonna call?

East Valley Paranormal!

Paranormal investigators Michelle Vin cent and Heather Rhyneer founded East Valley Paranormal after a chance meet ing at a local events committee. Despite a lifetime of occurrences with the occult, the ladies said even they don’t believe some of the menacing moments they’ve experienced.

“We are skeptics, honestly,” Vincent said. “Because if I’m not shown something, I’m not going to believe it.”

Rhyneer said that skepticism drives them to investigate every possibility for something that goes bump in the night.

“We love to try to debunk things,” Rhyneer said. “When someone tells us a story, we’re like let’s get in here and try to figure it out.”

Vincent said her first ghost experience happened at age 5 during a funeral – when

she spoke to the man the ceremony was for.

“I really had no idea that I wasn’t talking to an actual person,” Vincent said.

Rhyneer said her first experience hap pened at her grandmother’s farmhouse in Missouri.

Against her grandmother’s orders, Rhyneer said she ventured to the second floor of the house and opened a door to find a larger-than-possible room full of nurses and men in bandages lying in beds.

“They were all walking past me like if I

wasn’t there,” Rhyneer said. “And I felt like I was in a different time period.”

In 2018, the women met working on an event committee at Mesa Artspace Lofts in downtown Mesa.

Vincent said decorating in the artist-res idences’ main gallery had led to numerous ghostly occurrences, such as lights flickering in an empty utility room and a balloon she had to bat away for more than 15 minutes.

“There was a lady sitting [nearby] and her mouth was just on the floor hanging open,” Vincent recalled.

One of their first official investigations came from the gallery’s utility closet.

Vincent said they use “open-line inves tigations” that involve leaving an iPhone in the room with a recording device and walking a good distance away to listen to what happens on another iPhone.

After a long night of listening to “weird” sounds interrupting the static, Vincent said they returned to the utility closet “completely trashed” with chairs, tables and broom handles so strewn about that

Heather Rhyneer, left, and Michelle Vincent formed East Valley Paranormal not

after meeting at an event at Mesa Artspace Lofts in downtown Mesa, where they eventually

(David Minton/AFN Staff Photographer)

Remarkably remodeled home WITH DETACHED GUEST HOUSE AND BASEMENT! 2,038 square foot with 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. Kitchen boasts custom - finish charcoal gray Shaker cabinetry with antique gold hardware, quartz counter tops, 36” farmhouse sink, an 11 foot island with breakfast bar seating, and a commercial appliance package including a 36” gas range.

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SELLER WILLING

Mountain

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Ocotillo

The spacious great room has soaring vaulted ceilings and a cozy wood – burning fireplace with brick surrounds. Enormous storage closet under stairwell. Wood blinds and ceiling fans throughout. Ceiling fan in the secondary bedroom, that is currently being used as an office, was installed in 2022. Large master suite! Walk in closet in the master suite. Master bathroom has dual sinks and a walk in shower with a 2022 glass door enclosure. Both secondary bedrooms have gorgeous views of South Mountain! Pool size back yard! Low maintenance desert landscape in front and back. Slab in back pre-wired for a hot tub. Large side yard with storage shed. 2.5 car garage with work bench and built in cabinets.

Scottdale

–

they had to crawl across the floor to retrieve their recording equipment in the far corner.

“That whole night was pretty scary,” said Vincent, who is a graphic designer..

Rhyneer said they learned many lessons that night that have shaped their investigations ever since, one of the most important being to use a video recorder.

“For that to be our first one, I think that was a good wake-up call on how we need to move forward in other investigations,” said Rhneer, a choreopgrapher and dance instructor.

Over the last four years, East Valley Paranormal has investigated dozens of historical places – such as The Nile Theater, Mesa Historical Museum – as well as dozens of private residences across the state.

Vincent said homes become a special priority if children become involved, such as when they collected a set of “creepy” stuffed animals because “they were both-

quency white noise to hear spirits, and motion detectors that light up when ghosts pass it.

Vincent said real-life ghost hunting consists of “a lot of dirty, smelly, nothing happening.”

The women said they spend hours listening to their equipment emit white noise – which can become almost too boring only to have a brief encounter.

“It’ll amp up and then you might get a really great 15 minutes out of a threehour investigation,” Rhyneer said.

From lights flickering at Terror Trader collectibles store in Chandler to strange shadow figures in Guild of the Vale in Mesa, Vincent said some of their experiences can get to her sometimes.

That’s all part of a lifetime of paranormal experiences, she said.

“When you grow up and you’re used to these things, you think everyone is used to these things, so it becomes normal for you,” Vincent said. “I just found a best friend who it’s normal for her too, thank

“One of the things that has always gotten me about visiting a location is that people not knowing the history of what was there,” Vincent said. “This is the stuff we learned about in our history classes for Arizona history.”

Now, East Valley Paranormal has expanded beyond investigations into other ventures, including a ghost tour through downtown Mesa. The Rydables Downtown Mesa Ghost Tour is a 90-minute tour that covers all the paranormal hot spots around Main Street.

Rhyneer said they play a lot of the audio and video evidence on the tour that helps people learn historical facts and stories that many don’t know about – such as the tunnel system that’s under downtown Mesa. Participants can “hear actual testimonials from local shop owners and the residents who have experienced the paranormal,” Rydables says on its website.

The Rydables tour costs $69 for people 12 and older and $39 for kids. Each Rydables cart can hold up to 400 pounds but the women limit each cart to one adult and one child 11 years or younger.

Rhyneer said Rydables approached East Valley Paranormal about a downtown Mesa ghost tour and asked if they wanted to collaborate with them.

“They reached out to us after talking to some of the people who work and own businesses in downtown Mesa that brought up our name to them,” Rhyneer said.

Eventually, the women plan to open a coffee shop as their home base, but can’t say more about the location except “it’s one of the most haunted buildings on Main.”

For now, Rhyneer said they’ll continue to investigate the supernatural because she has a quest to answer the why behind each ghostly occurrence.

“We always walk away from an investigation and I’m always a little bit more confused,” Rhyneer said. “I want to solve it. I want to know what happens.”

Mesa Ghost

East Valley Paranormal: East Valley

Rydables offers a 90-minute tour of haunted places in downtown Mesa. (Instagram)

Researchers use GPS to track Sonoran desert tortoises

BY OLIVIA DOW Cronkite News

Sonoran desert tortoises are built for the desert. With their short legs and tough shell, they slowly but skillfully traverse Arizona’s rocky terrain, and like goats, can get to places humans can not. And in our increasingly dry and hot climate, they just might have lessons about survival.

“If there’s anything that’s built for long term drought, it’s the Sonoran desert tor toise,” Chad Rubke with the Arizona Game & Fish Department said. “These guys are like little tanks of the Sonoran Desert.”

Sonoran desert tortoises can hold water for up to a year, Rubke said. That matters given that Arizona is in a megadrought.

“They hold all their water resources within their bladder; they have a really big bladder,” Rubke said. “That makes up a large portion of their body weight, and they get a lot of their moisture from the food that they eat.”

The tortoises, unsurprisingly, are not fleet of foot, traveling 10 to 12 miles over

a few years, Rubke said.

One of the ways researchers are able to monitor tortoise movement is through ra dio telemetry, Rubke said. He knows this because Arizona Game & Fish has moni

tored and tracked Sonoran desert tortois es since the 1980s.

The McDowell Sonoran Conservancy now is doing its own study using technology to track Sonoran desert tortoises to answer

such questions as how urban expansion affects the species. The conservancy man ages the 30,500-acre McDowell Sonoran Preserve, which is owned by Scottsdale. Rubke said he helped get the conservan cy’s three-year study up and running but has mostly been on the project’s periphery.

The conservancy started the study in 2021, using telemetry devices that tracked the tortoises’ location once a week. This year, it added GPS units to collect location data every hour.

“We’re going out there every three weeks to swap out the GPS unit on the tortoise (so) that we can get that data back,” said Jessie Dwyer, the biodiversity manager at the conservancy. “We will use the telemetry equipment to actually track the location of the tortoise and then we get that data from the GPS for their fine-scale movements.”

The conservancy attaches transmitters to the shells of 22 tortoises across the pre serve, Dwyer said. The study is possible through special permits from Scottsdale and Arizona Game & Fish.

Jessie Dwyer, biodiversity manager at McDowell Sonoran Conservancy, demonstrates how a transmitter and GPS tracker are affixed to the wild tortoises in the study. (Emily Mai/ Cronkite News)

Researchers hope to get an idea of how human factors affect the tortoises.

So we have some tortoises that are right by trails or trailheads or roads, things like that, and some tortoises that are more internal to the preserve that we can get a comparison on how they’re moving in re lation to human activity,” Dwyer said.

Over the first year, Dwyer said, research ers found many tortoises by trailheads in the preserve. Near Thompson Trailhead, there is an active construction zone that tortoises have found their way into. Dwyer said these tortoises have been relocated back into the preserve.

“That’s an area we are keeping a big eye on and we have a few tortoises that we’ve tracked in that area,” Dwyer said. “They do interact with humans on a frequent basis. These tortoises live a very long time, so they might have a typical route they usu ally go through and then all of a sudden there is construction there one year.”

Although the study will continue for an other year, Dwyer said they have learned the preserve’s tortoise population is al most “cut in half” by Rio Verde Drive, which separates the preserve.

Dwyer said they have not observed tor toises moving across Rio Verde Drive, so two populations exist, one on the north and the other on the south. They said that this, “may be impactful in the future where those kind of populations of tor toises are cut off from each other, and how that might affect them genetically.”

So far, they have found that each tor

toise is individual in its movements, some travel a lot while others do not travel as much. Dwyer said they have also found the tortoises are “variable” in the way they use the landscape. Some have more complicated rock burrows and others dig shallow burrows.

“One of the cool things that we’ve seen with this study is we’ve seen a lot of juve niles lately, and also some tortoise eggs as well, which is a really good sign of a healthy tortoise population,” Dwyer said.

Sonoran desert tortoises are a keystone species in the Sonoran desert, meaning they are an important factor for the overall eco system. However, Dwyer said, the tortoise is easily affected by human disturbances.

“We’ve seen it with the kind of sister subspecies of Mojave desert tortoise with a lot of urban development has really been detrimental to the species,” Dwyer said. “Any sort of development or human recre ation but also climate change as well.”

Although Arizona is still in a drought, the state’s longest drought since the U.S. Drought Monitor started in 2000 occurred from Aug. 18, 2009, to June 4, 2019. Drought remains a concern, even though August 2022 was the 11th wettest in 128 years, according to the monitor.

In February, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Ser vice denied endangered species protection to the Sonoran desert tortoise, citing the species has adult populations in the hun dreds of thousands currently in the wild.

Krista Kemppinen, senior scientist at the Center for Biological Diversity in Tuc son, said while Sonoran desert tortoise populations are relatively stable, there is concern for the future.

“The big concern is as droughts get more frequent, and more intense, that there will be declines in the future,” Kemppinen said.

Kemppinen said Sonoran desert tortois es are “intune” with the desert environ ment, feeding on vegetation from mon soon rains, but habitat loss, cattle grazing and invasive plant species, she said, could harm their ability to thrive in the desert.

“Biodiversity in general… is just so es sential to maintaining ecosystem function and through that, delivery of ecosystem services,” Kemppinen said. If a species has a drastic decline, she said, it can im pact the entire ecosystem. “And by the time that it’s declined so significantly, it may even be too late for us to recover it. So we do really need a diverse and stable ecosystem to provide a series of benefits to society.” 

line neighborhood meeting Oct. 25 that Via West held as it begins the process for seeking a rezoning of its 28.6 acre site. It leased the land from Kyrene School Dis trict for 77 years in a deal that will gener ate an estimated $100 million for the dis trict over the length of the lease.

Via West already is building the three immense warehouses, ranging in size be tween 140,941 square feet and 210,670 square feet, but is asking the city to rezone the site from a CP-GCP classification to a PUD, or planned unit development.

“We are suffering immensely from traffic woes,” resident Alexis Holcomb told attor ney Carolyn Oberholtzer, who hosted the meeting on behalf of Via West. “There’s a lot of risks. And so that’s a really big, big concern is the traffic issue.”

But Oberholtzer said an apartment complex or office development would generate far more vehicle trips. She said a 293,000-square-foot office complex origi nally envisioned for the site would have generated 2,858 vehicle trips a day and that the light industrial project will gener ate an estimated 1,800.

“I know that’s not going to make you happy,” Oberholtzer told Holcomb. “But in terms of the intensity and frequency of trips, this development does have fewer than some of the other uses that can go in there under the existing zoning.”

The lawyer conceded that Via West has no idea right now how many trucks might eventually be rolling in and out of the complex daily when it opens for business sometime next year. But she said many of those trucks will likely be rolling at night because that’s typically when industrial tenants prefer deliveries.

Alex Boles, a Via West representative who also attended the neighborhood meeting, said exit truck traffic likely would turn right onto 50th and head north to ward Elliot to reach nearby I-10 because that would be easier than trying to turn left toward Chandler Boulevard and then left again east toward I-10.

The neighborhood meeting is the first step in the process Via West must under take to obtain City Council approval of its request to rezone the site.

Currently, the zoning allows “manufac turing or assembly of finished products or subassemblies” so long as food pro cessing is not involved.

A PUD zoning would allow “manufac

Ahwatukee resident Tom Sanfilippo of Inside Out Serial shot this intersection of Ray Road and 50th Street with a drone from Ray looking south. The intersection could get even busier once tenants move into Via West’s Converge Logistics Center south of this inter section and even busier if a 417-apartment complex next to the Via West site is approved by the city.(Tom Sanfilippo/Inside Out Aerial)

turing or assembly of electronics and/ or locking systems, including processing and compounding of raw materials pro vided that all manufacturing is conducted entirely within an enclosed building and provide that the portion of the building devoted to the uses is located more than 100 feet from a residence district.”

Oberholtzer said the rezoning applica tion also seeks to clarify that warehous ing and distribution would be allowed at the site and to permit 60% of the parking area to have canopies. The current zon ing allows only half the parking area to be covered.

Boles said while he had no idea what kind of companies might be moving into

the buildings, it was unlikely any would be using hazardous materials.

He and Oberholtzer noted that the city Fire Department would ultimately deter mine the allowable building uses.

“To have any sort of hazardous materi als onsite, you would have to have a heavy industrial zoning, which we do not have and are not requesting,” Boles said, add ing:

“These warehouses are meant mostly for distribution where you’re bringing in bulk materials, you’re repackaging them to smaller packages and then sending them to job sites and homes.”

Via West must still have two hearings before the Ahwatukee Foothills Village

Planning Committee – the first an infor mational one and the second calling for a vote on whether to recommend approval when it goes before the city Planning Commission. In turn, the Planning Com mission must hold a hearing and pass a recommendation to City Council.

Because both the committee and com mission meet generally only once a month, the entire approval process will likely con tinue into the early part of next year.

The Village Planning Committee meets on the fourth Monday of the month, but has no agenda yet for November.

Also on the verge of beginning the same process is Everest Holdings, which wants to build a six-building, 417-unit multifam ily complex to replace a dual-office build ing complex located just north of the Via West complex. Attorneys for the develop er were scheduled to hold an online neigh borhood meeting yesterday, Nov. 1.

A December 2020 traffic analysis by Kimley-Horn Associates that Via West submitted to the city with its application pinpoints the estimated vehicle trips gen erated by the Converge Logistics Center at 1,742, with 207 of those occurring during both the morning and evening rush hours.

It proposed four driveways all south of Thistle Landing Drive but did not account for the impact of Everest Holdings’ pro posed development on overall traffic be cause that project wasn’t on the drawing board when the Via West study was con ducted by Kimley-Horn.

Kimley-Horn said the existing lanes on 50th and Thistle Landing are adequate to handle the projected increase in traffic.

In its rezoning application, Via West told the city that because the development is close to I-10, the project “shortens com mute times and reduces the amount of time in which large vehicles spend on sur face streets.”

It also said the development “aligns with the city’s desire to reduce vacant lots and develop them.”

Holcomb remained wary of the project’s impact on local traffic – especially along the Ray Road retail strip between I-10 and 48th Street.

She said the traffic signals on Ray al ready are poorly synchronized for east bound traffic so that they frequently snarl southbound traffic on 48th waiting to turn left onto Ray’s eastbound lanes

Oberholtzer told her that while any new

This map shows the location of the Via West development. A different developer wants to raze the two buildings north of Mountain Vista Commerce Center for a 417-unit apart ment complex. (Via West)

female Democrats and three male Repub licans seeking to become Ahwatukee’s re constituted delegation to the Legislature.

Not surprisingly, in terms of total cash alone, not all the council candidates are equal in supporters’ eyes.

The total each hopeful raised varies wildly from the $692 given to Juan Scho ville, who at 24 is the youngest of the eight candidates, to a whopping $468,973 raised by former Phoenix Police Assistant Chief Kevin Robinson, the darling of the city’s Democratic Party power structure.

Endorsed by the last four Phoenix may ors as well as the incumbent, Robinson’s residency in Ahwatukee was challenged in court by candidate Moses Sanchez, an onetime Ahwatukee resident and busi nessman, and criticized by Joan Greene, also a longtime Ahwatukee resident and businesswoman, on her campaign website.

Both questioned the fact that Robinson and his wife own a home in Scottsdale, where he lived until September 2021, when he moved into a home in Pointe South Mountain.

A judge ruled against the challenge filed by Sanchez, who noted the Robinsons are not divorced or separated and cited evidence suggesting the Ahwatukee home is what Greene called a “shadow home” aimed at qualifying him for the ballot.

Robinson testified he and his wife, a phy sician, bought the Scottsdale home several years ago because she needed to be closer to the hospital where she worked. He also testified he and his wife had previously lived in District 6 and that the Ahwatukee home, leased until next September was listed on his driver’s license and voter reg istration rolls as his official address.

Campaign financials show Robinson up through the end of September spent $328,444 on his campaign – far more than the $197,245 in expenditures reported by his seven competitors combined.

Three other District 6 council candidates reported total donations in the six figures.

Of them, Central Phoenix entrepreneur Harry Curtin, whose problems with the IRS became an issue in the early stages of the campaign, reported the largest, raising $175,000 and spending $37,279.

Curtin owed about $350,000 in income taxes between 2014 and 2017, according to an IRS document, though he settled with the agency before entering the race.

The next largest campaign war chest belongs to Mark Moeremans, senior vice president of entrepreneurship and ven ture development with the Arizona Com merce Authority. He raised $161,569 through Sept. 30 and spent $14,435.

Sanchez, who retired from the Navy after 25 years of active and reserve duty, reported donations totaling $121,571 and expenditures of $8,285.

The next biggest war chest after those four candidates belongs to Kellen Wilson, a labor leader in the food service industry. She raised $97,615 through Sept. 30 and spent $39,253.

After her comes Sam Stone, DiCiccio’s former chief of staff and the candidate

who has his former boss’ endorsement in the council race. A political consultant, Stone reported $85,940 in donations and spending $70,563.

Greene reported $23,504 in donations and $27,430 in expenditures.

Schoville, a Phoenix Sky Harbor Inter national Airport security guard, not only raised the least but also was notable for one other campaign finance oddity: Of the $692 he raised through the end of Septem ber, he didn’t spend a dime.

LD 12 race

Besides the council race on a ballot high lighted by races for governor, U.S. Senator, all statewide offices and 10 propositions, Ahwatukee voters also will be filling two seats each on the governing boards for Kyrene and Tempe Union.

Local voters also must decide whether to approved Tempe Union’s two capital spending overrides and a $100 million bond issue.

In LD 12, Republicans are trying to crack a district that has been all-blue for the last six years.

County Recorder data shows Republi cans, with 44,881 registered voters, take a backseat in the district to both the 51,376 voters registered as independents and 50,841 registered Democrats.

But in the race for cash, LD 12 Republi can and Democrat candidate camps com bined each have raised almost an equal amount of donations, according to their most recent available spending reports filed Oct. 15.

The three Republican candidates – Sen ate hopeful and Ahwatukee scientist Da vid W. Richardson and termed-out Chan dler Councilman Terry Roe and Chandler CPA Jim Chaston – raised a combined $306,844.

Democratic Senate hopeful and current state Rep. Mitzi Epstein of Tempe and House candidates Patty Contreras and Stacey Travers, both Ahwatukee residents, have raised a combined $306,214.

Epstein, who has been in the House since 2016, is hoping to succeed Sen. Sean Bowie, who decided not to run again. Her jump to the Senate and a decision by Jen

HARRY CURTIN JOAN GREENE JUAN SCHOVILLE KELLEN WILSON KEVIN ROBINSON MARK MOEREMANS

MOSES SANCHEZ

SAM STONE

Candidates for Legislative District 12, pictured here during their online debate held in August by the Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Com mission, include from left: top row: Democrats Mitzi Epstein, running for Senate; and House hopefuls Patty Contreras and Stacey Travers; Bottom row: Republicans David Richardson, running for Senate; and House candidates Jim Chaston and Terry Roe. (AFN file photo)

States pressured to install more EV charging stations

BY HAILEY FORBIS Cronkite News

Withmore electric vehicles humming down highways, states are under increasing pressure to install more public charging stations to make sure the juice keeps flowing.

The challenge is particularly acute in California, which adopted a rule in August to gradually phase out sales of new gas-powered vehicles by 2035 with the goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to help fight climate change.

States can take advantage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill, which gives $5 billion nationally for public charging stations as part of the new National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program.

States that write up strategic plans to expand charging station infrastructure are eligible for a grant from the program to help make it possible.

The program should benefit Arizona, with wide open spaces and long distances between major cities. It recently was granted $76.5 million over three years to

from page 18

nifer Jermaine to become the uncontested candidate for the San Marcos Justice Court leaves both House seats up for grabs.

In LD12, Epstein and Chaston are neck and neck in the race for cash. Epstein has raised $169,120 and spent $38,262 while Chaston reported donations totaling $163,062 and expenditures totaling $118,661.

Richardson, running against Epstein, raised $54,939 and has so far spent $33,852. Roe raised $88,893 and spent $23,660. Travers has raised $72,080 and spent $32,304 and Contreras raised $65,014 and spent $47,549.

Governing boards

Among school-related campaigns, by far the biggest fund raiser is the Yes Support Our Schools, which is pushing for passage of Tempe Union’s $100 million bond issue and overrides to both its capital budget and its District Additional Assistance budget. The latter covers smaller capital spending such as curriculum technology.

install stations along interstate highways in the state.

The Arizona Department of Transportation is holding a series of public meetings, including Nov. 16 in Phoenix, to gather comments on the plan.

“The plan basically calls for electrical vehicle charging stations to be placed either upgraded existing stations and eventually new stations no more than 50 miles apart initially on the interstate system in Arizona,” said Doug Nick, an ADOT spokesman.

There are two exceptions, both involving proposed stations up to 70 miles apart. One would be on Interstate 8 between Gila Bend and Casa Grande, the other on Interstate 40 between Kingman and Seligman.

Electric-vehicle owners say additional public chargers will help give them peace of mind that they won’t be stranded without juice.

“When I first got the Tesla, I didn’t have the at-home charger,” said Samatha Solis,

see ELECTRIC page 21

The PAC reported raising $43,630 and spending $8,580.

Among the two governing board races, the three candidates running in Tempe Union – incumbent Andres Barraza of Tempe and challengers Amanda Steele and Stephan Kingsley, both Ahwatukee residents – have raised and spent the least.

Barraza filed a report that states his campaign finance activity is so low it fell beneath the minimum state law requirement for filing financial statements. Kinglsey reported raising $2,775 and spending $1,175 while Steele reported donations totaling $4,855 and expenditures totaling $3,215.

In Kyrene, the cash is flowing somewhat more freely.

The big winner in fundraising is Ahwatukee educator Triné Nelson, who has raised a whopping $10,915 and spent $3,817. Board President Kevin Walsh of Tempe raised $6,750 and spent $2,989 so far while Ahwatukee resident and former teacher Kristi Ohman reported raising $3,566 and spending $4,115 

WARNING!

NEUROPATHY AND CHRONIC PAIN TREATMENTS NOT WORKING!!

Mesa, AZ – When it comes to chronic pain and/ or neuropathy, the most common doctor-prescribed treatment is drugs like Gabapentin, Lyrica, Cymbalta, and Neurontin. The problem with antidepressants or anti-seizure medications like these is that they offer purely symptomatic relief, as opposed to targeting and treating the root of the problem. Worse, these drugs often trigger an onset of uncomfortable, painful, and sometimes harmful side effects.

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

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

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

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

1. Finding the underlying cause

2. Determining the extent of the nerve damage (above 95% nerve loss is rarely treatable)

3. The amount of treatment required for the patient’s unique condition

Aspen Medical in Mesa, AZ uses a state-of-the-art electric cell signaling systems worth $100,000.00.

Th is ground-breaking treatment is engineered to achieve the following, accompanied by advanced diagnostics and a basic skin biopsy to accurately analyze results:

1. Increases blood flow

2. Stimulates and strengthens small fiber nerves

3. Improves brain-based pain

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

It’s completely painless!

THE GREAT NEWS IS THAT THIS TREATMENT IS COVERED BY MEDICARE, MEDICAID, AND MOST INSURANCES!!

The number of treatments required varies from patient to patient, and can only be determined following an in-depth neurological and vascular examination. As long as you have less than 95% nerve damage, there is hope!

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

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

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

We are extremely busy, so we are unavailable, please leave a voice message and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

Aspen Medical

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

Effective neuropathy treatment relies on the following three factors:

Depending on your coverage, your peripheral neuropathy treatment could cost almost nothing – or be absolutely free.

who attends Arizona State University. “So honestly it was such a hassle having to recharge it or find a charger.”

Arizona had 1,952 charging ports as of 2021 and California had 34,185 according to evadoption. Evadoption’s goal is “to provide data-driven analysis and forecasts.”

The need is even more acute in California now that it intends to eventually end sales of new gasoline-powered vehicles. The state has set a goal of having 35% of all new vehicles sold starting in 2026 will be zero-emission. The number increases to 68% by 2030 and to 100% by 2035.

Such a radical change in transportation has raised fears that demand for EV charging will strain the power grid, that enough electricity can’t be generated to recharge all of those vehicles.

It’s easy to see why when visiting a large charging station like the one Tesla has built in Santa Monica, west of Los Angeles. Even at midday on a weekday, Tesla cars and SUVs were coming and going steadily, with most of the chargers in use at any given moment.

The Biden administration says that

Tesla is working to build new supercharger equipment that will permit nonTesla drivers to utilize the equipment.

But one renewable energy advocate

said California is producing so much renewable energy that the grid “They’re installing more solar and wind energy on the grid every year than all the elec-

tric cars sold that year or whatever need and it’s by several orders of magnitude,” said Paul Scott, co-founder of the advocacy group Plug In America. “So the grid will continue to get cleaner even with the added demand from electric vehicles.”

Nick, the ADOT spokesperson, said Arizona’s major power producers have been brought into the conversation to make sure there will be ample power as transportation electrifies. 

multifamily apartments were not considered in the traffic analysis, “I assume that when the other developments are coming in … that those signals will be evaluated more extensively.”

Still, Holcomb said, “I have to say I don’t have a lot of faith about it because several years ago, we sent 200 petitions to the city to change the timing on Knox and 48th because of the high school …and they sent me back a letter saying that was lovely, but they went by the number of wrecks.” Holcomb also wondered why she seemed

to be the only person who received a letter about the neighborhood meeting.

Oberholzter said she didn’t know how many people received a notice but noted that the city requires property owners within 1,000 feet of a proposed development and that those lists come from the city.

“We only go by the lists that we have so sometimes that cut-off excludes people simply because of distance,” she added, telling Holcomb there would be stikll another neighborhood meeting and encouraging people to check for updates on the project’s website: convergelogisticscenterdevelopment.com 

Fresh off their annual “haunted school” presentation the last two weekends of October, the Mountain Pointe Theatre Company is turning to a drama about civil disobedience and Amer ican history in a play the talented thespi ans will present this weekend.

“The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail,” is a two-act American play by Robert E. Lee and Jerome Lawrence written in 1969, will be presented at 6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 4, and 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. Saturday,. Nov. 5, at the school auditorium, 4201 E. Knox Road.

People can reserve their tickets and pay when they arrive by emailing mphs.the atrecompany@gmail.com. Provide your name, day and time of show, letter and number of the seats you’d like. Attendees also can simply show up, though they may not get the seats they want. More informa tion is at mptheatreco.com.

The play is based on the early life of the title character, Henry David Thoreau, and the night he spent in a jail in Concord, Massachusetts, for refusing to pay a poll tax. He feared that the revenue might be used to pay for the Mexican–American War, which he opposed.

Writing in The New York Times, How

The cast in the Mountain Pointe Theatre Company’s presentation of “The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail” this week includes, from left, Owen Klanke as “Sam Staples”, Sam Payne as “Ellen Sewell”, Mille Corbin as “Lydian Emerson”, Lucy Corbin as “Edward Emerson”, Trevor Perry as “Henry David Thoreau”, Griffin Weber as “Bailey”, Phoenix Torres as “John Thoreau” and Jayvin Sumler as “Henry David.” (David Minton/AFN Staff Photographer)

ard Taubman described the ideological relevance of the play to contemporary au diences, stating “this play and its protago nist, though they are of the 19th century, are speaking to today’s concerns: an un wanted war in another land, civil disobe dience, the interdependence of man and nature, education, the role of government and the governed.”

Director and Mountain Pointe teacher

Corey Quinn said the play’s message has a contemporary relevance.

“Long ago I saw this play at Mesa Com munity College when I was in college,” Quinn said. “I loved the show, the mes sage, and characters. The historical aspect intrigued me, as well the idea that of one man standing up for his beliefs. I am a fan of any show that can make you think – the kind of show that still rolls around in your

head long after the show is over.”

A technical theater teacher and director at Mountain Pointe for nearly 24 years, Quinn said “Thoreau” was the third play he directed in his illustrious career.

“I thought perhaps it was time to revisit it and share it again with others,” he said. “Theater is the kind of art form that is very temporary, and if you miss it, it’s over. Nothing compares to live art. The idea that what is you see is immediate, prac ticed, studied, and anything can happen.

“Regardless of the show, an audience can expect to be immersed into a world cre ated by our talented students, and hope fully leave fulfilled. I’ve enjoyed working with these kids, and am super proud of the work we did here.”

The cast includes: Trevor Perry, Brody Stolfa, Molly Corbin, Ireland Hanrahan, Phoenix Torres, Griffin Weber, Connor Murry, Sam Payne, Lucy Corbin, Owen Klanke and Jayvin Sumler.

The crew includes Kyra Deeney, Xan der Gaede, Brianna Nuñez, Kylie Stinson, Mohogany Rembert, Sebastian Navarro, Aiden Allen, Brooklyn Cole, Maia Pat tison, Angelina Jackson, Aurora Garcia, Amaris Moreno, Shilaah A., Layla Ham ilton, Jadyn Grayson, Lucky Navarro, Courtney Stinson, Analiese Frommelt and Alyx Guenther. 

In

nity

in progress

state

continue

February,

a student

Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee 5K-9

Run presented by PetSmart

7

Riverview Park, Mesa

Super Bowl Experience presented by Lowe’s

the Phoenix Convention Center

4 and Feb. 5, and Feb. 9 to Feb. 11

Convention Center

Opening Night presented by Fast Twitch Feb. 6

Footprint Center, Phoenix

Super Bowl Gospel Celebration Feb. 8

Mesa Center for the Arts

Historic Old Town ESPN Main Street Tailgate

8 to Feb. 12

Old Town Scottsdale

Bud Light Super Bowl Music Fest

8 to Feb. 11

Footprint Center, Phoenix

NFL Honors Presented by Invisalign Feb. 9

Symphony Hall, Phoenix

Super Bowl Experience presented by Lowe’s @ Hance Park Feb. 9 to Feb. 12

Margaret T. Hance Park, Phoenix

FanDuel Party Feb. 10

Tempe Beach Park

Taste of the NFL Feb. 11

Chateau Luxe, North Phoenix

FOX Sports Broadcast Set

throughout the week

The Great Lawn at State Farm Stadium, Glendale

Of�icial Super Bowl Watch Party Feb. 12

Margaret T. Hance Park, Phoenix

Super Bowl Feb. 12

State Farm Stadium

Rare academy honor capslocal ASU professor’s career

BY COTY DOLORES MIRANDA AFN Contributor

Last May, Dr. John Craft retired from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication after 49 years as a professor, making him the senior member of the Cronkite faculty.

Last month, Craft, an Ahwatukee resident since 1998, was honored by the Rocky Mountain Southwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences with the Governors’ Award, the chapter’s top honor.

Craft is one of a handful of individuals who won an award that usually recognizes an organization or company for their achievements in the industry and

their impact on the community.

“Normally it goes to a television station that does wonderful things for the community,” said Craft, who spent two decades on the board of governors, serving a term as president. “There have only been two or three individuals in the 40 years and to be one of those individuals is quite an honor.”

Doug Mummert, president of National Academy’s Southwest Chapter, said he was delighted to present the award to Craft, whom he has known for two decades.

“He was part of the leadership of our chapter when I first joined the Academy. I’ve learned a lot from him along the way and consider him not only a mentor, but a good friend,” said Mummert.

“Education is one of the cornerstones of our academy, and Dr. John Craft exemplifies this by making a significant impact on our organization and the future leadership of our industry.”

The award presentation included a video by former student Isaac Easley, founder and owner of Phoenix-based Take it Easley Productions and a former instructor of video journalism and innovation at Cronkite.

Ahwatukee resident Dr. John Craft, who recently retired from ASU’s Cronkite School after 49 years as a professor, won an award that usually goes to a business for achievements and community impact. (Special to AFN)

Ahwatukee prof’s program yields useful apps

AFN NEWS STAFF

Akind of super brainstorming session by Ahwatukee resident Dr. Neal Lester and his Project Humanities team at Arizona State University last month produced a unique app that helps at-home caregivers find resources that could help them deal with burnout.

That app – as well as another and a web application – were the products of the ninth annual Hacks for Humanities: Hacking for the Social Good, an online and inperson collaboration of people of various ages and backgrounds who came together for an intensive 36-hour session with a specific mission.

Working in five-person teams, participants were challenged to create products that address various social, economic, and political issues within three tracks: aging and wellbeing, civic engagement and environmental justice.

Each team’s product had to exemplify at least three of Project Humanities’ seven Humanity 101 principles, whcih are compassion, empathy, forgiveness, integrity, kindness, respect and self-reflection.

Lester, ASU Foundation Professor of

English, is founding director of Project Humanities, a 12-year-old initiative designed to “connect the university and diverse, local communities for engaged, inclusive, multidisciplinary public conversations about the intersections of humanities, so-

cial justice, racial/gender/sexual identities, and more.”

Lester describes Hacks for Humanity as “a global multi-professional, interdisciplinary, entrepreneurial hackathon.”

Because it offered for the first time a chance for people to participate online with in-person attendees, it drew 98 participants, 32 volunteers, and 36 mentors from. around the country and the world.

Lester said participants came from 10 states as well as Cameroon, Canada, Egypt, India, Nigeria, Philippines, Poland, South Africa, United Kingdom and China.

With the support of grants and donations from groups and corporations, Hacks for Humanities was held at ASU SkySong in Scottsdale last month and began with an opening session titled “The Power of Storytelling,” by former Project Humanities Associate Director Alycia de Mesa, “who stressed the fact that every

Ahwatukee resident Dr. Neal Lester’s ninth annual Hacks for Humanities: Hacking for the Social Good drew 98 participants, 32 volunteers, and 36 mentors from around the country and the world. (Courtesy Dr. Neal Lester)

successful product in the world and in this event had to be a compelling story about which someone cares,” Lester said.

To demonstrate that storytelling potential and impact, participants created short stories around funny Gifs, bolstering the teammates’ camaraderie.

Day 2 opened with Dr. Loretta Cheeks, whose expertise in artificial intelligence and machine learning “specifically challenged teams to think of the humanity missing from too many tech solutions and interventions,” Lester said.

Website building was the focus of a workshop by ASU Project Humanities alumna Jamila Kahn, who “reminded attendees that websites are a window into one’s business venture so should be clear, concise, engaging, and accurate,” Lester said.

Andrea Passarella reminded participants that meditation and self-care “are intricately connected to personal and professional success.”

The teams’ hacks were judged by Cole Busby, ASU alum with a BS in neurobiology and a minor in Spanish; Dr. Karen V. Busch, a resident at ASU Mirabella whose background includes experience design-

ing, managing, and evaluating large collaborative projects both for governmental and nongovernmental agencies; Marchelle F. Franklin, director of the Phoenix Human Services Department; and David W. Hopkins, former vice president of IT applications at CSAA Insurance Group.

The top prize went to a team comprising Neha Balamurugan, Mihir Goyenka, Bhrugu Dave, Emma Williams and Sarah Tahir for their app, called CareUp. Each team member won $1,000 for their invention.

Their app addresses caregiver burnout resulting from the emotional, physical, and financial stresses of caring for their

elderly and/or disabled loved ones.

The app streamlines the process of obtaining resources and/or funding for infamily caregivers by providing users with direct access to applications and submission links.

“The Humanity 101 principles in this product are respect, empathy, and compassion,” said Lester.

Goyenka, who is pursuing his master’s degree at ASU in computer science, said caregivers tending to family members with Alzheimer’s can more easily find information and resources on the internet because Alzheimer’s research is highly funded and there are specific nonprofit organizations set up to support those who have the disease.

But it may not be as easy for the caregiver who is taking care of a family member who has, say, debilitating arthritis or a psychiatric disorder.

“If you look at it overall, this industry is pretty much fragmented,” Goyenka said. “There is no one-stop solution.”

Second place went to a team that developed a web application called Generation Connection, which facilitates friendships across generations. Students and retired seniors can exchange and educate each

other with their life experiences.

Third place was won by a team that developed an app called Ubuntu, which addresses the problems of people with Alzheimer’s and their caregivers.

“The app helps to improve the quality of the day-to-day lives of Alzheimer’s patients and their caregivers by enabling patients to record memories, play memory quizzes, get reminders, and to contact their caregivers quickly,” Lester said. “Caregivers can monitor the location of the Alzheimer’s patient, view notes, and create a task list.

Supporters provided raffle items ranging from Tempe Lake boat rides to As You Wish pottery-making opportunity and a signed Cardinals football,

Teams competed for cash prizes totaling $10,000 made possible by this year’s sponsors: State Farm Companies Foundation, ASU University Technology Office, ASU J. Orin Edson Entrepreneurship + Innovation Institute, JDT Family Foundation, Jenny Norton and Bob Ramsey.

For more details about this event, seehacksforhumanity.io.

For details about the multiple awardwinning Project Humanities imitative: projecthumanities.asu.edu. 

DR. NEAL LESTER

Building permit

BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor

is not

but also

homes

for sellers,” the Cromford Report said its index of Valley home sub-markets – based on a variety of sales and price data –shows “the deterioration in the market continues to fall.”

not so hot for

a leading local analyst of the local market said last week.

Cromford Report offered a dismal outlook on the new-home construction scene in the Valley, stating that the number of permits being issued for new homes is plummeting and that the industry here is “slamming on the brakes.”

Reporting that ”things are getting worse

It said that of those submarkets, Queen Creek now offered the least favorable market for sellers.

“Eleven cities are buyer’s markets, three are balance and three are still seller’s markets, though all three are deteriorating rapidly,” the Cromford Report said.

"deteriorating markets" are Foun-

Mike Mendoza

tain Hills, Paradise Valley and Scottsdale because while advantageous to sellers, now, that environment is c=beconign elss so. Cromford said the three strongest markets are Cave Creek, Phoenix and Chandler.

“Dramatic trends are reported by the Census Bureau for building permits in Central Arizona,” the Cromford Report also said. “For Maricopa and Pinal Counties in September we saw only 1,485 single-family building permits. This is the lowest monthly total since February 2017 and down 36% from September last year.”

That spells bad news for buyers – and for renters – at least in the short term.

The Cromford Report and numerous national experts say a slowdown in home construction about five years ago contributed to low inventory of homes that in turn that helped drive prices to historic heights and at historic sizes in the last few years.

Right now, inventory has grown be-

cause fewer houses are selling as rising mortgage interest rates discourage prospective buyers, according to the financial website Kiplinger.

At the same time, the Valley’s population continues to rise, driving higher demand and keeping prices from free-fall.

In August, Peter Schiff, the chief economist at investment company Euro Pacific, tweeted, “Soon new home construction will almost completely shut down. That’s because it will be too expensive to build new homes that most buyers can actually afford. The housing market will consist almost exclusively of existing home that will sell for less than the cost to replace them.”

Business Insider, another financial website, cited Schiff’s observation. and said:

“While it’s not the foreclosure crisis of 2008, today’s real estate market also has a dark side. It all stems from the fact that fewer and fewer Americans can afford to buy the limited homes available, especially as interest rates rise.

“Homebuilders are feeling the pain of

tanking demand and are slowing down housing construction — contributing to the housing crisis’ vicious cycle.”

Falling demand isn’t the only factor impacting builders, who also face rising costs in some materials even though prices have fallen slightly in the last two months for others, the National Association of Home Builders reported last week.

“Prices have fallen 2.3% since June, the largest three-month drop since April 2020,” it said. “However, these modest price declines have occurred when material prices were already at extremely elevated rates.

“And while lumber and steel prices have trended down in recent months, the prices of ready-mix concrete and gypsum building materials have continued their

climb dating back to early 2021.”

The builders association explained, “Not only is gypsum a major component of drywall, it is also a critical ingredient to the Portland cement used to manufacture ready-mix concrete. High demand for cement – combined with lower imports of aggregate due to a large quarry shutdown in Mexico – have spread thin the supply of domestically produced ready-mix concrete as well as gypsum.

“As drywall and cement are used in many applications outside of residential construction, prices have increased even as single-family construction has cooled.”

The association also said that builder confidence is steadily declining.

Top sellers

Among the top sellers in Ahwatukee in the second half of last month, above, was this four-bedroom, 3 ½-bath home on S. Mountain Stone Trail, which sold for $1.25 million.

The 3,859-square-foot single-story Club West home, built in 2000, It boasts a separate wing for an owner’s suite and study as well as a gourmet kitchen with high-end appliances. Below, this five-bedroom 3 ½ bath house on S. 14th Drive sold for $875,000. Building in 1996, the 3,399-square-foot house boasted two master bedrooms, mountain views and numerous amenities. (Special to AFN)

This chart shows the pressures the economy is putting on homebuilders when it comes to the cost of building a house. (National Association of Home Builders)

Follow these steps for ‘Subject to’ transactions

BY PATRICK MACQUEEN AFN Guest Writer

the last several years, we have received a number of questions or inquiries about “Subject to” real estate transactions.

those of you unfamiliar with this type of real estate transaction, below is an explanation of how these deals work.

those of you that have some familiarity with this type of deal, we have outlined

tips to consider before entering

next “Subject to” transaction.

“Subject to” real estate transaction occurs when a buyer purchases a property with an existing mortgage with the existing mortgage not being paid off at close of escrow.

Under these scenarios, the buyer takes over the property via a deed from the seller and the seller is still obligated to pay the mortgage. The buyer makes the seller’s mortgage payments and the seller’s lender is not informed that the property has been transferred to the buyer.

In general, sellers that are “distressed” or behind on their existing mortgage payments or are already in foreclosure are the most common types of motivated sellers for “Subject to” deals.

By entering into a “Subject to” transaction, sellers can avoid foreclosure and

the negative impact that it has on their personal credit. Additionally, sellers will now have monthly on-time payments shown on their credit report while the buyer makes the payments on their mortgage.

The benefit of a “Subject to” transaction for buyers is that buyers will be able to purchase real estate without obtaining traditional financing and can avoid paying the associated fees and costs.

“Subject to” deals are not without risk. One risk includes the possibility that a seller could file for bankruptcy.

If this occurs, the seller’s lender could foreclosure upon the property and cause the buyer to lose their investment.

The primary risk for a buyer is that the seller’s lender triggers the due-on-sale clause found in most conventional mortgages and call the loan due for violating this clause.

Whether this is the first time you’ve heard of a “Subject to” transaction or you have been a party to them in the past, it is imperative that you consider the following tips:

1. Review and understand existing loan terms and utility obligations. If you are a buyer, be certain to know whether the loan you are going to be paying is fixed-rate or adjustable. Additionally, determine whether insurance and/or taxes are included in the monthly payment.

Similarly, be certain that utility payments are up to date and have a good understanding of which, if any, utility balances you will assume.

2. Look at the buyer’s creditworthiness. If you are the seller in a “Subject to” transaction, you need to make sure that the prospective buyer has the income to make the mortgage payments on time.

3. Consider some advanced techniques. In order to finalize a “Subject to” transaction, the parties may need more than a “Subject to” contract or a “Subject to” addendum, which are standard documents in these deals.

Specifically, the parties may need wrap-mortgage loan documents and/or traditional seller-carry financing documents in order to finance the buyer’s down payment and/or any shortfall between the purchase price and the assumed mortgage.

Another advanced technique is to form a trust to hold the real estate. Some buyers and sellers want to avoid triggering the due on sale clause found in most

conventional mortgages and, in such circumstances, the parties may wish to place the property into a trust and sell the beneficial interest in the trust so that the seller’s lender will not know that the seller has conveyed the property (thereby triggering the due on sale clause).

It is always best to speak with a real estate attorney about the legality of setting up a trust.

4. Payments to an intermediary. Anyone engaging in a “Subject to” transaction must place a certain degree of trust in the counter-party.

For “peace of mind,” it is usually wise to have a qualified intermediary (such as a title company or other 3rd party) collect and send in monthly payments.

“Subject to” transactions are a very powerful way to buy real estate. These transactions, however, are not without risk.

If you need more tips or have questions about “Subject to” transactions, feel free to email me at PMacQueen@ medalistlegal.com or call 602-7670049. 

“In a further signal that rising interest rates, building material bottlenecks and elevated home prices continue to weaken the housing market, builder sentiment fell for the 10th straight month in October and traffic of prospective buyers fell to its lowest level since 2012,” it said.

But builders of multifamily complexes aren‘t facing the same problem – at least for now.

The Phoenix Metro region is seeing “a record-number of building permits are being issued for apartment construction,” the Cromford Report said last week.

“It is clear that 2022 will go down as the busiest year ever for multifamily permits,” it said last week, reporting that in Maricopa and Pinal counties combined, 5,599 multifamily units were issued int eh third quarter.

Compared to the home-building industry, it added, “the multifamily construction industry is ping in the opposite direction at top speed.”

The trend in apartment construction in the Valley mirrors a nationwide trend, according to fa variety of housing market analysts.

However, those same analysts are predicting the multifamily market will face the same slowdown their single-family housing counterparts are facing.

Kiplinger last week said, “Multifamily starts will trend lower over the next year as a slowdown in rent growth, and the record number of apartments under construction, discourage developers from breaking ground on new projects.

“Multifamily starts, fueled by low vacancies and rising mortgage rates, will rise 15% in 2022. Single-family starts will fall around 8% for the year.”

days.

is a scary place

pronouncements are the

“The Fed will push until something breaks.” “Housing is in a free fall.” “It’s go ing to be brutal.” “This will end in tears.”

doom and gloom might make skit tish

if there’s any hope or point in forging ahead.

if the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that things can change quickly—for better or for worse. That’s why keeping your eye trained on the latest real estate statistics is a must to stay sane and ahead of the housing apoca lypse nipping at your heels.

For the week ending Oct. 27, the aver age 30-year fixed mortgage rate shot up to 7.08%. According to Freddie Mac, this

is the first time that this rate has bro ken the 7% threshold in 20 years, since April 2002.

Crunch the numbers on how this af fects housing affordability, and the picture turns even more frightening.

“Combined with rising home prices, higher mortgage rates have significantly increased the cost of a monthly mortgage payment, up more than 70% from one year ago, sapping the purchasing power of shoppers,” said Realtor.com Chief Econo mist Danielle Hale in her recent analysis of emerging housing markets.

In September, home prices hovered at a national median of $427,250 – and for the week ending Oct. 22, prices continued to rise by 13% compared with the same week last year. That’s a slight drop from the previous week’s rise of 13.2%, but it’s also the 43rd week straight of double-dig

it expansion.

“Home price growth moderated but re mains at a double-digit pace and, along side higher rates, is putting a big dent in home shopper budgets,” Hale said about last week’s housing data. “With affordable homebuying options dwindling, some shoppers are looking elsewhere.”

In other words, buyers are casting their eye even farther afield for deals.

For the week ending Oct. 22, despite the number of new sellers entering the mar ket dwindling by 13% from a year earlier, overall housing inventory of new and old listings shot up by 36% nationwide. That’s the biggest jump in the number of homes for sale seen in 16 weeks.

The reason why so many homes are sit ting on the market is that homebuyers just can’t afford what they used to.

“Higher mortgage rates coupled with

higher home prices have drastically cur tailed buying power, and with it, sales ac tivity,” said Hale.

Many of these homes will stick around on the market gathering cobwebs longer than usual, too.

While properties currently linger for a median of 50 days, for the week ending Oct. 22, they spent a whole week longer on the market compared with a year earlier, a pace that’s slowed for 13 weeks straight.

“For buyers, it may mean a bit more time to think through options, depending on your location,” said Hale. “It may not be a buyer’s market yet, but this trend is cer tainly more buyer-friendly.”

In other words, nervous buyers who brave today’s market may come to realize that it’s not quite as bad as the doomsay ers suggest.

Realtor.com provided this report.

City, residents opposing county housing project

BY KEN SAIN Staff Writer

officials have been trying to figure out ways to bring afford

to the city for months.

there is a proposal to do just that and they’re opposing it.

aren’t alone, either.

Homeowners are organizing to stop The Landings on Ocotillo project, in which de veloper Dominium Management would bring 518 affordably priced apartments to an area near Hamilton High School.

The developers, having faced similar op position in other Valley cities, are march ing forward.

They want to build the units on Ocotillo Road just east of the railroad tracks, not far from Arizona Avenue. They are propos ing a 336-unit multifamily complex and a 182-unit senior living complex on about

25 acres. The price per month for a unit would likely be between 8%-to-12% lower than current market rates, they said.

City officials have made it clear they do not want the project in that location, which is part of their airport jobs corridor.

Residents upset about the project met Oct. 19 to learn more about the plans and coordinate their opposition. However, no one knew who organized the meeting and was leading the effort. They found out about it in a social media post.About 20 people ar rived, but the meeting soon disbanded.

Many wanted to know more about the project, and said that they aren't upset because it's an affordable housing com plex. They said their biggest worry is an increase in traffic.

"Even in the middle of the day, say 2 o'clock, the traffic is horrendous," Mary El len Ross said. "You can't move."

Residents said the proposed develop

ment would be near where Chandler Unified's bus depot. So in addition to all those buses coming and going each day, they would have to contend with more than 1,000 new residents living in those apartments.

The land in question is not city land, but is an unincorporated part of Maricopa County that is surrounded by city land. As such, the project’s fate currently rests with the county Board of Supervisors.

However, the developers initially said they planned to seek annexation by the city, and the county has encouraged them to follow through with that since they will be relying on city services for utilities.

The city’s stated opposition to the plan may have changed that.

“The location of the proposed multi family development does not conform to the City’s General Plan, Airpark Area Plan and economic development goals,” City

Planning Manager David de la Torre said.

“For this reason, the city communicated to Maricopa County and the developer that it does not support multi-family at the proposed location. The city met with the developer to discuss alternative sites in Chandler.

"However, the developer elected to pro ceed with its application to seek approval for developing the site through Maricopa County.”

Chandler is actively marketing the area surrounding the airport as an employment corridor, where officials want businesses that will bring jobs to the city. The city land near this proposed site is zoned for indus trial use.

De la Torre said the city objects to a resi dential project built on the county island because the people who move in will likely

built-in bbq, fireplace, plus pebble tec pool with waterfall and spa.

Floor plan includes both a formal living and dining room. Exquisite touches throughout include 24” polished travertine flooring, plantation shutters, emerson ceiling fans, surround sound speakers, crown molding and solid core 8’ doors. Master bathroom features include granite counters, stone tub and shower surrounds, large walk-in shower with two shower heads including rain head, Jacuzzi tub, raised-panel alder cabinetry and large walk-in closet. Two secondary bedrooms feature ensuite baths. Third secondary bedroom with built-in cabinetry. Fifth bedroom is a den with no closet off of the master suite. Secondary bathrooms all feature stone counters and shower surrounds. Huge laundry room with extra cabinetry, stone counters and sink. Extended outdoor living space from large covered patio with gorgeous pavers throughout. 3-Car-garage with Tesla charging station. Reduced energy costs from existing solar panels.

when industrial facilities are built

to them.

“Industrial operations need to be located in areas where they are free to run their operations without impacting residential areas,” de la Torre wrote.

“They don’t want to have neighbors complaining about their operations. If the subject site were to be changed from in dustrial to residential, it would make the surrounding properties less desirable to industrial developers due to their close proximity to residential.”

Rick Heumann, the chairman of the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission, said he suspects there is a lot of misinformation floating about in the community regarding this project. Even though this is a county issue, he planned to meet with one of the lawyers representing the developers to find out the facts.

“I’m hearing things like – I’ll be real blunt – ‘It’s gonna be housing for illegal immigrants, or homeless housing,’ Heu mann said. “I’m actually going to meet with the zoning attorney to see if it’s workforce housing.

“And honestly, if it’s pure workforce housing, that is something that’s desper ately needed in Chandler: It’s the teachers, it’s the McDonald’s shift manager, it’s peo ple who work for the city who can’t afford to live in our city. Everything that is being built in our city is great, but a two-bed room apartment in some of these places will cost over $2,000.”

A nearly identical project by the same developers was proposed for Surprise and ran into stiff opposition.

Surprise City Council approved the proj ect. However, residents did not give up and have collected signatures to get a referen dum to overturn the 4-3 council vote.

There, the developers said the housing would be affordable, with the price set by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. HUD publishes a fair market rent rate for each county annually.

HUD’s fair market rent rate for Mari copa County is $1,467 for a one-bed room unit, $1,740 for two bedrooms and $2,386 for three.

According to Rent.com, the average rental price in Chandler is $1,660 for one bedroom (11.6% more than HUD’s fair market rent rate), $1,912 (8.9% more) for

two bedrooms and $2,588 (7.8% more) for a three-bedroom unit.

Owen Metz, senior vice president and project partner for Dominium, gave the SanTan Sun News a statement about the Landings on Ocotillo project:

“We are proceeding with re-zoning in the county for a wonderful housing develop ment in a location that has medium density residential across the street. We are com mitted to help solve the housing crisis here in the Valley and provide much needed housing diversity to this part of the region.”

There will be a public hearing before the proposal goes to the county Planning and Zoning Commission. No date has been set yet, but Heumann said it will likely be in early December.

The land is owned by a Wyoming doc tor and his wife, Shah and Hina Urvish. Dominium Apartments and the Housing Authority of Maricopa County are listed as the co-developers. Dominium, a Min nesota company, has been managing af fordable housing apartments around the nation since 1972 and manages more than 38,000 units.

It operates a senior living facility in Mesa, and is building a Goodyear complex that is

similar to its plans for Chandler. Neither of those projects faced the opposition the company experienced in Surprise.

Maricopa County Planner Daniel John son said his team is aware of the city’s op position to the project.

“We will take that into consideration and will be reflected in my report to the Plan ning & Zoning Commission for their con sideration,” he said.

Supervisor Jack Sellers office said Sellers is waiting for the planning office to vet the proposal.

“Supervisor Sellers is aware of the pro posed development in Chandler,” wrote Diane Hilow, deputy administrator for Sellers.

“As with all Planning and Zoning issues within District 1, the Supervisor will seek input from a city near any proposed devel opment.

"In this particular case, the comments from Chandler will be an important part of the decision-making process,” she said.

“The proposal must first be vetted by the Maricopa County Planning and Zoning Commission where proponents and those in opposition will have an opportunity to participate in a public hearing.” 

Summerhill Estates

Mike Mendoza

MendozaTeam.com

Remodeled Cus

at the end of

cul-de-sac.Over

Baths.Custom

Gather those old docs and support our troops

cial request.

It‘s

time for Ahwatukee residents to gather their old but valuable docu ments for the annual Shred-A-Thon sponsored by the Ahwatukee Recreation Center’s Support Our Troops Club.

The event will be held 8-10 a.m. Nov. 12 in the center’s parking lot, 5001 E. Chey enne Drive, Ahwatukee.

Documents will be shredded on site in the shredding truck as they are dropped off. The charge for a banker box size of documents is $4.

Documents can be brought in other con tainers, since a banker’s box is only the size used to determine the charge.

All proceeds from the Shred-A-Thon will be going to the Support The Troops to help fund the care packages that the club sends to our troops stationed overseas during the holiday season.

The volunteers will be getting together shortly after the Shred-A-Thon to pack the care packages assembly-line style at ARC.

Each box includes lots of individually

Last year, Lonna Schwab, at the head of the packing line, help the Ahwatukee Recreation Center’s Support Our Troops organization pack goodies for holiday gifts to overseas military personnel. (Ed Doney/AFN Contributor)

wrapped snacks and treats, plus other useful things such as moist wipes and tshirts. Fun items like decks of cards and paperback books are added.

Sometimes there will be items which have been specifically requested—a pre vious shipment included separately boxed laundry detergent pods because of a spe

These will contain a number of items wrapped for Christmas in addition to snacks and other treats.

The club sends gifts to troops overseas twice ayear and it needs donations and money form fundraising events not only to buy items but also for shipping costs, which can be high.

Since everyone involved is a volunteer, and ARC provides the facilities without charge so all funds raised go directly into sending the care packages.

The gift packages will be packed a few days following the Shred-A-Thon, and shipped immediately after that so that they will arrive before Christmas. 

If anyone wishes to make additional donations to the project, they may be sent to ARC Support the Troops at 5001 E Cheyenne Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85044. Donations are not tax deductible be cause although the group is non-profit, it is not a 501(c)(3) charity.

“I really wanted to help honor a great storyteller but more importantly a great guy,” said Easley, who had Craft as his doc umentary professor in 2012.

Craft began teaching in the broadcast area of the Walter Cronkite School of Jour nalism and Mass Communication in 1973.

He taught a wide variety of courses in cluding broadcast production, direction, station operations, announcing and docu mentary, as well as telecommunication management courses such as introduction to broadcasting, broadcast programming, media sales, cable television and telecom munication management.

“My daughter Jennifer said I should have stayed one more year to make it an even 50,” Craft said.

During the more than 12-years as di rector of graduate studies, he also taught Media Ethics and Mass Media and Society and led the school’s graduate program to the number eight ranking of “Best Gradu ate Schools in the Nation,” published by U.S. News and World Report.

To recount Craft’s accomplishments and accolades is nearly impossible.

It all began at Ohio University, where Craft earned his undergraduate degree in dramatic arts - technical theatre.

“I was three credits short for a second degree in broadcasting,” he chuckled. “I worked as an undergrad assistant in the scene shop and spent four summers working in summer theater.

“We did six plays each eight-week sea son. I was mostly technical, but had quite a few acting roles too. I also was the stage manager for the Ohio University Memo rial Auditorium – much like our Gammage – and did the lighting and for such travel ing shows as Swan Lake Ballet, Peter Nero, and Bob Hope.”

He said the campus station hired him to design, build and light all productions that were local and were then distributed over National Educational Television.

“As a student I’d been given the oppor tunity to produce and direct a children’s dramatic program that was broadcast on the public stations throughout Ohio.”

At Ohio University, Craft also earned a master’s degree in radio and television and then his doctorate in philosophy de gree in mass communication.

“When I married, I moved to Steu benville, Ohio where my first wife was teaching in a high school. Meanwhile, the Hancock County Schools in Weirton, West Virginia, had passed a bond issue to build a fantastic high school campus that included a fully equipped broadcast tele

vision station, but hadn’t found a person that could hook up the cameras and oper ate them,” he recalled.

“When I applied for the position, I told the superintendent to watch WQED-TV, the educational television station in near by Pittsburgh that evening and he would see my name on the credits of the pro gram. He did, and I got the job of director of educational television and audio visual services. I put the first high school tele vision system in the country in operation there,” he said.

Within five years Craft had classes of 50 students as crew and five full time employ ees to operate three channels of program ming over the cable television system to area schools and to the community.

“We also programmed three newscasts each day, as well as discussion programs and basketball games. We were on cable to the community about 40 hours per week,” he said, explaining that was what is now termed cable educational access channels.

He also taught media courses at both Ohio University and West Liberty State College in West Virginia.

Craft is also a published author. He is the lead author of a major textbook on Ameri can electronic media and a major contrib utor to a second textbook on corporate video, among others.

Together with Lisa Honebrink, then public information officer for the City of Phoenix, they authored “Phoenix Televi sion: Images of America,” recounting its history of television that began in 1949.

Producing the two-part “Arizona Cross roads. Along Old Route 66” brought Clark acclaim as the documentary spread world wide, winning numerous awards.

He said he is “very proud” of the docu mentaries and their enduring popularity.

“While I’ve produced many other television programs, generally they were done on contract for a station or corporation.

“The ‘Route 66’ programs, and a few oth ers, were done as independent projects. I had to find the funding, develop the script, shoot the video, edit the story, and find the market and obtain distribution,” he said.

“There’s a huge amount of work over a long period of time, but you are in creative control. The story is yours to tell in the way you think works best.”

The documentaries took a year to make from start to finish, with shooting and ed iting done as a summer project when he wasn’t teaching.”

Since May, Dr. Craft’s full retirement has been a shade short of an idyllic interlude

AROUND AHWATUKEE

Ahwatukee hunger walk coming up in ten days but registration is still open

Esperanza Lutheran Church members have organized the Ahwatukee Foothills CROP Hunger Walk through Church World Services to raise $25,000. Participants can walk for 1 mile or 3.4 miles, the average round-trip distance women and children in the developing world walk for water.

The walk starts at 3 p.m. Nov. 13 at Desert Foothills Park, 1010 Marketplace SW, Ahwatukee.

Of the money collected, 75% will be used by CWS globally to respond to hunger, poverty, displacement and disaster. The re maining 25% will be donated to the Kyrene Family Resource Cen ter through The Kyrene Foundation to help stock food shelves.

Businesses wanting to sign on as supporters – as well as walkers and people who simply want to donate to the cause –can go to events.crophungerwalk.org/2022/event/phoenixaz.

The team said people can register as individuals or a group. Esperanza Pastor Annemarie Burke said people with questions can contact CROP.hunger.walk@myesperanza.org or call the church office at 480-759-1515.

Annual plant sale supports this week the Desert Pointe Garden Club’s work here

Desert Pointe Garden Club’s 21st annual yard and plant sale will be held 7-11:30 a.m. Friday and Saturday, Nov. 4-5, at 11238 S. Tomi Drive.

People can find treasures among the broad selection of items and variety of member-grown plants ready to go in the ground.

Proceeds support club projects including reforestation, Ahwatukee’s Blue Star Memorial and the club’s work in the gardens of local homes for disabled adults.

Desert Pointe Garden Club also invites interested people to join their next meeting at 1:15 p.m. Nov. 7 at the Ahwatukee Recreation Center, 5001 E. Cheyenne Drive.

Bill Robinson of the Crazy Chile Farm in Mesa will speak about heritage seeds and the farm’s efforts to address food insecurity in their neighborhood.

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

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

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

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

well at Winter Wonderland.

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

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

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

To donate, go to kyrenefoundation.org.

Care 4 the Caregivers, an Ahwatukee-based organization, is celebration November, Arizona Family Caregiver month, with events around the Valley specifically designed for people raising children with disabilities.

“Caring for a child with a disability can be a lonely endeav or and one that impacts every aspect of a person’s life,” said founder Michele Thorne of Ahwatukee. “These caregivers are regularly isolated, experience a loss of self-identity, and are unsure of their future and that of their children. They often feel unseen and unsupported.

Care 4 the Caregivers was created with one mission--to make sure that caregivers know they are both seen and supported.”

Her group has directly served over 500 families in Arizona with support groups, life coaching, parent-empowerment class es, and community events. The group also provides free online resources that include educational webinars, service roadmaps, visual tools, fitness programs, and guided meditations.

The November events include two 100-person paint nights at the Arizona Opera Black Box Theater. A 100-seat celebration dinner at the Coronado Venue and a spa day experience at Modern Allo. “Care 4 the Caregivers is hosting these events this November in honor of our hardworking community. Each experience is designed to build connections, allow families ac cess to essential self-care, and explore some of the supports Care 4 the Caregivers has to offer,” Thorne said.

Those interested in participating in these, or any, Caregiver events can join the mailing list or go to the events page of the website to register at care4thecaregivers.org/events.

Ahwatukee Women’s Social Club plans fundraiser, evening bash

The Ahwatukee Women’s Social Club, open to women 16 and up has scheduled two big events for which tickets are now on sale.

The first is a family-friendly Chili for Charity Cook-off to benefit the Kyrene Family Resource Center. The BYOB event will be held noon-3 p.m. Nov. 5 at the Club West Community

to have, but you do have to learn how to use them for retirement.

Center, 16400 S. 14th Ave.

Tickets are $10 per person or $25 for a family. Bring a non perishable food item and receive a raffle ticket. The family ticket Includes four 50/50 raffle tickets, Fritos, hot dogs, cook ies, bottled water and a voting ticket.

Entertainment will be provided by Chris Donnelly. Tickets are available with cash, Venmo or Zelle. Information: Jean at djazpa@gmail.com or Lori at Lori.battista@gmail.com

The second event is Putting on the Ritz, a gal 6:30-10 p.m. Dev. 7 at Wild Horse Pass’ Palo Verde Ballroom, 5040 Wild Horse Pass Blvd.

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

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

Tukee Trot lining up walkers for postThanksgiving event

The third annual Tukee Trot 5K is back on for 8:30 a.m. Nov. 25 with the course and venue hosted at Desert Vista High School and the walk chip-timed and USATF-sanction. The nonprofit event will benefit the Kyrene Foundation.

Early registration is now open at racerooster.com. There also is a 1-mile Kids Quail Fun Run around Vista Canyon Park.

Event sponsors and volunteers are sought. Contact: tuke etrot@cox.net.

Poetry in the Park will be held at Kiwanis Park in Tempe this month

Poetry in the Park, presented by the East Valley Poet, a branch of the Arizona State Poetry Society, invites the public to the free Poetry in the Park 10 a.m.-noon Nov. 19 at Kiwanis Park, 6111 S. All America Way, Tempe.

Members of the group will read their work followed by an open mic.

Information: evpoets@yahoo.com or eastvalleypoets. wordpress.com. For a map of Kiwanis Park and the Ramada location, please go to: tempe.gov/home/showpublished document/79513/637153743620100000.

Ironwood Library offers free activities for all ages

Ironwood Library, 4333 E Chandler Blvd., Ahwatukee, presents a variety of programs for children, teens and adults. Unless oth erwise noted, free tickets are required and available 30 minutes before programs’ start times at the library’s information desk.

For more information: phoenixpubliclibrary.org.

Babytimes

move many to Ahwatukee nearly 25 years ago,” he said.

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

Toddlertimes

Toddlers ages 24-36 months, accompanied by a favorite adult, will enjoy songs, rhymes, books, and interactive fun. Thursdays, 10:30-11:10 a.m. Space is limited to 12 families. There is no Toddlertime Nov. 24.

Full STEAM ahead for kids

Children ages 5-11 can explore hands-on creative ways to design, experiment, and invent. Saturdays, 2-3 p.m., in this Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math (STEAM) pro gram. Space is limited to 10 families. It will not be held Nov. 26.

Next Chapter Book Club

This inclusive community-based book club is designed for people ages 12+ with intellectual and developmental disabili ties who have a desire to make friends, explore their commu nity, and read (regardless of current reading ability).

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

Sit, stay, read!

Young readers & listeners can sign up for reading time with a registered therapy dog/handler team. Read with Elsa on Nov. 15 4-5 p.m. Read with Raven on Nov. 3, 10 and 17, 3:304:30 p.m.

Book Club

Adult readers 18+ can meet up with fellow bibliophiles the first Wednesday of each month, 5:00-5:45 p.m. On Nov. 2, “My Family and Other Animals” by Gerald Durrell will be dis cussed and on Dec. 7, “The Tobacco Wives” by Adele Myers is the featured book.

Take a Hike, Do it Right!

Learn about mountain rescues, the trail rating guide, diffi cult hiking areas, heat awareness, pet safety, and the City of Phoenix’s New Parks and Recreation Safety Checklist: “Take a Hike. Do it Right.” Saturday, Nov. 5, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Sit and Stitch

Join fellow stitchers with your current project on the first Saturday of each month, Nov. 5, 3-4:45pm. Knitting, crochet ing, cross-stitch, needlepoint. All are welcome.

Kiwanis Club of Ahwatukee plans speakers this month

The Ahwatukee Kiwanis Club invites interested people to attend one of its weekly meetings at 7 a.m. Thursdays at Bis cuits Restaurant in the Safeway Plaza at 48th Street and Elliot Road. However, the meeting on Nov. 17 will be held at the Ahwatukee Foothills Family YMCA, 1030 E. Liberty Lane.

The lineup of speakers includes: Nov. 10, Nov 10, Vicki Fio relli, United Way; Dec. 15, Shirley Coomer, Kyrene Foundation.

of inactivity.

“I spend a lot of time at the computer answering emails; some from my many former students, and some in response to the several community and professional boards upon which I hold memberships,” he said.

“In addition, I’ve been surprised by the amount of paperwork that is required for retirement…These are all very nice things

“And like many other people of a certain age, I am slowly documenting my life sto ry; hopefully in a way that my ancestors will find interesting.”

In addition to his family, he said he en joys gazing on his beloved South Mountain.

“Still, I take significant time away from the computer screen to stare out the kitchen window at the south side of South Mountain, and rejoice in my decision to

Craft’s first wife, Elizabeth, who was di rector of distance learning at ASU, passed away in 2004.

In 2009, he married Adela Craft, a pro fessor in business and a management con sultant who currently hosts a radio show on KNUV-1190, and manages the DAS Foundation, a nonprofit serving Hispanic communities.

He has two daughters – Dr. Lauren Craft,

a veterinarian in California; and Jennifer Craft-Hurst of Chandler, a media sales ex ecutive.

The Crafts also have step-daughters Ana and Alejandra Moreno, and a step-grand daughter Charlotta.

Craft, an ex-officio board member for the National Academy of Arts and Scienc es, is also a member of the Gold Circle and of the Silver Circle of the Rocky Mountain Southwest Chapter of the National Acad emy of Television Arts and Sciences.

Local caregiver organization planning November events for well-earned respite

New Ahwatukee lab offers affordable tests

Anew business in Ahwatukee that promises people affordable tests for a wide range of health conditions and check-ups is co-owned by someone who knows the community well.

Brandy Lloyd, who opened Any Lab Test Now at 4025 E. Chandler Blvd. with her husband Brad, grew up in Ahwatukee and graduated from Mountain Pointe High School.

Though the couple and their �ive children live in Gilbert, they picked Ahwatukee for their business because “we thought it would be a great area to add a direct access lab testing business like ours to serve the community and help them take better control of their health,” Brad said.

The Lloyds are parents of Brayden, 12; Bentley, 11; Brinley, 9; and 5-year-old twins Brooklyn and Berlyn Brandy, a teacher in the Chandler Uni-

�ied School District, and. Brad, a 26-year veteran of the restaurant industry in the Valley, bought the lab franchise because they were drawn by the opportunity. Bradsaid he saw a chance “to help others by providing an economical, ef�icient, quick, quality way to provide the community easy access to lab testing so they can stay on top of their health. “

Their clinic offers more than 8,000 tests – and a lot of advantages.

“All of our pricing is up front, we don’t require a doctor’s order, we typically get our customers in and out within 15 minutes, our typical turn-around time on our tests is 24-48 hours,” Brad explained.

Brad is a certi�ied phlebotomist and said his duties “include pretty much everything from front desk, IT, accounting, and phlebotomy.”

While he works full time in the lab,

Mobile pet grooming businesses do it all

AFN NEWS STAFF

Noone can ever accuse Kay and Chris Richmond of going into the pet grooming industry half-heartedly.

The Queen Creek couple’s two businesses, AZ Pet Stylist and Keep You Moving and Grooming Services, don’t just keep cats and dogs looking pretty.

While Kay pretty much focuses on that part, Chris’ Keep You Moving and Grooming provides on-call mobile services for other mobile pet groomers in the Southeast Valley, provides regular maintenance or repairs at a shop location, refurbishes mobile grooming trailers or vans, and builds out new mobile grooming units.

And, Kay added, “KYM helps new grooming businesses in the valley to get started and scale their businesses by providing business coaching and professional of�ice support.”

A Louisiana native who has lived in the East Valley since 2006, Kay seems to have

been born to pet grooming.

She learned the art at age 15 while

working at a pet boarding business not far from her home.,

“I learned the skill of everyday haircuts and hand stripping terrier coats,” she said. “I actually got tendonitis at 17 from grooming.”

When she went out of state to college, she assumed she’d never get back into grooming, mainly because “it was detrimental to my wrists already at such a young age.”

But when she arrived in the Valley, armed with a bachelor’s degree in animal science, she discovered she couldn’t stay away.

The mother of one son, Trevor, she also can’t stay away from animals in general, and counts as part of her household menagerie, two cats, a dog, a few chickens and an appaloosa mare.

She started AZ Pet Stylist in 2010 and four years later, her husband left a successful job in air-conditioning repair to join her.

“AZ Pet Stylist was simply growing so

Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber of Commerce CEO/President Andy Hayes presents Brad and Brandy Lloyd and their five children with the traditional first dollar during a ribbon cutting at the Lloyds’ new Any Lab Test Now clinic in Ahwatukee. (Special to AFN)

Kay Richmond, accompanied by her dog Jada, uses specially equipped trailers with her business, AZ Pet Stylist. (David Minton/Tribune Sta Photographer)

Brandy is involved on a part time basis. The couple have two “two amazing certi�ied medical assistants – Leesa Beavers and Jewel Hall,” Brad said.

While they’re happy with their Ahwatukee location, �inding a spot for their new gig wasn’t easy, Brad said.

“The biggest challenge that we faced in opening was actually the lease process,” he said. “Finding just the right location and the negotiating the lease took much longer than expected.”

Located in Mountainside Plaza near Trader Joe’s, Any Lab Test Now provides tests for general health – such as diabetes maintenance, annual blood panel checkup, basic food allergy tests, and tests for COVID-19, thyroid, testosterone tests., sexually transmitted diseases, and even DNA for paternity and ancestry tests.

The lab also provides drug and alcohol analysis using urine, hair, saliva, and �ingernail specimens.

The 30-year-old franchise began in Atlanta, Georgia, concept dates back 30 years to its �irst location in Atlanta as the nation’s �irst to provide direct-to-consumer lab tests. The entire process is con�i-

dential and the customer owns the results. Company CEO Clarissa Bradstock said the Lloyds’ new business is “bringing an incredible resource to the residents and business owners in the community.”

“We are so happy to see Brad and Brandy open their doors and we cannot wait to celebrate their success,” she said.The Lloyds’ business is open 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Friday and 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday.

Information: anylabtestnow.com/phoenix-85048, 480-885-6700.

much,” Kay said. “Switching gears was a family decision. He became our full-time operations manager, going out whenever a mobile unit had a �lat tire, water pump issues, etc. He also began building out our mobile units after purchasing our fourth unit as just a shell of a trailer.

“He even worked as a bather for the company after becoming trained by me,” she boasted. “He was a natural at it, but stepped back from that to dedicate his time to the maintenance operations solely.”

That experience taught him “how the (grooming) need to function for the professional stylist,” she said, explaining:

“In mobile grooming there are very few companies out there who know how to work on the mobile units. RV shops are the typical place to go but I had been turned away by RV shops saying this was not their specialty.”

Like all other groomers whose vehicles he customizes, Kay uses a fully selfcontained trailer with grooming rooms equipped with a bathtub, dryer, grooming table, and vacuum– as well as “the items needed to make it function on a mobile level, such as ~70 gallons of fresh water, a water pump, water heater, A/C and heaters, vent fans to get out the humidity, and a generator to power it all”

But it’s not just the trailers that Kay brings to her customers: She and her team of groomers are specialists not only in making animals look their best. They’re also trained in reducing the animals’ fear of the process that gets them there.

“We utilize the Fear Free certi�ication by asking each of our stylists to undergo this certi�ication once they are hired,” Kay said.

“We have monthly training for all stylists to simply increase our level of knowledge and ability to service the pets,” she explained, adding fear-reduction has even morphed into a separate service offering.

“Many pets do need us to slow things down so much that a full-service grooming or bath and tidy at the same time is simply pushing them beyond their threshold’ and is why we offer FearLess as a separate service.

“Our FearLess Service is working with the pet to create a positive experience when we come and not pushing through something that creates high levels of stress for the pet. An example of this is to work with them at the door. creating a positive experience of a stranger being there.

If they are happy to see you, it moves to working with the pet to walk them to the mobile unit. If they are happy with that, the next step moves to working with them to get them into the mobile unit.

“This can be a main point of balking, and if that is the case, we work with treats or positive reinforcement when they do take a step towards the mobile unit or into it and then allow them to go back to their front door as an additional reward. Then we start all over again.”

This approach creates a “conditioned emotional response” in the animal so that “in the long run, we can have a pet that happily jumps into the unit, onto the grooming table and looks forward to being scrubbed all over in the bath.”

Kay conceded, “I can’t say that it works better with particular breeds.”

And she noted overall dogs respond more readily to FearLess than cats “because, well, dogs love people naturally, and for cats, even my own, they are the boss and they will let you know when they want to be social or not.”

“We have only a couple team members who work with cats because they are a different animal and understanding them and their behaviors goes a long way in being able to create a safe space for a cat when it comes to grooming.”

Once her staffer makes sure the owner knows how to make sure the cat won’t run away prior to grooming, the animal is welcomed into a “cat zone,” where a hormone spray calms them the largely contains lavender.

“Cats can be extremely sensitive to anything topical so we never put it on them directly, we will put it on ourselves or spray it in the air,” Kay said. “Because we are mobile, certain things work in our favor: the cat can see they are still at home because we have windows in the unit so they can see out, they don’t have a long time of transportation to get stressed out (from door to door only), and there are no dogs barking in the background.

“I tend to let the cat explore the mobile unit and simply spend some time petting them when I �irst get them in to help them relax a bit.”

“Cats can learn to love being brushed and more, but we also will cut the grooming short if a cat is simply not handling it well,” Kay added. “Pushing through grooming is setting them up for fear of it in the future. We have had cats who we start out coming for just a brush out service, and

Chris Richmond not only services the vans and trailers used by other mobile pet groomers, but also builds them. (Facebook)

now that they are used to us and we have established a relationship, we are able to provide full bath, haircut and blowouts.”

Both the Richmonds’ businesses ser-

vice the entire Southeast Valley, including Ahwatukee and Old Town Scottsdale and their services is available 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday. 

Strategies for combatting the impact of in�lation

BY HAROLD WONG AFN Guest Writer

In 2022, the US in�lation rate hit the highest since 1981. According to recent U.S. Labor Department data, the annual in�lation rate was 8.2% for the 12 months ending in September, 2022, after rising 8.3% the previous month.

Some reports indicate that 60-70% of American families are living paycheck to paycheck. Many surveys show that in�lation and the economy are the most important issue to voters before the midterm elections.

So, what are potential strategies that you can use to �ight how in�lation affects your family?

Buy a used car instead of a new car. For most car models, there is tremendous depreciation in value during the �irst 5 years. People have no idea how much a new car costs.

The in�lation of the last two years has raised the price of both new and used

cars to record levels. According to new data from Edmunds, for new vehicles the average auto loan is 70.4 months and the monthly payments exceed $700/month.

Example: In 2006, I bought a used, 8-year-old 1998 Lexus ES 300 vehicle.

I paid $8,500 which was ¼ of what the original owner paid for the car when new. It had 85,000 miles on it and I now have over 272,000 miles.

Yes, I’ve had to do normal maintenance and, original parts of the car such as the front end and all shock absorbers have had to be replaced. The cost of insurance and annual AZ vehicle registration is way less than half of what it would be for a new car.

Suppose I had an average $50-a-month car loan because I bought a new car every six years. The total payments over the last 16 years would have been $96,000. This is the 3rd car I’ve owned that has gone over 200,000 miles.

Rent out part of your house via Airbnb, Vrbo, or a normal lease. I have one client, a nurse practitioner, who rents out part of her house for $1,500 a month on a oneyear lease.

Another client, a psychologist who works with veterans, spent $100,000 to build a casita by the pool at his house. He expects to receive $30,000+ a year in annual rent.

Check with your city and HOA �irst to �ind out if there are any restrictions on short-term rentals.

Green energy equipment strategies. Especially with the new In�lation Reduction Act, which has allocated at least $370 billion of grants and loans for green energy technology, there are opportunities.

In one solar equipment leasing strategy, the client saves half of his investment amount in taxes.

There is nothing more powerful in the tax code than a 30% solar tax credit and the ability to deduct 85% of the cost of equipment through either Section 179 or 100% “bonus” depreciation.

For many upper-middle-income families, income taxes are the single biggest expense item, even exceeding housing costs.

Increase the income from your investments. The average dividend yield from S&P 500 companies from January 1,

2000 through December 31, 2021, has averaged 2.02%.

One has the risk of having to own the stock in order to receive the dividend. Until the spike in interest rates during the past year, 2% was what one received from buying a 10-year or 30-year US Treasury Bond.

There are equipment leasing, real estate investment, and private pension strategies that can generate a 7-10% annual yield, with less risk than the stock market. However, because few have invested in assets other than Wall Street stocks, bonds, and mutual funds, there is a time period required to get educated and feel comfortable. Always research any investment carefully.

To schedule a free consultation on taxes or retirement planning, contact Dr. Harold Wong at 480-706-0177 or harold_wong@hotmail.com. His websites are drharoldwong.com or solarbusinessinvestments.com. Dr. Wong earned his Ph.D. in economics at University of California/Berkeley. 

Tempe Union bond, override measures deserve voters’ support

Thousands of students bene�it from the exceptional educational experience offered by Tempe Union’s seven high schools. The district delivers academic excellence, competitive sports, vibrant performing and �ine arts, and extensive extra-curricular activities.

Students are prepared for higher education, workforce development, and employment with a graduation that far exceeds the state average.

This excellence has been possible with the additional funding made available by voter-approved bonds and overrides.

This election, the Yes Support Our Schools campaign is asking voters to approve three bond/override measures that will sustain the district’s current funding levels, augmenting what is provided by the state government.

Funds will ensure that Tempe Union can maintain smaller classroom sizes, offer competitive teacher salaries, support the wide range of extra-curricular programs offered across the district, upgrade facilities, along with other investments.

A �inancial analysis of the ballot measures indicates that if voters approve all three, that Tempe Union will maintain the lowest union high school district tax rate in Maricopa County. It’s a winwin for property owners by investing in our schools and supporting high property values.

Tempe Union’s high schools attract families and businesses, contributing to diverse neighborhoods throughout the district.

I recommend that people vote yes on all three questions so together, we can work to ensure that Tempe Union high schools continue delivering a high quality of edu-

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Thoughts:

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

cation for our children while serving as cornerstones of our communities.

-Kate Smith

Kate Smith is the president of Rio Salado Community Colleges and an of�icial partner of the district.

Not happy with Ahwatukee Recreation Center increase

I am writing this to share my concern of the recent 9.9% increase of our annual assessments. As a former board member of ARC & ABM I would like to say that on both boards we were always aware of our �iduciary responsibility to the homeowners that reside in our area.

I have lived here in our retirement area for over 17 years and there has never been a need to increase our assessment that much.

In my opinion the blame has to be with our current general manager, board and �inance committee. We are in our 50th year and therefore have had 50 years of assessments to maintain and improve our facility.

The current general manager, board and �inance committee need to understand that this is not Monopoly money that can be printed when needed. This is one of the worst times to raise our assessment rate so high.

This is a 55+ community and an increase this large could impact their budget for food, utilities or medicine.

The general manager, board and �inance committee need to live within our budget. The constant remodeling and updating (have you seen our newly remodeled parking lot?) ran our reserves below what is considered “fair or good. Maybe we should consider looking at wages, hours or anything that would reduce our expenses.

My opinion is that maybe we should all be aware that this increase could be just the start of an annual 9.9% assessment from the same board and general manager.

-Dan Smith

‘Dismayed and angry’ with ARC hike in assessment

As a resident of the neighborhood where it is mandatory to join the ARC, I am dismayed and angry at the proposal to increase the annual assessment in order to fund a �itness building.

In the �ive years I have lived here I have NEVER been able to use the facility or participate in ANY of the classes. Why? Simple discrimination. I am not retired. I work fulltime and at almost 65 and if I am physically able I will continue to work fulltime well into my 70’s, like my mother did.

ALL classes are scheduled during regular working hours. I have never used the pool or other facilities. I brought my granddaughter with me one hot summer day and we were TURNED AWAY. No small children allowed.

During the 2018 General Election there were city-wide issues with voting and the governor required some polls to remain open later. Knowing mine wasn’t one of em, I busted by butt to get to the ARC in time to vote, barely making it by 6:55pm. The door was shut in my face and I wasn’t able to place my vote.

WHY should I be forced to pay for something I have zero access to?? Now, they want more money?? No!

I found this statement in the article by Wandstad rude and demeaning: “There is always a faction that opposes any effort to improve the facility, and they’ve been vocal lately.”

Faction?? How disrespectful!!! Maybe Wangstad can explain why it was neces-

Share Your Thoughts:

sary to install all of the beautiful new landscaping just a couple of years ago? Where is the added value for that?? NONE. It was an ego play and hopefully, whoever approved that expenditure is no longer in charge of the bank book.

Some of us have just experienced a $50 raise in monthly HOA fees while the community continues to look run down and unkempt and now another increase with no return value???

Do you want suggestions for how to save money??

WHY do you need 17 people to staff this facility? Why not use more volunteers? You know, those retired folks you are pandering to?

Make the non-residents pay more dollars.

-Billie Hanson

Dispute’s letter’s assertions about Capitol attack, other points

In response to Barry Smith stating that police of�icers died at the Capitol on Jan 6, that is a blatant lie. One person was killed: an unarmed woman named Ashley Babbitt.

I am sick of this false narrative about police of�icers being killed that day at the Capitol – also perpetuated by Joe Biden except he decided to say six were killed.

As to his other points, Hillary Clinton is still denying the 2016 election as is Stacey Abrams in 2018 – so yes Democrats also denying elections.

And, the only party that wishes to pack the courts are the Democrats who have repeatedly said this beginning with getting rid of the �ilibuster. I would also think that a majority of Americans support voter ID.

Thank you for considering my letter as a rebuttal to falsehoods and half truths.

-Lynne Mallery-Webb

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Sports & Recreation

Pride holds off Desert Ridge in thriller

BY ANDREW LWOWSKI AFN Contributing Writer

The Mountain Pointe Pride traveled to Mesa and handed the Desert Ridge Jaguars a trick on Halloween weekend, narrowly escaping with a 2726 victory.

After surrendering a 17-point lead, the Pride had to rely on their defense to pull out a thriller in Mesa.

The Pride held a 27-10 lead over the Jaguars in the third quarter, and that’s when the suspense started to build. Desert Ridge was able to slow down Mountain Pointe’s three-headed monster in the backfield and crawl back into the game with a methodical drive that ended in a 4-yard score. Then a 59-yard catch and run for a touchdown.

The Jaguars then surprised the Pride with an onside kick on the ensuing kick-

off but yielded no points.

With momentum seemingly gone from Mountain Pointe, Emon Carter came

away with an incredible interception off a bobbled pass intended for Desert Ridges’ Jacob Condie. However, the drive

for Mountain Pointe ultimately benefited Desert Ridge. After a three-and-out, the snap for Braun to punt went over his head and out of the back of the end zone.

The Jaguars were gifted two points and the ball, down one with just under three minutes remaining. Then, Carter came up clutch again by securing a juggled pass to close out the game.

“We kind of just stuttered,” quarterback Chris Arviso said. “(It was) most definitely a mental lapse.”

Coach Eric Lauer also acknowledged that his team needs to finish games, and it’s on him.

“We’re used to going so fast,” he said. “It’s my fault that we’re not great at going slow. We’ve got to work on that – we got a little antsy there down the stretch.”

While the Mountain Pointe offense ran

Thunder’s comeback falls short against Brophy

BY CALEB JONES AFN Staff Writer

DesertVista looked to spoil Brophy Prep’s homecoming and senior night by picking up a win on the road. Unfortunately for the Thunder, they would end up on the wrong end of a 33-26 defeat.

Both teams entered the game with a record of 1-6 and fighting to salvage their season. The first quarter saw the offense sputter for the Thunder while Brophy managed to string together a couple drives ending in field goals.

Following the second field goal, Brophy forced a turnover on the following kickoff, setting itself up nicely with a drive deep in Thunder territory. The Broncos used the field position to their advantage, taking a 13-0 lea.

After Brophy managed to build its lead to 13, the Thunder offense would finally strike when senior athlete Michael Allison scored from 50 yards out.

“The offense is really waking up and we are starting to do what we need to do,” Al-

lison said.

Brophy wasted little time answering

Desert Vista’s score. Quarterback Charlie McGinnis capitalized on a 65-yard touchdown pass to once again extend the lead.

Both offenses sputtered throughout the rest of the first half. But in the final two quarters, Desert Vista had a strong showing.

Allison scored again on a 5-yard touchdown run. Brophy, however, answered.

Early in the fourth, Desert Vista quarterback Braxton Thomas connected with wideout Traven Vigenser for a touchdown. All the Thunder needed was a stop to give its offense a chance with over 10 minutes remaining.

However, they didn’t get it.

Brophy scored once more and even though the Thunder answered with a pass from Thomas to Allison, the onside kick attempt was unsuccessful.

Despite the outcome and falling to a 1-7 record, Desert Vista coach Nate Gill

Mountain Pointe junior running back Randle Parker stiff arms a Desert Ridge defender Friday, Oct. 28 in the Pride’s 27-26 win over the Jaguars. (Quinton Kendall/AFN Contributor)

Desert Vista senior wide receiver Michael Allison breaks away on a touchdown run against Brophy Friday, Oct. 28, 2022, at Ray Laing Field in Phoenix. (David Minton/AFN Staff)

through Jaylen Rushing and Randle Park er in its win, Rushing said the team needs to push through to finish games. Rushing ran for 180 yards and a touchdown off 23 carries while Parker recorded 111 yards with two scores.

“We were efficient,” Rushing said. “It was really dominant. It just opened up and we continued doing it. The game plan was to execute, and the run game just seemed to work.”

The late game scare was not the only headline in the Prides win, but so was the officiating. Mountain Pointe was penalized 14 times for 160 yards while Desert Ridge was penalized just four times for 20 yards.

“The penalties were really rough,” Lau

er said. “The fact that you get so many, it ends up being a twelfth man against you.

I called a timeout on the kickoff that they allowed to proceed without them put ting the ball in play – he picked his flag up for them to get that onside (kickoff).

You know, the refs have the ultimate say.”

While it wasn’t pretty, and it wasn’t the scare the Pride were looking for, they survived and kept their hopes for a home playoff game in the 6A playoffs alive.

Mountain Pointe will host Sunrise Mountain of Peoria Friday Nov. 4. 

Mountain Pointe quarterback Chris Arviso stretches toward the pylon against Desert Ridge during the Pride’s 27-26 win over the Jaguars Friday night. (Quinton Kendall/AFN Con tributor)

said he saw some good out of his team Fri day night.

“I am extremely proud of my team,” Gill said. “We’re getting better week after week and the guys still show up every day upbeat and that’s what it’s about to me.”

The loss makes Desert Vista’s playoff chances even slimmer than they were entering the Week 8 matchup against Brophy. Yet, Thomas hopes the team can finish strong in the final two weeks of the season and, at the very least, give them selves a chance at postseason play.

“We will definitely go out with a bang for the last two games,” Thomas said. “Hope fully we can just win two and see how the playoffs shake out and if that would give us a chance.”

Desert Vista’s offense has had a turn around from the beginning of the season. They went from scoring few points in the first few games of the season to over 25 points per game in three out of the

last four.

Much of the success Friday against Bro phy came from Thomas and Allison, who scored three times and had well over 150

all-purpose yards for the Thunder. Thomas was sharp with two pass ing touchdowns and made key third and fourth-down conversions.

“One thing is for sure, we can count on those guys to be their best on the big stage,” Gill said. “Their play tonight is no surprise to me. That is who they are all week, they come out every day and put their best foot forward.”

The Thunder will look to salvage what is left of their season after the loss to Brophy as they finish out the year with two home games against the Cesar Chavez Champi ons and the Desert Ridge Jaguars to close out the year. 

Desert Vista junior quarterback Braxton Thomas tries to get a throw off as he’s grabbed by Brophy senior defensive tackle David Sweetman Friday, Oct. 28, 2022, at Ray Laing Field in Phoenix. (David Minton/AFN Staff)

Popular Arizona Highwaymen to perform at Ahwatukee Rec Center

Oneof the state’s most popular “sugar groups” – The Arizona Highwaymen – is coming to the Ahwatukee Recreation Center for a rare local concert that will feature the celebrated band’s own tunes and those of Country Western’s legends like Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson.

The quartet celebrates “music, chemistry and camaraderie” and will perform at 7 p.m. Nov. 12 at the ARC, 5011 E. Cheyenne Drive.

Tickets are going fast for the show at the ARC’s 200-seat main hall and are on sale for $25 online at purplepass.com/ ARC or at the center 9-11 a.m. Monday through Saturday.

The four artists are known for their attention to detail and proven musical careers.

ARC resident Ed Doney said the Entertainers Club at the Ahwatukee Rec-

reation Center “has as its mission bringing entertainment to the community: and searches for high-quality and affordable acts.

Until this year tickets to those performances were offered only to members of the 55+ ARC, but the HOA’s board decided to make the club’s lineup available to the broader Ahwatukee community.

The original Sugar Group was formed in 1985 when Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson and Waylon Jennings got together to record an album. That album led to two more albums, numerous live performances, and even a movie.

“The Arizona Highwaymen” is one of many popular nostalgia tribute shows from Phoenix based TAD Management.

Terry Davies, a performer himself, and his wife Ann, formed TAD a decade ago.

It has grown to booking over 200 artists, bands and acts worldwide within resort communities, theatres, casinos and cruise ships.

It has become known for high-caliber

Chandler business recreates TV game show experiences

BY KEN SAIN GetOut Staff

It’snot unusual for someone to come up to the staff at Game Show Battle Rooms after competing against their friends and ask the same question.

“People come in all the time and they say, ‘When is it going to air? I can’t wait to be on [TV],’” said Jennifer Jewett, who runs the Chandler location.

Sorry, you won’t be on TV.

But it’s easy to see why some patrons might believe that. Game Show Battle Rooms tries to recreate the TV game show experience, with sound, lights, professional emcees and hosts.

The company started seven years ago in Minnesota. It opened its �irst Arizona location in West Chandler on Oct. 14.

Here’s how it works:

Groups of 18 or fewer can book a time in one of the two battle rooms. It costs about

$35 for the 90-minute show. After a brief introduction they enter one of the battle

rooms and are split into two teams where they will compete in three games. Points

are given for winning each round. At the end of the three games, one team gets to pose with the championship trophy.

The company has other locations in Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Kansas City, Dallas, Indianapolis and Columbus, Ohio. They also offer a virtual game room for people who live outside those cities.

The games are different depending which room you book. You probably have not heard of the games, but if you’ve seen TV game shows they should be recognizable as distant cousins. Because of licensing rules, no one at Game Show Battle Rooms will say the names of the more famous games.

Survey Battles sure looks a lot like Family Feud. That’s the one game that is played in both rooms. The other games are What’s the Cost? (think Price is Right), Spin & Solve (Wheel of Fortune),

Volunteers Cathy Wangstad and Mariilyn Popish, in charge of ticket sales, are placing a poster announcing The Arizona Highwaymen performance at the Ahwatukee Recreation Center. They and numerous other volunteers keep the ticket price as low as possible. (Ed Doney/ AFN Contributor)

Connor Wareing is one of the hosts at Chandler’s new Game Show Battle Rooms, which lets patrons compete against each other. (Ken Sain/AFN)

Chandler restaurant cited by national media is ‘exciting’

BY KEN SAIN GetOut Staff

Therestaurant with the most buzz in Chandler is not a fancy place.

Thaily’s is small, only seven tables for inside dining. It’s located inside an older building in the city’s Galveston neighborhood.

As is usually the case, looks can be deceiving. If you want dinner at the restaurant, reservations are required. On Oct. 5, they were booked through the end of the month.

Having the New York Times declare a restaurant as one of the 50 places in America they are most excited about right now can do that for an eatery.

What makes Thaily’s stand out is they are likely the only Cambodian-Arabic fusion restaurant in the world.

“Based on the articles that have been written about us, it was brought to my attention that we are the only one,” said Lee Kambar, who runs the restaurant with his wife, Thai. “Which is kind of cool.”

That fusion came about because of their marriage. Thai is Cambodian and Lee Iranian.

“I just like to experiment,” Thai said. “Arabic foods use turmeric spice a lot, so I just wondered how turmeric would taste in this broth, or this soup. And I

like to watch old, old traditional cooking videos, of grandmas cooking in Iraq, or Cambodia. Then I started cooking those dishes myself at home.”

It had long been a dream to own their own restaurant and the pandemic gave them reason to pursue it. They opened in the spring of 2021 and in about a year they’ve earned national, if not international, attention.

Lee said they had no idea a Times food critic was eating at their restaurant.

“She contacted us a couple of weeks after the fact,” Lee said. “And you know, pretty much stated that she came to see

Lee and Thai Kambar own Thaily’s Restaurant, which serves a fusion of Khmer and Arabic food. Thaily’s is one of four restaurants in Arizona named as the ‘‘50 places in America we’re most excited about right now’’ by the New York Times, (David Minton/ Sta Photographer)

Thaily’s was named after one daughter. The second restaurant would be named after their other daughter, Leelah’s.

For anyone unfamiliar with Cambodian or Arabic food, it will look familiar. Thailand is a neighbor of Cambodia and many of the dishes on Thaily’s menu would look at home on a Thai restaurant’s menu.

The highlight of the Arabic side of the menu are gyros, which Lee admits is originally Greek.

444 E. Chandler Blvd.

480-927-3865

our restaurant and she loved our food and she feels that she has got to write about us because everybody needs to know about it.”

An editor called a little later, wanting to send a photographer. Lee and Thai said they thought it might just be a regular feature and they had no idea they were going to be included in a top 50 list.

When it published life began to change. They had to start accepting reservations only for dinner and are now considering plans to expand. They say are looking to open a second restaurant, either in Chandler or Gilbert.

“The original gyros in Greece were made out of pork, not lamb or beef,” Lee said. “The way that I make it leans toward the Iraqi style, because beside the meat and pita bread, nothing else is Greek. I’m using recipes that I grew up on as a child.”

While it will take a reservation and a wait to get dinner at Thaily’s, there are still some openings for lunch. If you come at the right time, you can skip the reservations and wait to taste their mix of Cambodian and Arabic foods.

While the dishes may look similar, what the New York Times and others have loved is it’s a new experience.

“There’s a similarity between all South Asian dishes, but the fact that she puts my spices on it, that gives it a whole different spin and a whole different taste,” Lee said. 

Match Up and Time Rush.

Match Up is a word play game where you �ill in the blank of a sentence and hope your teammates come up with the same word. Time Rush challenges the teams in a series of skill competitions, such as stacking three cups after pulling away two cards that separated them in less than a minute.

While the games are fun, Jewett said the key to the experience is the interaction between contestants and hosts. She should know, she’s been on three actual TV game shows.

“The interaction between the host and the contestant is so important because you create a connection that has a lifetime memory with laughs, and a relationship that people love,” she said. “So that’s what we do here is we create a bond between the host and our customers, our guests.” Jewett said they hired some stand-up

comedians and actors to play the role of hosts and emcees. Liz Frisius is one of them.

“We’ll talk with the audience, we get

their take, their feel, bring the energy up and realize that life’s not about tragedy,” Frisius said. “Life is about connecting and enjoying yourself and �inding the beauty in the moment and �inding the hilarity in the moment.”

Jewett said the most popular of their games is Survey Battles. To get the answers for their questions they ask online and ask groups as they compete.

In addition to being a recreation activity for friends and/or family, Jewett said they also do team-building events for companies. She said they can handle large groups of up to 32 per room if they book in advance.

Just don’t expect the competition to be broadcast on TV.

Game Show Battle Rooms 6909 W. Ray Road, Chandler 480-624-8099

gameshowbattlerooms.com

Game Show Battle Rooms in Chandler enables clients to even sing in contests reminiscent of real TV vocal competitions. (Special to AFN)

Thaily’s

With JAN D’ATRI GetOut Columnist

This delectable dessert is an easy-to-make keeper

Ihadto lick my fingers before writing this column. I hate sticky keyboards.

Yes, I had to pry myself away from a casserole dish that was bubbling with the most delicious, flavors-of-the-fall dessert I’ve had in a very long time. This caramel pecan pear pudding is a keeper. In fact, the minute I send this column off, I think I’ll make another batch!

That pretty much sums up how I love this dish. I promise you, next week I will have a treat for you with pumpkin spice, which, I know is a favorite for many of you this time of the year. But, frankly, I’m a little burned out on the pumpkin spice anythingeverything-everywhere-at all times season right about now.

Let’s give pears some love! Actually, once this delectable dessert has baked up, the pears sort of tastes like caramelized apples, so if you’re not a pear lover like me, don’t bypass this one. It’s worth it.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 2/3 cup sugar

• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 cup whole milk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to at 375 degrees.

2. In a dry skillet over medium high heat, cook the pecans, stirring constantly, until they are toasted. Do not burn the pecans. (They continue to cook after removed from the heat.) Set aside to cool.

3. In a large bowl, add the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves and salt, mixing well to combine.

3. Pour in the milk and whisk until mixture is well combined.

4. Stir in the pear cubes and toasted pecans, mixing well.

I’m sharing this amazing dish with you for several reasons. It’s super scrumptious, can be made ahead and warmed when you want to serve it, and best of all, it’s simple to make.

Now that I’ve given you all the reasons to whip up a batch of harvest heaven, go grab that casserole dish, some D’Anjou, Bartlett or Bosc pears, and get baking. It’s winner, winner, dessert for dinner.

• 4 medium pears, peeled and cut into 1/2inch cubes

• 1 cup chopped pecans, toasted

• 3/4 cup boiling water

• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar

• 1/4 cup butter

• Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream for topping

5. Spoon the mixture into an ungreased 2-qt. baking dish or 9 x 13 inch casserole dish.

6. Bring the water to a boil. In a medium bowl, add the boiling water, brown sugar and butter, mixing well to dissolve the brown sugar, making caramel syrup.

7. Pour the syrup over the pear mixture.

8. Bake, uncovered, for 45-50 minutes. (If casserole dish looks full, place a sheet pan under the dish so the syrup doesn’t spill over into the oven.)

9. Serve warm, with ice cream or whipped cream. Caramel Pear Pudding can be made ahead and warmed just before serving. Makes about 8 servings.

productions and great entertainment with technical, marketing and sales support for their clients.

Because the ARC’s main hall accommodates only 200 people, no matter

where an audience member sits they are guaranteed a bird’s eye view of the performers.

The Entertainers Club is able to keep costs low with entirely volunteer staf�ing for everything from ticket sales to stage set-up and lighting.

t a l / L i q u i d i t y , F i n R e p & s t a t i s t i c a l P R A , F S A Principal Software Engineer (781 649) Liaise with business owners to understand & document business, functional & data requirements L e a d B u s i n e s s A n a l y s t ( 7 8 1 5 9 4 ) D e v e l o p & maintain the product roadmap & detailed backlog for a defined value stream

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