E. Mesa residents push back at homeless hotel
BY SCOTT SHUMAKER Tribune Staff Writer
Neighborhood sentiment doesn’t appear too favorable toward Mesa officials’ plan to but a hotel for $7.4 million to house people in its Off the Streets Program.
City officials held a community meeting at the Jefferson Recreation Center to discuss the acquisition of the Grand Hotel on Main Street and the prevailing sentiment among
the approximately 50 people who showed is that neighbors don’t want a homeless shelter in their backyards.
Mesa and Grand Hotel owner Sunstay Bridge LLC have agreed to terms, but a final sale is contingent on City Council issuing a Council Use Permit to allow social services on the property.
City staff estimate the council might consider the CUP in October.
Anger and fear bubbled up several times at the meeting during the Q&A following a
Goodbye Fiesta Mall: Demolition to begin
BY SCOTT SHUMAKER Tribune Staff Writer
The demolition of Fiesta Mall is scheduled to begin tomorrow, July 17, bringing a definitive end to an 80-acre site that was once a center of retail gravity for the Southeast Valley.
Mesa leaders hope an exciting new story emerges at the “strategic” site of the defunct mall on Alma School Road at the US 60, but the future still remains hazy as crews prepare to knock the walls down.
In March, the city held preliminary talks with mall coowner Verde Investments on a master plan for a mixeduse development with up to 4,000 residential units, but
presentation by Lindsey Balinkie, deputy director of Mesa’s Community Services Department, and Det. Aaron Raine, Mesa Police Department’s homelessness liaison.
Many in the audience said crime and drug use in their area had already been on the rise in recent years.
They believed a shelter would only increase these issues – despite predictions from Raine that the neighborhood would see a reduction
A small crown on July 10 cheered Mesa resident David Keaggy as he celebrated his 97th birthday in a most unusual way at the Mountainside Fitness facility on Greenfield Road. To read what he did and why, turn to page 10. (David Minton/Staff Photographer)
49 seek MPS Governing Board seat
BY SCOTT SHUMAKER Tribune Staff Writer
Anonprofit leader who is the namesake of a Mesa elementary school, a lawyer who played Jesus in the Mesa Temple’s annual Easter pageant and a chiropractor are among the 49 people who applied to fill the Mesa Public Schools Governing Board seat vacated by Lara Ellingson in May.
The groundswell of interest in filling the seat gives Maricopa County School Superintendent Steve Watson no shortage of options as he considers who to appoint to serve out the year-and-a-half left on her term.
Ellingson tendered her resignation to the board in order to interview for a kindergarten teaching job with the district, a position she has subsequently accepted. Conflict of interest rules prevented her from holding both jobs, although board members are not paid.
As part of the process for filling a vacancy, the MPS Governing Board was permitted to submit three suggested candidates to the county superintendent within 30 days of the vacancy.
Following an open application period in June and ranking of candidates by the current board members, the MPS board forwarded the names of Michael Hughes, Debbie Moncayo and Jacob Martinez to the superintendent.
Applicants could also apply directly to the superintendent’s office, or both.
Tim Sifert, chief communications officer for the county superintendent, said Watson intends to personally interview each applicant.
Those interviews began last week, according to Sifert, who called the number of applications “a high number, but not unheard of” for a board vacancy.
The superintendent is not obligated to select one of the board’s preferred candidates.
Hughes is the CEO of A New Leaf, a nonprofit that offers homeless and domestic violence shelters, youth
Expires 7/31/23.
Debbie Moncayo
Jacob Martinez
Michael Hughes
there have been no updates since then.
There was speculation in May that the arena-less Coyotes hockey team might be interested in the Fiesta Mall site, but neither the Coyotes nor the city would confirm there had been any outreach by either side.
Dickens Quality Demolition is taking down the indoor mall and its parking garage, and the company estimates it will take about four months to level the buildings and haul away the materials.
For now, the asphalt surrounding the mall buildings will remain in place.
The demo zone will cover about 31 acres, according to permit documents.
The businesses surrounding the property will not be affected by the demolition, project manager Mike Walz said, with no traffic restrictions planned and no disruptions to utilities.
Walz said his company will have four to seven machines and about 20 workers on the site each day, tearing into the walls, cutting steel and
grinding concrete.
According to its dust control permit, Dickens estimates workers will
haul 96,500 cubic yards of material from the site, or enough to fill about 40 Olympic swimming pools.
Walz said the company will try to divert as much of that material as possible from the landfill by recovering concrete, steel and other metals for recycling.
He said the plan is to start at the former Macy’s, work straight across to Best Buy and then decide on the safest route to proceed.
“It’s a lot like Pac-Man. We just start chewing into it,” Walz said.
“I absolutely love what I do. It’s a great job; it really is,” he added.
Dickens Quality Demolition was also responsible for razing Paradise Valley Mall, which went down in 2022 and is currently under redevelopment.
Walz said large demo
jobs like Fiesta Mall are more complicated because they involve multiple machines.
According to its air quality permit, the company will control dust through water applications and limiting the number of vehicle trips and speeds on unpaved surfaces.
Once a powerful draw for shoppers and diners from the entire East Valley when it opened in 1979, Fiesta Mall started on a steady decline around the turn of the century as new retail centers, particularly Chandler Fashion Center, laid claim to the thousands of households rising across the region.
The mall’s fate also was one of several fallen dominoes in an area of Mesa that was shared by other retail centers, particularly Fiesta Village on Southern Avenue.
But Mesa was in no mood to let one of its signature neighborhoods slowly drown in a sea of blight.
The city is in the midst of an aggressive redevelopment project that is slowly restoring the Fiesta District.
Fiesta Mall opened in 1979 and for several decades was a retail mecca drawing shoppers from across the Valley. (Tribune file photo)
Fiesta Mall for several years has been a little more than a hollowed shell, devoid of the dozens of shops and hundreds of customers who once made it a lively gathering spot in Mesa. (Tribune file photo)
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and behavioral health counseling.
He previously sat on the MPS Governing Board for 20 years before retiring in 2014 and has served as president of the Arizona School Boards Association.
Hawthorne Elementary was renamed Hughes Elementary in 2018 in honor of Hughes’ contributions to public education.
Moncayo worked as an MPS teacher for over 20 years before serving as a school principal for schools in Mesa, Tempe and Phoenix.
adjunct instructor and leadership coach in education for Arizona State University, according to her LinkedIn profile.
Martinez came in third in the seven-way race for the two open seats on the MPS board last November.
A recent graduate of ASU, Martinez plans to attend the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law beginning this fall.
GenZ/Millennial & Education Advisor for the U.S. Speaker of the House. The list of applicants who filed letters of interest with the county superintendent include three other losing candidates from the 2022 MPS governing board race: Raymond Deer, Chris Hamlet and Ed Steele.
She later served as an administrator for the Roosevelt School District in Phoenix and is currently an
Martinez, a Dobson High grad, was politically active from a young age and has served in many public positions, including board member of the Mesa Historical Museum, vice president of the Mesa Parks & Rec Advisory Committee, School Safety Task Force Member for the Arizona Department of Education and a
Watson is a Republican first elected to county superintendent in 2016. According to data posted on the superintendent’s websites, most school board vacancies in Maricopa county since 2017 have been filled in two to four months.
Given the number of applicants and the superintendent’s determination to interview all comers, his decision may come on the later end of that spectrum. BOARD from page 2
‘Zero tolerance’ yields zero fireworks citations
BY SCOTT SHUMAKER Tribune Staff Writer
Despite promises that it would take a “zero tolerance” approach to illegal fireworks this year, Mesa Police reported no citations were issued for the discharge or possession of illegal fireworks between June 27 and July 9.
A spokeswoman for Mesa PD said it was possible there might be citations yet to be entered into the system, but it was unlikely.
Mesa was one of at least two Valley communities promising a zero tolerance crackdown this year on fireworks violations with legal consequences for violators following widespread complaints of illegal aerial and booming fireworks in recent years.
The dynamite-like explosions of illegal mortar shells obtained across state borders or online have made a mockery of Arizona’s laws and threatened safety with structure fires and wildland blazes, critics say.
Avondale in the West Valley also announced a zero tolerance enforcement policy and set up a patrol on July 4 dedicated to enforcing fireworks violations.
In contrast to Mesa PD’s zero citations for the two weeks before and after the holiday, Avondale cops issued eight citations in just 10 hours on July 4, a spokesman told the Tribune.
The misdemeanor offense carries a maximum $1,000 fine.
Mesa City Council members had hoped actual consequences for some violators this year might send a message to the community.
Animal owners told the Tribune in June that illegal fireworks had turned the holiday into a nightmare as they tried to protect startled pets from escaping or harming themselves in the attempt.
“I do think as we start to do some enforcement it will make a big differ-
ence and word will spread through these neighborhoods, ‘Oh, the police are actually doing something now,’ so I really appreciate the enforcement efforts,” Councilwoman Julie Spilsbury said during a July 3 council study session.
Her remarks followed a presentation by Mesa PD Commander Jeff Cutler and Mesa Fire and Medical Deputy Chief Shawn Alexander.
Last year, Mesa PD said it handed out warnings to those lighting off illegal fireworks, but this year the department said it would take a different approach.
“We’re not giving warnings,” Community Action Officer Jason Flam told the Tribune before the holiday.
“If we see possession of illegal fireworks, we’re seizing that and citing,” Cutler promised Council, adding that police would be focused July 4 “mainly on enforcement.”
It’s not clear why no citations were issued.
“I don’t have a lot of other information except we don’t have any arrests or citations,” said Sgt. Jamey Cox. “(Police) get a lot of calls, even when they are legal fireworks. A lot of times there’s nothing for us to investigate.”
Councilman Mark Freeman said at the July 3 meeting that fireworks enforcement was “necessary,” given the impact on neighborhoods and the dangers posed by illegal fireworks.
In the weeks before the holiday, community action officers with Mesa PD tried to visit the top 50 suspected fireworks violators with cards clarifying the fireworks rules, and the statement, “It would be unfortunate if your holiday was ruined because of a criminal citation for an illegal fireworks display.”
The city also set up an email tip line so concerned citizens could alert the department to problem properties before the holiday.
Horse owner and Lehi Community Improvement Association President Marilyn Crosby said this holiday
seemed tamer than past years in terms of illegal fireworks.
There were about seven people setting off fireworks in her neighborhood, she said, but they stopped by 9:30 p.m. or 10 p.m.
Crosby thought the public’s belief that police were cracking down made people less apprehensive to report issues.
“I know of several neighbors that were calling in and reporting,” she said.
“Illegal firework usage seemed to be lower in my district than in past years, especially late at night,” Spilsbury said in statement to the Tribune following a request for comment on the lack of citations.
“In general, for the City of Mesa, we received 89 calls for fireworks, with 22 of them canceled. That is an improvement from last year and I
want to thank Mesa PD for all their efforts to educate the community on fireworks usage and keeping our residents safe.”
the west on Main Street to house the program, which started in 2020.
in crime due to a 24-hour police presence and other measures.
City officials emphasized that Off the Streets prioritizes housing the most vulnerable people for emergency shelter, like seniors, pregnant women and families with children.
Currently, the city leases 80 rooms from the Windemere Hotel, about 1.5 miles to
Above all, it’s for people motivated to get off the streets and into permanent housing, officials said.
The average stay is 67 days before most clients “graduate” to a more permanent situation.
“Lots of people with full-time jobs have gone in the program,” Raine said. “Lots of Amazon drivers. School bus drivers. I’m
talking regular people.”
City staffers said the current partnership with the Windemere is strong, but officials want to move the shelter program into a city-owned building.
With its own hotel, Mesa wouldn’t have to worry about its lease at Windemere coming to an end with just 90-day notice, and the city could modify the building and grounds to better suit the program.
The city also has federal COVID relief
money available now to cover the price of the Grand Hotel.
Raine told the group that after Off the Streets moved into the Windemere, crime went down significantly within a 1-mile radius of the site and that is currently lower than the city average – and lower than the area around the Grand Hotel.
He predicted crime would drop in the neighborhood around the Grand if the hotel was converted to a shelter.
But residents were skeptical that crime had actually improved around the Windemere since Off the Streets launched.
And they doubted the notion that crime would go down in their neighborhood if the Grand became a shelter.
One woman murmured during discussion of the crime reduction around the Windemere, “There’s all kinds of bull– going on there.”
Councilwoman Julie Spilsbury, who represents the district and attended the meeting, has previously backed up Raine’s claims of drops in crime surrounding the Windemere.
She said she has heard from residents who appreciate the extra police presence in the neighborhood.
After the presentation on the plan and the commencement of the Q&A session,
HOTEL from page 1
Mesa and Grand Hotel owner Sunstay Bridge LLC have agreed to terms for selling the facility for $7.4 million, but a final sale won’t even be closed before October. (File photo)
Most of the sentiment among the 50 or so neighbors who attended the meeting about the Grand Hotel deal was that they didn’t want a homeless shelter in their backyard.
a half-dozen hands shot up.
Over the course of an hour, residents said they were concerned with the existing levels of crime, drug activity and homelessness in the area, and feared the opening of a homeless shelter would “obliterate” recent efforts by residents to clean up the area and invest in their homes.
Many who spoke couldn’t fathom how a shelter moving into the neighborhood could possibly make the situation better.
One man expressed his view that drugs are the root of the homelessness and crime issues in the area, and said he worried about people continuing the “addiction lifestyle” in the city-owned shelter.
“What assurance are you going to provide that the residents will not be allowed to use drugs in the facility,” he asked to applause from the audience.
Raine said that drugs are prohibited in Off the Streets.
Although there currently isn’t drug testing, there are multiple room checks per day, and participants work closely with case managers, who know the signs of drug use.
They’re “constantly checking to make sure there isn’t negative behavior going on.”
Another man who said he bought his house in 1985 said the area used to feel safe, but “the neighborhood has just dropped into a real living hell,” he said. He suggested the city buy acreage next to the Salt River and build a shelter there, or house people on the former base housing of Williams Air Force Base, now Gateway airport.
“Why keep pushing the tide of people into our area?” he said.
The nonprofit House of Refuge currently provides transitional housing for families in need with 88 homes that were previously part of the base.
Raine noted that historically, Mesa’s homeless services have been entirely on the west side.
The part of the plan community members seemed most receptive to were property upgrades intended to cordon off the hotel from the surrounding neighborhood, notably an 8-foot wall surrounding the hotel parking lot and gates restricting vehicle access to a Main Street driveway.
Late in the meeting, as the negative comments piled on, Deputy City Manager Natalie Lewis issued a plea: “We’ve got to do something.”
“This is a complicated issue – we’re talking about human beings in crisis. It’s not perfect, but for the last three years we have worked diligently to make it as perfect as we can, and we will never stop that.”
At the end of the meeting, some neighbors exchanged phone numbers and vowed to oppose the purchase of the hotel.
Public opposition puts the hotel purchase on a precarious footing, as Council is currently divided on the project. In June, the council split 4-3 on moving forward with the shelter.
Councilman Scott Somers thought the sale price was too high, Councilman Mark Freeman said he was more comfortable with leasing hotel rooms and Councilwoman Alicia Goforth worried buying a hotel would lock the city into its current homelessness strategy.
Hobbs rebuffs county prosecutors on abortion
BY HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services
Gov. Katie Hobbs told 12 county attorneys earlier this month that she is on legally solid ground in rejecting their request that she rescind her executive order stripping them of their authority to prosecute abortion cases.
That now leaves it up to the prosecutors to decide what, if anything, they will do next.
Writing to Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell, the governor said Arizona law specifically permits her to designate Attorney General Kris Mayes as the only person who can charge anyone who violates a whole series of existing laws regulating abortions.
She told Mitchell and the other county attorneys who asked her to rescind her order that they have only the authority specifically laid out in statute.
“If you disagree with the wisdom of those laws, I encourage you to engage with lawmakers in the legislative process,’’ Hobbs said.
“Similarly, if you have concerns about how future governors may utilize this statutory authority, such concerns should be addressed in the legislative process.’’
But what the letter does not mention is whether Hobbs, presented with such a change in law, actually would sign it.
The governor has said earlier that she would not back down.
“I will continue to use my legal authority to protect Arizonans from extremists who want to prosecute women and doctors for their healthcare decisions,’’ she wrote on Twitter earlier this month.
Jeanine L’Ecuyer, spokeswoman to Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell, told Capitol Media Services that the prosecutors, aware of the governor’s public statements, already have been conferring. But she declined to say what action, if any, is next.
The core question comes down to how expansive is the governor’s power.
Hobbs cited a section of law which says that the governor can direct the attorney general
to “prosecute and defend any proceeding in a state court ... in which this state or an officer of this state is a party or has an interest.’’
That is not in dispute.
What is in dispute is whether that simultaneously strips all 15 elected county attorneys of their own right to bring charges when they believe criminal laws have been violated.
“Since statehood, it has been status quo in Arizona that the duty and discretion to conduct criminal prosecutions for public offenses rests with county attorneys unless a statute specifically provides otherwise,’’ the county prosecutors told Hobbs, calling her order a “sweeping attempt’’ to “interfere with the discretion of prosecutors in fulfilling their duties as elected officials.’’
They also told the governor her reliance on that section of law is legally misplaced. That law, they said, “only related to existing, individual cases and not whole categories of crimes,’’ including crimes that not yet occurred.
“It is a substantial overreach to suggest the governor may strip away prosecutorial dis-
cretion from local, elected officials,’’ they said.
Wrong, said Hobbs.
“The Legislature has expressly granted this authority,’’ she said.
The governor also said having Mayes handle all cases prevents “potential disparities in how 15 different county attorneys may interpret and apply abortion law from chilling or restricting access to lawful healthcare.’’
One question county prosecutors will now have to decide is whether they could be successful in seeking a declaratory judgment from a court that Hobbs overstepped her authority.
In general, judges do not like ruling on purely hypothetical cases. Instead, they prefer what the lawyers call a “live case or controversy,’’ where they have actual facts to determine what is and is not legal.
There is a separate law that bars doctors from terminating a pregnancy if they know the woman is seeking it because of the gender or race of the baby. Another makes it a crime to perform an abortion if the sole reason is a fetal genetic defect.
180 apartments may rise on Mesa General site
BY SCOTT SHUMAKER Tribune Staff Writer
The former Mesa General Hospital building – where generations of Mesa residents were born or received cardiac care and other services – was demolished without fanfare in February and is slated to see new life as a 180-unit apartment complex.
The northern portion of the property currently housing the 48-bed KPC Promise Hospital of Phoenix was not affected by the demolition.
Site owner MED CAP AZ obtained a permit to raze the 58-year-old hospital on Mesa Drive and University last January even though the apartment project is still working its way through the planning process.
Developer Paul Alessio said the property owner considered reusing the building as a health care facility.
But after inspecting the interior and determining the amount of work that would need to be done, they decided “It just wasn’t marketable in its current state.”
The building had been mostly vacant since 2013, when the Arizona Regional Medical Center closed. The medical center was the successor to Mesa General Hospital, which closed in 2008 when operator Lasis Healthcare left the facility.
Alessio said the city requested the demolition because out of concern that the vacant building had “become a hotbed of transient activity.”
While working on the project, Alessio said he felt how much history was in the site.
When he visited the site, Alessio said people would stop and talk to him about the hospital.
“We’d get really cool stories about how that person was born there, their children were both there. ... Everybody has kind of a cool connection to that site. Everybody’s got a story,” he said.
MED CAP AZ is proposing to develop a four-building apartment complex on 6-acres at the site.
The hospital building, which opened in 1965, did receive a Historic Preservation review before the permit was issued.
Mesa Planning Director Mary Kopaskie-Brown said that in Mesa, “only properties that have – or are proposed to have – a Historic District or Historic Landmark overlay require a demo permit review by Historic Preservation.”
Just being over 50 years old doesn’t justify a review, she said.
The fact that the demolition sailed through without comment from the Historic Preservation Office or other discussion miffed Mesa Preservation Foundation president Vic Linoff.
“This is a building that fell through the cracks. It met the basic 50-year (U.S.) Secretary of Interior age criteria, and should have been evaluated before demo,” he said.
“I have been trying for years to get the city’s GIS (Geographic Information System) to be flagged with any property that meets the 50-year criteria, so that it can
be evaluated by the city Preservation Office,” he continued.
Kopaskie-Brown says the city is working on creating a list of properties eligible for historic status.
“We are considering including a GIS layer that will alert city staff if there are historic district/landmark considerations,” she said.
Beyond the process questions, city officials and some neighbors hope the new Mesa Drive Apartments planned for the hospital site will help revitalize the neighborhood, which sits on the “fringe” of downtown Mesa, as one planner said.
In comments submitted to the city, a neighboring apartment complex owner told city planners that “over the years, I have witnessed the former Mesa General Hospital lot deteriorate and become a negative influence within the community.”
“I cannot express to you my hope for additional revitalization within the community,” he wrote, praising the designs of the apartments.
The proposed Mesa Drive Apartments would consist of 60 studios, 78 one-bedroom apartments and 42 two-bedroom apartments.
According to a public participation report, residents who attended a neighborhood meeting “embraced the ‘Front Porch Living’ interactive lifestyle the site plan depicted,” and encouraged the development to be open to the surrounding neighborhood.
Mesa’s Economic Development Department and Downtown Transforma-
tion Office both offered support for the project while encouraging the developers to aim for high density and high quality.
The Downtown Transformation office provided lengthy and detailed comments in early discussions requesting changes that it believed would elevate the quality of the project.
The developer described its vision for “porch living” in pre-submittal talks with the city, saying each apartment would have a courtyard-facing private area to encourage community engagement.
Alessio said the complex will try to “honor the neighborhood” and will be open for pedestrians to traverse through.
He added the architecture will match what exists in the neighborhoods, with balconies, lush courtyards and no gates to keep people out.
Alessio said his company has a lot of interest in what he called the “downtown adjacent” parts of Mesa.
“You’re close by (downtown), but with a little less activity, but walkable to activity,” he said. “People like that opportunity where it’s a little bit quieter, a little bit more community-based.”
The market-rate units will try to attract health care workers, police, firefighters and educators, Alessio said.
He also noted the apartments will be close to city offices, so city employees may be attracted to the property.
The Planning and Zoning Board signed off on the Mesa Drive Apartments plan in late June and the project is headed to the city council, possibly in August.
A 180-unit apartment complex is envisioned for the site of the old Mesa General Hospital. (City of Mesa)
The hospital was leveled in February to pave way for the complex. (City of Mesa)
Mesa man proves you’re never too old to be fit
BY PAUL MARYNIAK Tribune Executive Editor
David Keaggy didn’t reach age 97 sitting on the couch all day.
And to prove it, part of the Mesa man’s birthday celebration July 10 was at the place that’s an in integral part of his regimen an hour a day, five days a week: the Mountainside Fitness gym at 1253 N. Greenfield Road, which he has visited religiously since it opened in 2005.
Keaggy hadn’t planned to have TV cameras capture the event – like they did when he turned 90 to record him doing 83 push-ups. A friend spilled the beans and the gym thought it was worth some publicity.
Of course, Keaggy has found a lot of worth in working up a sweat for 75 years at Mountainside and the other gyms he used when he lived elsewhere.
His five-day-a-week ritual started when he was 22 and recovering from a
serious tonsil infection.
He was dangerously underweight, he recalled, and decided to slowly build up his body – not by eating fattening foods but by methodically and fastidiously eating right and “just developing and keeping my body in shape.”
Along the way, he also stopped drinking alcohol and coffee, gave up smoking, put bread and desserts on the “no” list, never even thought of taking illegal drugs – and kept working out five days a week.
And he eats a lot of fruits and vegetables – but no supplements.
On his birthday, for example, his 65-year-old son, a retired chef, whipped up a concoction with five or six different vegetables that he figured would last all week, mixed with some protein like a chopped-up steak or chicken breast.
“I had a big bowl of that and that was my breakfast,” he said.
He’s kept a daily record of his blood
pressure and weight, making sure he remains at a svelte 160 pounds.
“It just became automatic with me,” he said. “I’ve got records going back many years.”
Truth be told, he said, “As I got older, I cut back.”
“Cutting back” means a 10-minute warmup on a stationary bike followed by 50 minutes of a circuit workout across 15 different machines.
“I’ve had problems,” he added. “I’ve got four stents. I had back surgery. I had my veins rerouted in my left leg.”
And he was left blind in one eye during a surgery that didn’t go like it was supposed to – one of the reasons he
see OLD page 11
David Keaggy laughed in relief July 10 after celebrating his 97th birthday by walking 100 yards carrying 100 pounds of weights around at the Mountainside Fitness on N. Greenfield Road, not far from his Mesa home. (David Minton/Staff Photographer)
Women Who Care helps Assistance League of EV
BY ANGIE RAMIREZ Tribune Contributor
In the blink of an eye, the new school year is upon us.
It is tradition for most families to go “back to school” shopping to buy school supplies and new clothes.
However, for many parents purchasing new clothing is not in their budget. Assistance League of East Valley steps in to help. Assistance League of East Valley provides a program called Operation School Bell that includes three components: uniforms, store dressings, and homeless teens.
In 2021, it provided uniforms to 5,577 elementary students, served 1,466 elemen-
tary students in non-uniform schools, and served 338 students identified as transitional (homeless) or Youth on Their Own by the districts.
This program makes it possible for children to have the required uniforms, if attending uniform schools, and gives students in non-uniform schools and homeless youth a feeling of being like the others and that leads to greater confidence.
In addition to Operation School Bell, Assistance League of East Valley has a program called Assault Survivor Kits (ASK) that supplies ten (10) community crisis organizations with clothing, snacks, and other items not in their normal budget.
The ASK program helps people in crisis
situations such as fires, accidents, and assaults. Frequently, the victims need clothing to wear home and have short term food needs.
Assistance League of East Valley also gives two-year college scholarships to qualified East Valley Institute of Technology graduates who will be attending an accredited institution of higher learning in Arizona.
Students receive $1,700 a year for two years as long as they are enrolled full-time and maintain their grades.
These scholarships are based on financial need along with ability, aptitude, and determination to complete their education. In 2022-23, the Assistance League of
East Valley awarded scholarships to fourteen (14) outstanding young adults.
Another program the organization will restart this fall is Adult Day Care Socials. Monthly celebrations are held at Tempe Adult Day Health Services. Members of the Assistance League visit with participants, providing fellowship, refreshments, decorations, live entertainment, and a small gift for those celebrating birthdays each month.
Forty percent of the funding for Assistance League of East Valley comes from their thrift shop in Chandler. This is no ordinary thrift store; it’s beau-
tifully arranged and created with a loving touch.
All donated clothing is steamed, donated items are cleaned, and racks and shelves are meticulously laid out. Swing by and check out their lovely selection of clothing, household items, toys, books and more. Or, donate your gently used treasures.
Your donations will benefit the East Valley community through the many programs the Assistance League of East Valley provides.
In April, Assistance League of East Valley was chosen to receive a donation from 100+ Women Who Care Valley of the Sun. Their East Valley members donated $11,100 to it in May.
“We feel so blessed that we have been recognized as an organization that cares about our community. We do our best to bring supplies and the essentials that people need so that we can make a difference. The fact that you trust us to be good stewards of your donations really touches our hearts, and we appreciate it so much,” said
Janifer Gorney, former president of the Assistance League.
100+ Women Who Care is a group of women that meets quarterly to learn about local charitable organizations. The members of the group vote to decide which organization will receive their quarterly donation.
Each member of the group donates $100 to the chosen charity. The members have donated over $1 million to charities since
their inception in 2015.
100+ Women Who Care Valley of the Sun meets quarterly in the East Valley at the Forum Event Complex at 2301 S. Stearman Drive, Chandler.
Their Q3 giving circle will be held at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 17. Visit 100wwcvalleyofthesun. org/ for more information or to register. To learn more about Assistance League of East Valley: assistanceleague.org/eastvalley.
doesn’t shoot pool as well as he used to.
“I’ve had a lot of stuff happen,” Keaggy said, “but thanks to the VA, I get through it.”
The Ohio native qualified for VA medical coverage by enlisting in the Army right after he graduated from high school in Meadville, Pennsylvania, where he grew up.
He was assigned to the Army Air Corps and was in pilot training as World War II was winding down. But the war ended, the flight school was closed and he was transferred to aviation mechanics –which lasted only three weeks before the Army just sent him and his classmates home.
After that, Keaggy spent most of a successful business career self-employed, mostly in selling kitchen equipment and eventually designing kitchens.
“I retired in 1963 – that was a long time ago,” added Keaggy, who then spent five
Celebrating a generous gift to the Assistance League of the East Valley form 100+ Women Who Care Valley of the Sun chapter are, from left: Sarah Auffret, Janifer Gorney, Katherine Katz, Judy Brown, Kara Medlock, Ibis Valles, Maria Hesse, Crissy Haidos and Kathy Stevens. (Courtesy of 100+ Women Who Care of the East Valley)
years running his own business in Phoenix making custom pool cues.
He also designed a device for washing commercial kitchens and sold them in a separate business.
He did all that in Arizona, where he arrived in 1969, with his late wife, Grace Constance, and their five kids after living for about 12 years in Michigan, before moving first to Los Angeles and then Las Vegas.
Two years his senior, Grace Constance passed away at age 88 in 2012. They were married for 66 years.
Keaggy also found time to become an master archer and helped with the archery competition in the 1984 Summer Olympics.
His birthday event was part of something he’s done all his life – challenge himself physically.
“I thought about it and wondered what I could do that is exceptional for me at this point in my life and then it came to me,” said Keaggy. “I’ll load up
with weights, 15 pounds on each leg and then I’ll carry 35 pounds on each arm and I’ll walk 100 yards carrying a total of 100 pounds.”
He dropped his normal gym routine and practiced for the birthday event instead for six weeks.
“The first three times I tried, I failed,” he said, adding that be began tinkering with the amount of weight he’d attached to his arms and ankles to make that 100 yards.
He finally got those weights right “and then the dumbbells made up the 100.”
The day after his birthday, Keaggy shot pool for three hours – far longer than the usual two hours he spends twice a week at community centers around East Mesa.
Demonstrating both her artistic talent and her awareness of the importance of recycling, 5-year-old Winter Hoose of Mesa one of five winners of the Conservation Art Challenge sponsored by OdySea Aquarium near Scottsdale.
their families.
They also received a painting created by an OdySea Aquarium cownose stingray using a special apparatus that allows them to paint on canvas.
“I was off,” he said the day after his birthday. “I think it was maybe a morale letdown from my birthday. It was so great.
“But man, I worked out hard this morning trying to get back to my old routine and I think I overdid it – a little bit, anyway. Oh well, it is what it is.”
Open to children under 12, Odysea’s contest asked kids to make a work of art in the form of an animal, preferably an endangered species, using recyclable materials.
Winter created what judges called “a stunning work of art” representing a kakapo, a flightless parrot, from brown paper, cardboard, foam, paper, tape, paint, and newspaper.
While all 587 children who entered the contest received a free ticket to the aquarium, Winter and the other winners were invited to a special private celebration with
“Painting gives the stingrays a form of enrichment which encourages the animals to exercise control and choice in their environment, enhancing their overall well-being,” an aquarium spokeswoman said.
The winners also met Sedona, a female African penguin, and a specialist who could answer questions about her.
Winter also received kudos from aquarium management, saying it commends her “for her understanding of the significance of keeping the environment and wildlife safe.”
TRIBUNE NEWS STAFF
Winter Hoose
James Lewis brings classic barbecue to Mesa
BY KYLIE WERNER Tribune Contributor
For James Lewis, cooking is healing.
Lewis opened his first JL Smokehouse at Broadway and 20th Street in Phoenix in 2017, just after he was diagnosed with stage-four cancer.
Barbecuing got him through the rough times, he said.
“I can’t tell you a lot of what it did to me because every day after my treatment I would go right back to the restaurant and barbecue,” Lewis said. “I attribute it to the joy of barbecue that got me through that whole cancer process. Now I’ve been cancer free for about five years.”
He recently celebrated the opening of a second JL Smokehouse in Mesa in the former home of Can’t Stop Smokin’ BBQ.
He had to improve the space, however.
“This was supposed to be in a turnkey restaurant, and it turned out not to be,” Lewis said. “We got in there and stuff didn’t meet the health guidelines and so we had to bring everything up to par.”
With locations planned in Queen Creek and Chandler, too, JL Smokehouse boasts an extensive menu, with favorites like barbecue rib tips, barbecue bologna, barbecue spaghetti and pork belly.
“Most people in the barbecue industry stay in the five realms of brisket, pulled pork, ribs, turkey and smoked sausage,” he said. “Those are the five meats and at JL Smokehouse we’ve got eight or nine meats to choose from.”
JL Smokehouse also has a dish named after food blogger Mark Wiens, a platter that feeds five to six ($85) with a whole slab plus six meats and five
large sides. Wiens visited the restaurant twice, filming a video there that garnered 8 million views.
“Everyone was coming because the video was so popular and they said give me what Mark had … and so I said, ‘Hey, let’s put this guy on the menu!’” Lewis said.
JL Smokehouse stands out because it still uses 100% wood to cook its meat, Lewis explained.
“If it ain’t no wood, the food is no good,” he said.
“We don’t cheat the system. They have a lot of modern machines out that can help you do barbecue a lot easier. We are still old school. Many of our stuff takes 18 to 19 hours to cook.”
Mesa’s menu is a bit different from Phoenix. All the meats are smoked at the Phoenix store, which Lewis refers to as “headquarters.” Because Mesa doesn’t house smokers, the menu is limited. For example, Mesa doesn’t serve regular smoked chicken thighs, but it offers lemon pepper wings.
He doesn’t specialize in one particular region’s barbecue. He’s well aware that Midwesterners are into rib tips, while West Coasters want brisket and pulled pork. Southerners, he adds,
crave ribs. Lewis cuts it down the middle.
“If we make it, it’s our specialty, we don’t put all of our focus on one dish,” Lewis said. “We are reaching people from different walks of life and different cultures and backgrounds.”
However, his perfect meal from the restaurant is pork belly with barbecue spaghetti and cabbage.
Raised a sharecropper in Arkansas, Lewis said he owes his career to his ancestors.
“Barbecue in America started on the
slave field,” he said.
“It’s kind of an ugly history, but people come from all over the world to experience barbecue in America. Knowing that my ancestors gave America their food is something I’m very proud of.”
Still, he found he couldn’t eat barbecue as a child because it made him ill.
“I always knew why it was treating me bad, these guys didn’t know what they’re doing,” Lewis said.
Questioning this, he checked out the book “The Barbecue Bible” by Steven Raichlen when he was 20. It proved to him that he was getting sick because any time the heat hit the wood, gasses like carbon monoxide emerge. If they weren’t burned off, it sticks to the meat and makes the consumer ill.
“I (also) learned that everybody barbecued not just one way, so I just started putting my heart into it,” Lewis said. “That’s how I really got going by education and studying it.”
That was around the same time he moved to Arizona, on April 24, 1989. Then 20 and a new cook, he met his wife on May 19, and they married six weeks later on August 4.
He compares cooking to art.
“I think it would be like an artist painting on canvas,” Lewis said. “If I’m smoking meat and cooking, it brings me alive. It’s where I am absolutely in my best place, my most perfect place.”
If You Go...
JL Smokehouse
Where: 2650 E. University Drive, Mesa 480-390-1459
2010 E. Broadway Road, Phoenix 602-620-5132
Info: jlsmokehouse.com
James Lewis opened his JL Smokehouse in Mesa two months ago, showing off a poster with his likeness. (Facebook)
TheMesaTribune.com | @EVTNow /EVTNow Share Your Thoughts: Send your letters on local issues to: pmaryniak@timeslocalmedia.com
Scalding heat is the price Arizonans must pay
BY DAVID LEIBOWITZ Tribune Columnist
Exactly 29 Julys ago, I landed in Phoenix for the first time, to interview for a columnist gig at this very newspaper. To this day, I can recall the airport’s automatic doors whizzing open and being hit head on by a blast of hot air not unlike standing in front of a billion-watt hair dryer.
“We don’t need to do an interview,” I told the newspaper’s then-editor, Phil Boas. “There’s no possible way this weather can sustain human life.”
As I know now – in the midst of one of the most brutal heat waves in state history – it is possible to thrive under such conditions. My personal rule is a simple one. I don’t complain about the heat until it gets to 110 degrees. Past that, all bets are off.
Given that the National Weather Service indicates it has been above 110 degrees virtually every day this July, you can imagine
how much complaining I’ve done this summer.
On the bright side – pun intended – at least most of us weren’t here in June 1974, when Phoenix logged a record 18 straight days of temperatures at or above 110 degrees.
My first summer here, the high temperature hit 121 on July 28, 1995. That’s the second-hottest day in Phoenix history, only surpassed by June 26, 1990, when the high was 122.
That day in 1995 was also the first time I ever wanted to punch Royal Norman, the longtime weatherman at Channel 3. It’s a personal issue I’ve since solved by refusing to watch local weather forecasts between the months of June and September.
My mom was right, it turns out. What you don’t know will still hurt you, but at least it will be a surprise.
Usually it’s about this time of year when I again ask myself the question that confronts
every Arizonan who has lived here for any length of time: Is this place really worth the misery the dog days of summer deliver on an annual basis?
What’s worse: An average of 21 days a year of temperatures above 110 degrees or having to own a snow shovel and being stuck for two hours behind a plow train on your commute home?
Keep in mind, I grew up in New York. Before coming here, I lived in garden spots like Philadelphia and Trenton.
If you’ve never been to Trenton, it’s a lot like visiting Tijuana or another third world city, except the stickup men speak marginally better English. Also, Trenton is surrounded by the rest of New Jersey, which is a consolation prize not unlike Kari Lake losing the governor’s race, only to turn around and run for more offices.
Just when you think it’s over, the pain keeps on coming.
Even so, I believe the Valley represents a
pretty solid return on investment for those of us who live here.
You suffer for 100 or so days, only to have 265 days of pristine sunshine, with no need to own a shovel, rock salt, or tire chains.
Unlike Florida, there’s no humidity here to drench you, and unlike California, there’s comparatively few Californians to ruin the place, though they seem to keep showing up in growing numbers.
Luckily, we have weather forecasts like what’s in store for the middle week of July to frighten them off: Highs of 117 on the weekend, followed by a cooling trend – down to 107 – as this miserable month continues to fry everything in sight.
I could complain, but what is there to say? If every day in the Valley was a balmy 98 degrees with no humidity and rarely a cloud, the population of Arizona would be 70 million instead of 7 million. Scalding heat is the price we pay to keep this state livable the other nine months of the year.
America dangerously toys around with China
BY JD HAYWORTH Tribune Columnist
You can forget all about “Babes in Toyland.”
There is nothing infantile about the manufacturing, marketing, and merchandising of toys.
Instead, the economic stakes are so high— profits in excess of $100 billion a year— that American industry executives tie themselves in knots, contorting themselves in a fashion demanded when playing the Milton Bradley game, “Twister.”
But the modern contortion is prompted by a market distortion.
As is the case with so many manufactured goods, 80% of the toys sold in the USA are made in China.
Yes, Virginia, there may be a Santa Claus, but panicked American companies have not only deprived Santa’s elves of their annual assignments—they have eliminated U.S. jobs and given a gift to themselves cheap Chinese labor.
In return, the Chinese have “gifted” our nation with something even worse than fewer and lower paying American jobs. They have declared a “People’s War” on the United States.
And even before the “bumbling” of the Biden Administration—which appears at this point to be something far more sinister than mere incompetence—the Chinese Dragon was breathing fire on the tails of the “imperialist running dogs,” in the parlance of Chairman Mao. American industrialists have been indulgent of imperious behavior by the
Chinese for quite some time. In 2007, after recalling 21 million toys made in China, toy maker Mattel actually apologized to the PRC.
The reason for the recall? Excessive levels of lead paint found in Mattel toys manufactured in China.
Amazingly, Thomas Debrowski, then Mattel’s executive vice president for worldwide operations, put the blame squarely on his company, not the Chinese.
“Mattel takes full responsibility for these recalls and apologizes personally to you, the Chinese people and all of our customers who received the toys.”
Who was the “you” to whom Debrowski directed his apology? That would be the PRC’s product safety chief at the time, Li Changjiang – notwithstanding
the fact that Li was probably more familiar with a Stalin’s “Five Year Plan” than with a free market.
Li’s response made it clear that his mission was that of a Communist Chinese political “hack.”
“You cannot recall 10,000 products just because one is substandard. That is unacceptable.”
Oh, really?
Li’s argument might have carried more weight if that same year of 2007 had not brought us recalls of other Chinese products. Specifically, a month earlier, there was a recall of toothpaste for containing a chemical used to make antifreeze for automobiles; and even earlier that year—in March—there was a
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Congress must take a stand against big pharma
American consumers, families and patients are struggling far too often to afford their prescriptions. Prescription drug prices have been outof-control and instead of putting forth solutions that will actually address the root problem – Big Pharma’s anti-competitive price-gouging tactics that allow them to set high prices – Congress is threatening to make matters worse by advancing policies that will eliminate our pharmacy benefits.
Pharmacy benefit companies are the actors that employers, including small businesses, rely on to be able to have flexibility and a wide range of choices to offer quality and affordable prescription drug coverage for their employers.
For employers and unions alone, pharmacy benefit companies save more than $800 per patient per year on prescription drug costs.
Yet instead of protecting these costsaving benefits, certain legislators in Congress are choosing to side with the pharmaceutical industry and help them boost their profits.
Big Pharma is the root cause of high prices. In the first two weeks of the year, big drug companies hiked the prices
of nearly 600 brand name drugs. Their abuse of the patent system on just five brand name drugs has costs ranging from $1.8 billion to $7.6 billion due to delayed competition due to these patent thickets.
Any proposal that limits pharmacy benefit companies is buying directly into what Big Pharma wants and Arizona Senators Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly should reject these pricing schemes and instead side with Arizona families and patients.
Thankfully, Senator Sinema has already taken steps in the right direction, showing Arizonians that she’s willing to stick up for what’s right, when she opposed one recent measure targeting our pharmacy benefits.
She put families and patients first and protect the very entities that make prescriptions more affordable. Now we need other lawmakers to do the same.
The legislators backing policies that will increase prescription drug costs and help big drug companies earn a bigger pay day?
Lawmakers like extreme left-leaning Senator Bernie Sanders, as his latest attempt at a Medicare-for-All type country
to push new government mandates targeting our pharmacy benefits.
His socialist counterpart on the House side, Representative Alexandria OcasioCortez used a hearing on pharmacy benefit companies as an opportunity to push the country towards a nationalized health care system, saying that by restricting pharmacy benefits, it “made the case for Medicare-for-All to reduce drug costs for everyone.”
Why would self-proclaimed socialists like Senator Sanders side with the pharmaceutical industry? Because it helps their larger agenda to push the country towards a nationalized system.
Despite being someone who claims to hate big corporations and corporate greed, he’s willing to help Big Pharma, who’s responsible for out-of-control prices, get a bigger pay day if it means getting us closer to a Medicare-for-All system.
These policies target the one check against them, pharmacy benefit companies, all so Big Pharma can get their payday and socialists can advance their political agenda. Our lawmakers have the power to stop them and put a real check on these egregious pricing tactics
that are hurting too many Americans. Arizonian families need access to quality, affordable pharmacy benefits so we can access the prescriptions we need to stay healthy.
Recent proposals targeting pharmacy benefit companies on Capitol Hill will increase costs for families and patients, make things more difficult for employers by taking away the flexibility they need to offer quality health care coverage and give the government the opportunity to take away choice in health care.
Worst of all, these policies will reward big drug companies for price gouging the American people and help them avoid accountability for the integral role they play in setting increasingly high prices. We need to address the affordability crisis in our prescription drug supply chain, but the recent policies being proposed are not the right answer.
-John Arnold
recall of dog food.
More recently, a popular blood pressure medicine made in China was recalled. In 2018, the generic drug, Valsartin, faced scrutiny after the FDA said it might be contaminated by NDMA, a possible carcinogen.
Now, five years after the anti-hypertensive medication scare, the PRC is looking for more favorable treatment worldwide. Specifically, on the silver screen.
Warner Brothers, the studio behind “Barbie,” the live action motion picture
about the All-American doll and female “ideal,” finds itself embroiled in a lessthan-ideal controversy. The concern is focused on a map that appears behind Margot Robbie, who plays Barbie, and which depicts the “nine-dash-line,” which Beijing draws more than a thousand miles off its coast, claiming the vast majority of the South China Sea as its territory.
Would it surprise you to learn that Barbie dolls are made in four foreign factories – two in China – and nowhere in the USA?
A Warner Brothers spokesman sought to belittle any American concerns, say-
ing “The map in Barbie Land is a childlike crayon drawing… It was not intended to make any type of statement.”
Meantime, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen made a point that spoke loudly and clearly without words. Visiting Beijing, Yellen bowed to her Chinese counterpart, Vice Premier He Lifeng, three times.
Yellen looked like “Dippy Bird,” the toy that dips its beak into a cup of water again and again.
So Janet Yellen was an appeaser in a Communist land.
No “Babe in Toyland,” just a septuagenarian in “Fantasyland.”
CHINA
When MPS elementary students can meet the teacher Back to School
Students in Mesa Public Schools District will return to the classroom on Aug. 4.
And elementary school students – and their parents or guardians – will want to know who their teacher will be.
Here is a list of when MPS elementary students can meet them before the 2023-24 school year begins.
• Adams
Tuesday, Aug. 1, 4:30-6 p.m.
• Brinton
Tuesday, Aug. 1, 4-6 p.m.
• Bush
Kindergarten transition: July 24-25, 8-10 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Meet the Teacher: Aug. 1, 5-6:15 p.m.
Curriculum Night: Aug. 29, 5-6:15 p.m.
• Crismon
July 31, 5-6 p.m.
• Eagleridge Enrichment Center
Aug. 2: M/F students, 10:30 a.m.-noon; T/ Th students, 1-2:30 p.m.
• Edison
Aug. 1, 4:30-6 p.m.
• Eisenhower Center for Innovation Kindergarten transition: July 24-26, 8-10:30 a.m.
Meet the Teacher: July 31, 5-6:30 p.m.
• Emerson
July 31 4-6 p.m.
• Entz
Kinder transition: July 26-27, 9-11 a.m. & 12-2 p.m.
Meet the Teacher: July 31, 5 - 6:15 p.m.
• Falcon Hill
July 31, 4:30-6 p.m.
• Field
July 31, 4:30-6 p.m.
• Franklin Accelerated Academy Jordan Campus
Aug. 1, 4-6 p.m.
• Franklin at Brimhall
Tuesday, Aug. 1, 3-5 p.m.
• Franklin Accelerated Academy East Campus
Meet the Teacher: Aug. 1, 4-6 p.m.
Curriculum Night: Aug. 29, 6-7 p.m.
• Franklin Accelerated Academy Downtown Campus
Kindergarten transition: July 24-27, 8:1510:15 a.m.
In-person FPO orientation: Aug. 1, 3-5 p.m.
Meet the teacher: Aug. 1, 4-6 p.m.
• Guerrero
July 31, 5-6:30 p.m.
• Hale
July 31, 4-6 p.m.
• Hermosa Vista
Aug. 1, 5-6 p.m.
• Highland Arts
Aug. 1, 4-6 p.m.
• Holmes
Kindergarten transition: July 24, 2 sessions (7:30 and 10 a.m.)
Meet the Teacher: July 31, 4-5:30 p.m.
Curriculum night: Aug. 31, 5:30-7 p.m.
• Hughes
Kindergarten: Aug. 3, 7:30-8:30 a.m. 1st-6th grade: July 31, 5-6 p.m.
• Irving
Kindergarten transition: July 24-26, 8-10:30 a.m.
Meet the Teacher: Tuesday, Aug. 1, 5-6:30 p.m.
• Ishikawa
Aug. 1, 4-6 p.m.
• Jefferson
Kindergarten transition: July 24-27, 8 a.m.-noon
Meet the Teacher: Tuesday, Aug. 1, 5:30-7 p.m.
Curriculum night: Thursday, Aug. 31, 5:30-7 p.m.
• Johnson
July 31, 4:30-6 p.m.
• Keller
Aug. 1, 4-6 p.m.
• Kerr Center for Agriscience July 31, 2-4 p.m.
• Las Sendas
Meet the Teacher: Tuesday, Aug. 1, 4-6 p.m.
Curriculum night: Thursday, Aug. 24, 5-7:15 p.m.
• Lehi
Aug. 1, 4-6 p.m.
• Lincoln
Kindergarten transition: July 26-27, 8:30-11:30 a.m.
Meet the Teacher: Aug. 1, 4:30-6 p.m.
Curriculum night: Aug. 29, 4:30-6 p.m.
• Lindbergh
Meet the Teacher: Aug. 1, 4 p.m.
Kindergarten transition: July 25-26, 8-11 a.m.
AVID family night: Thursday, Aug. 24, 5 p.m.
• Longfellow
Aug. 1, 4:30-6 p.m.
• Lowell
Aug. 1, 4:30-6 p.m.
Transition to kindergarten: July 24-25, 8:30-11:30 a.m.
• MacArthur
Kindergarten transition: July 26, 8-11 a.m.
Meet the Teacher: Tuesday, Aug. 1, 4-6 p.m.
Curriculum night: Thursday, Aug. 31, 5:30-6:45 p.m.
• Madison
Aug. 1, 4-5:30 p.m.
• Mendoza
Aug. 2, 4-5 p.m. (kindergarten), 5-7 p.m. (grades 1-6)
• Mesa Academy for Advanced Studies Tuesday, Aug. 2, 4:30-6 p.m. (all grade levels)
• Mesa Center for Success at Jordan Open house: July 26, 9-10:30 a.m.; Aug. 1, 3:30-4 p.m.
Meet the Teacher: Aug. 1, 4-6 p.m.
• Mesa Virtual Campus
Aug. 2, 6-7 p.m. via Webex; materials pickup Aug., 2, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• O’Connor
July 31, 5-6:30 p.m.
• Patterson
Aug. 2, 4:30-6 p.m.
• Pomeroy
Aug. 1, 5-6 p.m. (Self-guided tours for all students/families new to Pomeroy start at 4:30 p.m.)
• Porter
Kindergarten transition: July 24-25
Meet the Teacher:, Aug. 1, 4:30-6 p.m. Curriculum Night: Aug. 31, 5-6:30 p.m.
• Red Mountain Ranch
Meet the Teacher: Tuesday, Aug. 1, 4:30-5:30 p.m.
Curriculum night: Thursday, Aug. 31, 4:30-6 p.m.
• Redbird
Kindergarten transition: July 25-26,
TRIBUNE NEWS STAFF
Learn to navigate the world of student loans
consider these tips and insights:
More American families are borrowing for college. At the same time, merit aid and the use of personal income and savings is falling.
That’s according to an annual College Ave Student Loans survey of college students at four-year universities, conducted with Barnes & Noble College Insights.
The survey also found college affordability is top-of-mind for the majority of students (57%). Despite financial concerns, 81% of students report that a college degree is crucial for their future.
“The mix of methods that families use to pay for college has shifted, however one thing remains consistent: students and families value the investment in higher education,” says Angela Colatriano, chief marketing officer of College Ave.
To borrow smart for college this fall,
Exhaust all options. Before turning to private student loans, first exhaust other sources of financial aid. Complete and submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid to be considered for grants, scholarships, work-study programs and federal student loans.
If your selected school is one of the 400 institutions that requires the CSS profile, submit that too to qualify for institutional aid.
Finally, search for private scholarships offered by companies and nonprofit organizations. One easy one to apply for is the College Ave $1,000 monthly scholarship sweepstakes.
If you do need to borrow, turn to federal student loans in the student’s name first, which generally offer the lowest rates and come with additional benefits. They don’t depend on credit scores, and offer longer deferments and for-
bearances, income-driven repayment plans and student loan forgiveness. Private loans. Federal student loans have annual and aggregate loan limits. If you find yourself needing to borrow parent or private loans to cover remaining costs, consider these factors:
• Costs: Compare costs of different loans by looking at the actual interest rate
ENROLL NOW FOR CLASSES
you’ll be charged, not the lowest advertised rate. Understand the difference between variable and fixed interest rates, and be aware of any fees and available discounts, such as those offered for using autopay.
• Cosigners: A creditworthy cosigner doesn’t just increase the odds of loan approval, even if the student can qualify on their own, cosigning may yield a lower interest rate, reducing the overall cost of the loan.
• Total Debt: Borrow only what you need. With private loans, you can usually borrow up to the total cost of attendance. However, borrowing less than the maximum can help you save over time.
A simple rule of thumb you can use to determine how much student loan debt you can afford: If total student loan debt
LOANS page 19
MCC is a community where you can truly feel like you belong. A place where your one-of-a-kind experiences are celebrated, where you are supported and where discovering new possibilities is second nature.
In person, online and hybrid small class formats
Transfer agreements with 40+ universities
Short-term industry career certifications ¾ Scholarships and assistance with paying for college ¾ Supportive instructors ¾ Real world project
Parents should work closely with their children on getting all the information they can about student loans. (Fabio Camandona / iStock via Getty Images Plus)
at graduation, including federal and private loans, is less than the student’s annual starting salary, you can likely repay the loans in 10 years or less.
• Repayment: Look for repayment flexibility to match your needs.
For example, College Ave Student Loans offers 5-, 8-, 10- and 15-year repayment options, along with the choice of deferring payments until after graduation or beginning payments right away. No matter what option you select, understand the terms.
For more resources, including an online student loan calculator, and to learn more about paying for college, visit CollegeAve.com.
Private loans for college can play an important role in financing your education. By researching your financial aid options, applying for scholarships and comparing private student loan options, you can minimize college costs, so you can better manage your finances after you graduate.
GPS schools chief: Welcome back, students
Dear Community and GPS Family,
We are excited to be back to school on Tuesday, July 25, ready to learn!
Gilbert Public Schools has been educating the children of Gilbert and Mesa for over one hundred years, and this school year we will continue to focus on what is best for our students, delivering academic excellence, with support from the very best educators, in supportive and safe learning environments.
Our students and families will continue to have access to an extensive range of educational choices, preschool through 12th grade, so that everyone can find the right choice for their child’s education, within our district.
I invite you to visit our website to learn all about our incredible schools and what we offer!
There you will also find all the information you need for back to school at gil-
bertschools.net/families.
It has been a busy summer and I would like to thank our incredible employees who have been working hard to ensure our campuses are in great shape and that we are all well prepared for an exciting new year of learning and growth.
GPS is a great place to learn and work because we have the very best students, teachers, support staff, administrators and families.
And, we appreciate the strong support we receive from our community. When we all work together to support the education and growth of our students great things happen, and it is an honor to witness this every day in our classrooms and out in our community.
Thank you for ongoing support of Gilbert Public Schools and for being an important part of our GPS Family.
Dr. Shane McCord is the superintendent of Gilbert Public Schools.
School starts Aug. 3
Dr. Shane McCord
4 Gilbert schools welcome new principals
BY TRIBUNE NEWS STAFF
Four new principals will be opening the new school year for Gilbert Public Schools.
Ames Singley is the new principal of Pioneer Elementary while Wendy Norburg will lead Mesquite Elementary and Shawn Lynch will serve as interim principal at Mesquite High School. Andrea Emerick is taking the word “inteirm” of her principal’s title at Settler’s Point Elementary.
Here’s a look at the new school leaders.
Ames Singley
A 24 year educator with eight years of experience as a school administrator, Ames Singley “is committed to making sure all Pioneer students and families feel welcome and valued,” the district said.
He considers it an honor and a privilege Pioneer’s new leader and top champion and said he is looking forward to joining the school community this year.
Wendy Norburg
Wendy Norburg has been with the district since 1999 and started as a student teacher at the school she will now lead as principal. She went on to serve as an instructional coach and dean of students in the district. She said she “is grateful for the opportunity and to give back to the Mesquite community.”
Shawn Lynch
As the new interim principal of Mesquite High School, Shawn Lynch isn’t totally unfa-
miliar with the campus: he has served as an instructional coach and head boys basketball coach at Mesquite High. He began his career in education over three decades ago, working as a high school science teacher and becoming a principal in 2010 at two high schools in the East Valley.
He retired from school administration and went on to work in various capacities at the high school and university levels.
Andrea Emerick
She was assistant principal at Canyon Rim and Ashland Ranch elementary schools and joined Settler’s Point Elementary as interim principal last school year. She is looking forward to continuing in the role of principal this school year and beyond, the district said.
NOW ENROLLING | SCHOOL STARTS JULY 26TH!
PLAY | WHOLE CHILD EDUCATION | FAMILY
• Best of the Best 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 & 2022 Charter School
• Voted 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 & 2023 Best Charter & Preschool in Mesa
• Award-Winning Full-Day Pre-K tuition-based Programs ($500 / month)
• Kindergarten-8th Grade (Free Tuition)
• FREE Breakfast & Transportation
• 8 Specials a week (2-PE, 2-Art, 2-Music 1-Social Emotional Learning, 1-Garden)
• 3 Recesses / Daily
• Finland Educational Model Strategies (Education, Play, Family, Purposeful Practice)
• 2019 KaBOOM! Playground Grant Recipient
• 2019 & 2020 NFL Play 60 Grant Recipient
• Before & After Care (YMCA Partnership)
• Gabriel’s Angels Pet Therapy & Reading Program
• BARK to Excellence PBIS Model
• After-School Sports (Flag Football, Basketball & Soccer) & Clubs
• Community Events Every Month Voted Best of the Best Charter School Five Years In a Row!
A member of Gilbert Public Schools for 19 years. Andrea Emerick has been a teacher and administrator at several district elementary and secondary schools.
Ames Singley
Wendy Norburg
Shawn Lynch Andrea Emerick
8 a.m.-noon
Meet the Teacher: Aug. 1, 5-7 p.m.
Welcome Back Glow Dance: Friday, Aug. 11, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
• Robson
Kindergarten transition: July 25-26 (student must be registered priod to attending)
Meet the Teacher: Tuesday, Aug. 1, 5:30-6:30 p.m.
Parent Information Evening (PIE) & Curriculum Night: Aug. 31, 6-7:30 p.m.
• Roosevelt
Tuesday, Aug. 1, 4-5:30 p.m.
• Salk
Kindergarten transition: July 24, 8 a.m.-noon
Meet the Teacher: Aug. 1, 4-5:30 p.m.
• SHARP School
July 31, 5-7 p.m.
• Sirrine Montessori Center
Aug. 1, 5-6:30 p.m.
• Sousa
Aug. 2, 4:30 p.m. (new families), 5 p.m. (A-L), 5:30 p.m. (M-Z)
• Stevenson
July 31, 4-6 p.m.
• Summit Academy
Kindergarten Transition Program: July 25-26, 8:30-11 a.m.
Meet the Teacher: July 31, 5-7 p.m. (K-6)
Curriculum Night: Aug. 31, 6-7 p.m.
• Taft
Aug. 1, 5-6:30 p.m.
• Washington Aug. 1, 4:30-6:30 p.m.
• Webster Aug. 2, 5-6:30 p.m.
• Whitman
Kindergarten Transition: July 24-25, 9-11 a.m. (must be registered for the event with the front office before attending)
Meet the Teacher: Tuesday, Aug. 1, 5-6 p.m.
• Whittier
Kindergarten transition: July 26-27, 8 a.m.-noon
Meet the Teacher: Wednesday, Aug. 2, 4-6 p.m.
• Wilson Aug. 1, 4:30-6 p.m.
• Zaharis
Aug. 1, 4-6 p.m.
City’s Richie Evans is taking on the rap world
BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI GetOut Executive Editor
Rapper Richie Evans wants the Valley to be respected for its music – and he’s laser-focused on doing his part.
“I’m on this journey of trying to bring a platinum plaque to the city,” said Evans, who lives in Chandler.
“We’re not as big as LA, Chicago or New York, but I think we’re starting to have the infrastructure. There’s a lot of talent in the city and, nationwide, people need to take heed.”
The prolific Evans recently released the EP “Highly Favored,” the precursor to his debut full-length album, “The Purpose,” due out this fall.
Landing at No. 25 on iTunes chart, “Highly Favored” includes the song “Pressure,” featuring Los Angeles rappers Jay Rock and EastSide K-Boy. Over hardhitting Track PROS production, the three MCs deliver fierce verses about loyalty, respect and taking an oath to the streets.
“‘Pressure’ came about because I felt like I needed something for the streets following my R&B-inspired single “For You” featuring Vedo,” Evans explained.
“I wanted a record that would be respected for its lyrical content, but still solid enough to catch a mainstream vibe. I tapped into the homies EastSide K-Boy and Jay Rock from TDE (Top Dawg Entertainment) because I knew they could embody a classic West Coast sound with both raw lyrics and clever wordplay.”
Earlier this year, Evans released “For You,” featuring platinum vocalist Vedo and produced by The Olympicks (Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Kendrick Lamar). The song gained Urban Radio airplay across the country including DJ Self at Power 105 in New York, V103 and Hot 107.9 in Atlanta and Power 92 in Chicago. The song also landed on music blogs AllHipHop, ThisIs50, RESPECT, HipHopSince1987 and Hype Off
Life, who said Evans has “undeniable lyricism.” The “For You” official music video was broadcasted on MTV and BET also gaining hundreds of thousands of plays on YouTube.
In “For You,” Evans puts his woman on a pedestal, proclaiming his love for her and highlighting the positive things she’s brought to his life. The song’s lyrics represent that Evans views women as essential members of his movement.
Evans is hosting a hometown show with Jim Jones and Juelz Santana at 9 p.m. Friday, July 21, at Stratus Event Center in Phoenix.
“It’s going to be a sold-out show, hands down,” he said. “It’s going to be a lot of fun, with alcohol flowing, good energy and a lot of champagne. The city’s been waiting for me to come home and do something.”
Born in Philadelphia, Evans is the only child of Norma Jean Mitchell and Richard Evans Sr. during their 12-year marriage.
(His dad later had another child, Diante Blue Evans.) His father was in the U.S. Air Force, so the family lived around the world – including New Mexico, Germany, Italy and then Luke Air Force Base – inspiring Evans’ pursuits.
The Evans family lived in Maryvale, with Evans attending Luke Elementary School in Glendale; Sunset Elementary School in Glendale; Estrella Middle School in Phoenix; and Trevor G. Browne High School in Phoenix. After his first year at Browne, Evans relocated with his family to New Mexico.
In his mid-teens, upon his return to the States from Germany, Evans started writing poetry. The likes of Ice Cube and Nas heavily influenced his craft as well.
“I started taking it seriously,” said Evans, who played basketball at Eastern Arizona College. “I was working on fine tuning my craft and planning to do this as a lifelong profession.”
His parents had a hand in his career, too, as they played “so much music growing up.” His father’s favorites included Phil Collins, Anita Baker, Kenny G, The Gap Band, New Edition and The Isley Brothers.
“My uncle got me into hip-hop,” he adds about Charles Thomas. “He moved from Philly to Phoenix with us. He was kind of like an older brother to me. He played Ice Cube, Public Enemy and Nas. That really piqued my interest in rap.”
He studied under multiplatinum rapper The Game, after meeting in a Phoenix nightclub. A few years into their relationship, Evans – who rapped under the moniker Juice at the time – decided to strike out on his own. The Game gave Evans his blessing, so he adopted his given name in 2016 and started rebranding himself. Evans landed a major deal with Nike. He was endorsed by Vitaminwater. He did all that on his own, without the help of a major label deal and sans the backdrop of a major rap city.
“If you take a little bit of The Game, mix a little bit of Fabolous with a little bit of Nas, sprinkle a little bit of Ice Cube and wrap it all up, that’s what you get from me,” Evans said.
“I think charting at No. 25 is a big step into where we’re headed. It gives us a lot of credibility and validation in the world. It shows my vision is not crazy. It’s right on task.”
If You Go...
Richie Evans w/Jim Jones and Juelz Santana
When: 9 p.m. Friday, July 21
Where: Stratus Event Center, 4344 N. Indian School Road, Phoenix Cost: Tickets start at $30 Info: 480-395-5115, maturecrowdpromotions.com
Richie Evans recently released the EP “Highly Favored,” the precursor to his debut full-length album, “The Purpose,” due out this fall. (Special to the Tribune)
King Crossword
With JAN D’ATRI
GetOut Contributor
A delicious legacy from a famed cooking duo
It was the 1920’s. The place, Chicago, Illinois. Francois and Antoinette Pope made they mark on the culinary scene first with the Antoinette Pope School of Fancy Cookery.
Then came the television show hosted by the couple. Finally, their cookbook, “The Antoinette Pope School Cookbook.”
I would never have known any of this had one of the Pope family members not presented me with a copy of the cookbook.
The more I read about the Popes, the more fascinated I became with their story.
Online there are even blogs about the cooking duo with comments by the many people who graduated from their school or who have called the cookbook their “go-to” cooking bible.
The crunchy top butter cake is one of the many delightful recipes from an American heritage cookbook that elevated the art of cooking to “fancy cookery.”
Ingredients:
Crunchy top ingredients
• 1/3 cup butter, room temperature
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cups pecans or walnuts, chopped fine
Cake ingredients
• 1/2 cup butter room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
• 1 cup milk or buttermilk
• 2 cups cake flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
Icing ingredients
• 1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1/2 cup half and half or heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
• 2 cups powdered sugar
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9” x 9” baking
pan (glass preferred) with cooking spray. Line the coated pan with parchment paper, leaving a 2-3 inch overhang for easy lift out. Lightly spray the parchment paper.
2. Make the crunchy top. In a bowl, combine the butter, sugar, cinnamon and nuts. Using a pastry blender or fork, cut the ingredients together to the consistency of course meal. Spoon the crunchy top mixture into the prepared baking pan and spread evenly over the bottom.
3. Make the cake. In the bowl of a stand mixer, or using electric beaters, mix together the butter, and sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add adds, vanilla, milk or buttermilk and mix well. Add the cake flour, baking powder and salt and mix for about 3-4 minutes.
4. Pour batter evenly over the crunchy top. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes up clean.
5. While cake is baking, make the caramel icing. In a medium saucepot, combing the brown sugar, half and half or heavy cream, butter and salt. Stir well and cook until mixture begins to boil, stirring often.
6. Pour into a large bowl. Add vanilla and powdered sugar, and mix by hand or with electric beaters. (Consistency should be thick but pourable. If too thick, add a small amount of cream. If too runny, add more
dered sugar.)
7. When cake is done, let cool for 10 minutes and then drizzle caramel icing over top.
CITY OF MESA
PUBLIC NOTICE
The Mesa City Council will hold a public hearing concerning the following ordinances at the August 21, 2023, City Council meeting beginning at 5:45 p.m. in the Mesa City Council Chambers, 57 East First Street.
1. ZON22-01332 “Guadalupe & Power Retail” (District 6) Within the 2700 block of South Power Road (east side) and within the 6800 block of East Guadalupe Road (north side). Located east of Power Road and north of Guadalupe Road (1.7± acres). Site Plan Modification and amend conditions of approval on case Z88032. This request will allow for a restaurant with a drive-thru facility and an automobile/vehicle car wash. Sean Lake, Pew & Lake, PLC, applicant; DR One, LLC, owner. Ordinance No. 5800
2. ZON23-00092 “Gateway 202 Site Plan Amendment” (District 6) Within the 4400 to 4800 blocks of South Ellsworth Road (west side) and within the 8700 to 9200 blocks of East Warner Road (south side). Located south of Warner Road and west of Ellsworth Road (165± acres). Site Plan Modification and amending Conditions of approval of Case ZON21-00595. This request will allow for an accessory minor automobile repair facility. Sean Lake, Pew and Lake, applicant; Scannell Properties No. 507, owner. Ordinance No. 5801
3. ZON23-00235 “Gateway InterchangePhase III” (District 6) Within the 4500 block of South 80th Street (east side). Located south of Warner Road, on the east side of the 80th Street future alignment, and on the north side of the Sebring Avenue future alignment (9± acres). Rezone from Agriculture (AG) to Light Industrial with a Planned Area Development overlay (LI-PAD) and Site Plan Review. This request will allow for an industrial development. Toby Rogers, Butler Design Group, Inc., applicant; JCA EQUIPMENT LLC, owner. Ordinance No. 5802
Dated at Mesa, Arizona, this 16th day of July 2023.
Holly Moseley, City Clerk
Published in the Mesa Tribune, Jul 16, 2023
Project Engineer
Design for construction projects. Skills in AutoCad, RISA 3D, TNX Tower, EnerCalc & MS in civil engi. req. mail to Job Loc: LETS AMERICA, INC. 112 S. Kyrene Rd.#1, Chander AZ 85226
Water Eng (Phoenix): Provide water/wastewater engineering servs, incl design, modeling, data scraping /analysis, permitting mgmt for muni & dvlpmnt projects. Requires: MS Enviro Eng, AZ Lic, 1 yr exp, w/ ArcGISPro, Civil 3D, AutoCAD, Excel/Project, Python, QGIS, HEC-HMS, Innovyze & Sewer sftwr Resumes to bdenicke@sunrise-eng.com:
NEWSPAPER ADVERTISEMENT
IC Design Engineer-Ultra Low Power, Medtronic, Inc., Tempe, AZ. Req. Master’s in Electrical, Biomedical Engr. or rel. engr. field & 3 yrs. exp. as an IC design engineer or rel. occup. in IC design engr. OR Bachelor’s in Electrical, Biomedical Engr. or rel. engr. field & 5 yrs. exp. as an IC design engineer or rel. occup. in IC design engr. Must possess 3 yrs. exp. with each of the following: low-power digital, analog& memory integrated ICs to implement medical device features; semiconductor device physics; block level & system level simulations both analog & mixed signal (analog &digital);DOE evaluation & change implementation related to Wafer fabrication process improvements; design computer aided design (CAD) tools including schematic capture, simulation, as backend tools; IC testing, test requirements reviews, test methodology reviews, product improvements, and yield enhancement for mixed signal ICs;& ATE testing with J750, SPEA or LTX. Position works a hybrid model & will be onsite in Tempe, AZ – 2/3 days per week. Apply at https:// jobs.medtronic.com/, Req. # 230008ZQ. No agencies or phone calls. Medtronic is an equal opportunity employer committed to cultural diversity in the workplace. All individuals are encouraged to apply.
EMPLOYMENT-GENERAL
KLA Corporation currently has openings in Chandler, AZ for the following position (all levels/types): Field Applications Engineers (Job Code# 4393): Provide technical applications support for the development and implementation of products. Make presentations on all aspects of products. Rate of pay: $105,300.00 - $117,800.00 per year. To apply, send resume to candidateresume@kla.com. Must reference job code 4393 in subject line.
Rate of pay reflects the min. & max. pay for this position in primary location listed on this posting. Actual pay depends on several factors, incl. location, job-related skills, experience, & relevant education level or training. KLA’s total rewards package for employees may also include participation in performance incentive programs & eligibility for additional benefits listed on https://www.kla.com/ careers. KLA is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other characteristics protected by applicable law.
EMPLOYMENT-GENERAL
Business Analyst in Finance & Procurement in Better Direct LLC at Tempe, AZ. JD: Gather, compile, analy & org daily, weekly, & monthly repts & stats related to Co's busi in fin & cust serv. Conduct ad hoc & periodical Co fin data repts & analyses; Monitor progress against perf meas & provide data insights for improvements; ID cost reduction opps to achieve fin & operational goals; Supt Prod leaders to ID, source & acquire IT assets, supplies & servs; Dev & maint relations w/ IT vendors; Update comm data & rel info to supp analytical rept prep. Req Edu: BA in Fin, Bus Analytics or closely rel field. Min 1 yr demo exp do busi data analysis; Min 1 yr demo exp do proj mgmt; Demo ability use visualization tools such as Tableau. Demo data agg ability use SQL (Teradata, MySQL or PHP). Demo ability use stat prog lang (e.g., R, Python), and/or web analytics tools (e.g., Adobe Omniture, Google Analytics). Annual Salary 58k To apply, email resume to diana@betterdirect.com
W. Baseline Rd. Ste. A-8 Gilbert, AZ 85233
