QUEEN CREEK TRIBUNE, JANUARY 15, 2023

3 counties sue to block Queen Creek water deal

BY MARK MORAN Tribune Staff Writer

Three western Arizona counties havefiled a federal lawsuit against the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation for approving Queen Creek’s $21 million purchase of Colorado River water from GSC Farms in Cibola.

The counties of Mohave, LaPaz and Yuma also asked the court to stop the transfer un-

til the bureau studies the impact of climate change on the Colorado River – something the agency did not do before approving the deal. The suit challenges the bureau’s claim that the water transfer will not have a major effect on the human environment and said it reneged on its duty “to sufficiently analyze the significant impacts of the transfer” on the environment by ruling without any study that the deal would have no major impact.

“Reclamation made this finding when Arizona and the other lower basin states that rely on the river are in the midst of a 20-year megadrought that has caused the Colorado River to become the most endangered river in the United States,” said the suit, which was filed in Mohave County.

“Lake Mead and Lake Powell are nearing

2 four-legged officers join QC police patrols

BY MARK MORAN Tribune Staff Writer

The Queen Creek Police Department is putting two new, highly trained specialty officers on the street this month to track criminals, find runaways, sniff out potential hazards and keeping their fellow officers out of harm’s way like only these two four-legged additions can.

“They will search for people, articles, anything we can get a human scent on,” Chief Randy Brice said. “That’s one of their primary purposes.”

The officers, Jack and Obi, are 2-year-old German that make up the department’s

Queen Creek Police Officer Deanna Kuhn has a new partner, Obi, one of two German Shepherds the now year-old force has added to its compliment of crime-stoppers. (Courtesy Queen Creek Police)

Rising air pollution threatens region’s growth

BY PAUL MARYNIAK Tribune Executive Editor

The Phoenix Metro region could lose more than $100 million in economic growth if it fails to meet upgraded federal air quality standards for ozone levels by August 2024, a Valley environmental official warned earlier this month.

And those losses would steadily increase over the next 20 years to as much as $848 million if the Valley’s ozone levels are not brought under control, Tim Franquist, environmental policy director for the Maricopa Association of Governments told Phoenix City Council Jan. 4.

Though he was addressing a Phoenix City Council subcommittee, Franquist’s assessment naturally applies to the entire Valley.

And it wasn’t very encouraging.

He said the controls necessary to meet more stringent federal air quality controls will carry a substantial cost to taxpayers.

“That’s going to be a big issue for this

Rising ozone levels in the Valley’s atmosphere will force increasingly tough emissions control programs as early as 2024, the environmental policy director for the Maricopa Association of Governments told a Phoenix City Cou8ncil subcommittee Jan. 4. (Courtesy of MAG)

area,” he continued. “We really haven’t put in ozone-control measures for about 20 years, so we’re definitely going to need a lot more measures coming into place.”

Right now, the only way the Valley could meet the elevated Environmental Protection Agency’s ozone limits would be tak-

ing all four million gasoline-powered motor vehicles in Maricopa County off the road by August 2024, Franquist said. And even then, he added, “we would barely make the standard.”

And since that’s a virtual impossibility, the cost of meeting tougher air quality

standards could result in lost industrial development opportunities as businesses avoid relocating or expanding here rather than pay for expensive federally-imposed, tougher emission controls.

That cost would extend beyond the Valley since tougher emission standards could even be imposed for trucks and cars that come into the region regularly from other parts of the state and country that may not have similarly tough standards, he said.

And it also could be reflected in other ways, Franquist said, such as more stringent air quality permits and more stringent emission control programs.”

“It impacts us by negatively impacting businesses,” he said, noting that the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co plant in north Phoenix theoretically would need a permit and be operating before the new standards kick in. “Now, a $40 billion investment: I think the White House gets involved and I think (it) comes here.”

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Vice Mayor Yassamin Ansari seized on that example, saying “the hallmark example of an incredible foreign investment” would be scuttled because “we are dangerously close to reaching serious non-attainment, which means that those businesses would not be able to come here after 2024.”

“Non-attainment” is the classification that the EPA gives metro areas that fail to meet air quality goals. Other metro areas already have studied the economic impact of non-attainment and have projected staggering losses in future economic growth.

For example, Franquist said, the Oklahoma City metro area faces an economic loss of as much as $15.2 billion over the next 20 to 30 years for violating tougher federal air quality standards. Corpus Cristi, Texas, estimates a loss of $600 million to $1.7 billion a year in economic activity for failing to meet impending EPA ozone standards.

“We have kind of a table of increasing stringency in programs as we don’t meet the standard,” Franquist said. “So obviously. as we don’t meet those standards, those programs become more stringent and there’s more of them.”

Franquist said the culprit in all this is the ozone level.

While Maricopa County has actually done a good job reducing many air pollutants, he said, ozone levels have been aggravated in large part by things be-

yond its control – namely, forest fires in both Arizona and California and the Valley’s average 300 days of sunny weather.

“Unlike some pollutants, like carbon dioxide – which is a direct pollutant that comes from your tailpipe or from an industrial stack,” Franquist explained, “ozone is considered a secondary pollutant. So it actually requires volatile organic compounds and oxides of nitrogen.”

And those compounds react to the sun’s ultraviolet radiation, adversely affecting air quality.

Franquist produced a chart showing how wildfires in Arizona and California have adversely impacted air quality, posing a growing health risk to vulnerable adults and even more children.

“This is what our children are breathing,” he said. “What most folks don’t realize with children – they do breathe in the same amount of air as an adult. They just breathe faster than we do. So they actually take in these pollutants at the same level as adults but in smaller bodies.”

Franquist said the Valley’s future ability to meet federal air quality standards has been crippled by former Gov. Doug Ducey’s veto last year of a bill that would have asked the public to vote last November on an extension of the half-cent gas tax that funds a variety of rapid transit and road improvement projects.

While the Legislature could again vote to put Proposition 400 on next year’s ballot ahead of the tax’s expiration in 2025, the uncertainty currently surrounding it threatens a number of projects already

on county and municipal drawing boards – including an expansion of public transportation aimed at curbing car traffic.

Franquist praised Phoenix for being “a fantastic leader” in programs aimed at reducing ozone pollution – mainly involving its multi-million-dollar investment in replacing a large portion of the city’s gas-powered vehicles such as fire engines and garbage trucks with electric ones and its aggressive expansion of bus and light rail routes.

But many of those city vehicles won’t be replaced until 2028 – well beyond the federal deadline for ozone reduction.

Franquist also warned, “There’s no silver bullet in terms of reducing ozone in one different control program. It takes a lot of different control programs working together to actually reduce ozone.”

“I think it’s important that we continue to get the word out to both the public and to our legislators that this is important for our economy, but it’s absolutely important for our public health,” he added, conceding the ozone control programs “are not cheap to implement.”

Franquist’s message provoked Ansari to express alarm about the impending air quality measures and the region’s attitude toward them.

“We are treating them as though they’re not urgent, and they’re not priorities and they don’t have financial implications even though they really, really do and they will hurt us economically,” Ansari said. “So I feel very strongly that we need to be doing a lot more than we have.” 

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Hoffman slams Hobbs’ expanded anti-bias plan

BY HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services

Calling her actions illegal, some Republican lawmakers said Monday they will go to court to overturn the new governor’s executive order expanding anti-discrimination protections for state employees and contractors.

“The people of Arizona did not elect Katie Hobbs to rule by executive fiat,’’ said Sen. Jake Hoffman, R-Queen Creek. Instead, the head of the Arizona Freedom Caucus said the role of the governor is solely to implement the laws approved by the House and Senate, not to unilaterally enact her “radical woke agenda.’’

“Yet sadly for our state, Katie feels, just as she’s shown a propensity for in her time as secretary of state, that she is above the law and does not need to follow the laws that this legislature passes,’’ Hoffman said, surrounded by other cau-

cus members. “That is wrong.’’

What is also is, Hoffman said, is illegal. And he said a lawyer is being hired to ask a judge to declare she does not have such authority and to overturn the order.

Gubernatorial press aide Murphy Hebert said her boss is not concerned.

“Of course, we have legal authority to issue a directive to state agencies that brings them into alignment with existing federal anti-discrimination protections,’’ she said, specifically referring to an executive order issued by President Joe Biden on his first day in office. “Any claims the governor overstepped her authority are baseless.’’

The object of the planned lawsuit is an order Hobbs issued on her first full day in office directing state agencies under her control to eliminate all barriers that “artificially restrict’’ employment ac-

Brice knew when he started planning for the department, which has marked its first anniversary, that K9s would be an important addition, though he didn’t realize how important back then.

“The K9 program was back-of-napkin planned two to three years out from our start point,” Brice said. “But from the very beginning we were overwhelmed by calls related to missing persons, runaways, endangered people like our special needs population that had wandered away from homes.”

Brice said the surprisingly high number of these calls showed the need for K9s and that accelerated the formation of the team.

The dogs were bought and trained more quickly than they would otherwise have been thanks to donations from the Circle K convenience store chain and the Arizona Law Enforcement Canine Association.

Aside from some nominal food and veterinary visits, the department “didn’t pay a dime for the purchase or the training of the dogs,” Brice said.

According to veterinarians, training costs for K9 dogs can reach as high as $50,000, and a large percentage enrolled in training programs fail because it is so rigorous. So, it is not so easy to buy, train,and graduate dogs into police departments quickly.

To make matters worse, the American Veterinary Medical Association recently reported a shortage of bomb-sniffing dogs in the United States as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Urkaine is a source for many of the dogs that are trained in this line of work and sent to the U.S.

Brice said given all these factors, Queen Creek was extremely fortunate to get Jack and Obi ready so quickly.

“We’ve only had about six months to get them purchased, selected, transported and trained,” Brice said. “I give my

team all the credit. It’s pretty dang impressive.”

Both dogs will be fully trained to perform search operations, but each has its own specialty. Obi was imported by trainers from the Netherlands and spe-

cializes in detecting explosives. He officially starts at the end of the month by working large gatherings.

“That dog has been extremely busy already with different types of safety sweeps and working events and crowds,” Brice said. “The dog is just so much better than doing the sweeps than people because they can’t be fooled by camouflage or other types of artifices.”

Jack comes from Poland and while, like Obi, will be deployed as a search dog, he is also finishing his training in drug detection and will specialize in locating narcotics.

“They are really good at finding those things quickly,” Brice said. “They are just invaluable in that sense.”

Brice said the dogs usually live with their handlers, and there is an extensive process to be selected as one.

It involves testing, interviews, background checks, home inspections and even interviews with the handling officers’ families. Brice said this is all critical because so much of the dogs’ success relies on his relationship with the handler.

“Even the tone of voice, micro expressions, all those things tell the dog whether it’s time to work,” Brice said. “We have a really interesting approach. Our dogs are very social. Our dogs know how to cue off of ‘ok it’s not time to work, it’s time to talk to people so I can be pet and enjoy that intimate one on one with the public.’”

Brice has said since the outset of the department that he considers his number one job to be community engagement, and that includes the K9s.

At the end of the day, however, the dogs are considered safety officers, and are uniquely qualified not only to detect

Officer Ryan Grossman has been partnered with Jack. (Courtesy Queen Creek Police

dead pool;” the suit states. “Arizona is faced with Tier 2a shortages for 2023 and likely Tier 2b or Tier 3 shortages in 2024; efforts are underway to save an additional 2 to 4 million acre-feet of water in the river system. The situation is only becoming more dire.”

Some Valley cities already have implemented the first stage of emergency drought plans in response to reductions in Colorado River allotments to Arizona and the other Basin States and various tribes.

Scottsdale, for example, shut off water to hauling companies serving about 2,400 homes in the unincorporated subdivision of Rio Verde Foothills, forcing some 700 homeowners to pay thousands of dollars more to water haulers or leaving others with no way of to obtain water.

The suit also takes aim at Scottsdale-based Greenstone Acquisitions for setting what it called a dangerous precedent for rural Arizona communities in the future.

“Greenstone’s purpose is to buy water assets and sell those assets to governments, businesses, and developers,” it states. “The GSC Farm–Queen Creek sale and transfer of mainstream Colorado River water is the first for Greenstone and will act as a blueprint for future transfers of mainstream Colorado River water.

“Reclamation recognized that ‘future water transfers are possible,’” it continues, “But Reclamation refused to analyze any future, reasonably probable transfers of Colorado River water because it deemed any specific transfer to be speculative.”

“Reclamation has set the stage for thousands of acres of farmland to be idled and tens of thousands of acre-feet of Colorado River water to be transferred off the river without any analysis whatsoever,” the suit also states.

Within weeks of the Greenstone deal, the town also inked an agreement to buy a half million-acre feet of underground water reserves from the Harquahala Valley Water Association, a group of landowners and farmers in Maricopa and La Paz counties west of Phoenix, for $30-million, which many rural officials also opposed.

Both deals are focused on diversifying the town’s water portfolio, and adding a

cushion to its existing 100-year underground aquifer, another point of contention raised in the suit.

“Reclamation found that a transfer of fourth priority Colorado River water off the river to allow the Town of Queen Creek to use that water to support its municipal growth, when it does not even need the water, would not have a significant impact on the environment,” the suit said.

The suit also alleges the deal will have a worsening on Colorado River supplies as water flows continue to drop and allocations to Arizona and the other Basin States are further reduced.

“Reclamation’s failure to consider the impacts of the planned development of Queen Creek signifies a failure to provide a useful analysis of the cumulative impacts of past, present, and future projects, as well as a failure to factor in the indirect – i.e., related – ‘effects on air and water and other natural systems, including ecosystems’ that would be induced by the proposed transfer,” the suit states.

Mohave County Supervisor Travis Lingenfelter said the future does not bode well for rural Arizona water holders and blames state lawmakers for creating an uneven power balance between rural people and suburban neighborhoods like Queen Creek.

“It’s still like the wild, wild west out here, and the legislature has done a terrible job of protecting rural people,” he said. “We already don’t have water to spare. This is like a reverse Robin Hood scenario. They are taking from the poor and giving to the rich.

“Everyone knows water is going to become much more expensive, and there are hedge funds like Greenstone out there that are going to try and take advantage of the fact that Arizona is entering a water crisis,” Lingenfelter told the Tribune.

“Greed is a powerful master, even when people know that actions may lead to water public health crises in the future. Such policy is not sustainable,” he said. “It’s not only a transfer of water, but a transfer of wealth.”

When the bureau effectively cleared the way for the Greenstone deal to proceed last September, Queen Creek Utilities Director Paul Gardner said at the time, getting the water to town was just a matter of logistics.

“Instead of our water going south to Cibola, it will take a left hand turn at Lake Havasu and it will go into the CAP canal,” Gardner told the Tribune. “As it crosses the Salt River in Mesa, it heads south and east to Queen Creek.”

The CAP canal forms the geographic border of the town of Queen Creek, so once the water arrives in town, it will be diverted to a storage facility that the town has been in the process of establishing in anticipation of this water deal going through.

Gardner said Queen Creek will continue to be aggressive in seeking to diversify its water portfolio, finding ways to build on its underground aquifer so that its residents and businesses will never have to worry about it.

“The philosophy is to stretch the groundwater out to maybe 200 years or 300, where it almost become sustainable ... to where that aquifer just becomes what we would consider the storage facility and water treatment plant for us,” Gardner told the Tribune last fall.

The suit could slow implementation

of the Cibola water deal, especially if a judge grants the counties’ request for an injunction.

“We are unified up and down the river,” Lingenfelter said.

The Greenstone deal would result in 2,033-acre feet of water a year being routed to the town’s aquifer through the Central Arizona Project canal system, and was scheduled to start arriving in Queen Creek early this year. An acre foot is estimated to provide enough water for four homes for a year.

A town spokeswoman had no immediate comment on the suit except to say officials are ‘monitoring” it. 

Water will come from an area identified by the red dot on the inset map and serve an aera of Queen Creek outlined in yellow. (Town of Queen Creek)

Water availability could restrict future development

BY HOWARD FISCHER| Capitol Media Services

Tom Buschatzke says it wouldn’t be wrong to see the freeze on new development in an area in and around Buckeye due to a shortage of groundwater there as the canary in the coal mine.

But the director of the state Department of Water Resources said that the early warning for Arizonans first occurred three years ago in Pinal County: His agency already is refusing to issue the necessary permits for new developments that were planning to rely solely on groundwater.

More to the point, he said, much of the rest of this drought-stricken state is headed that way absent some new source of water.

In a wide-ranging interview with Capitol Media Services, Buschatzke said that communities are not immune just because they have an allocation of water from the Central Arizona Project.

That resource, too, is limited. And cities that can’t show their CAP allocations ensure a 100-year supply of water face similar restrictions.

Nor he said can developers rely on the idea that there may be treated seawater available sometime in the future to start building today.

Buschatzke said that his decision not to release until Monday the analysis of available groundwater in what is known as the Lower Hassaympa sub-basin near Buckeye was not an effort – as Gov. Katie Hobbs said Monday in her State of the State speech – to hide it from the public so that developers could keep building. He did acknowledge that the request to delay the report did, in fact, come from the staff Doug Ducey, her predecessor. But Butschatzke said the former governor wanted to have it released at the same time as stakeholders came up with “potential solutions that would be put out into the public world at the

same time.’’

Hobbs, informed of the existence of the report, had a different idea.

“I think we can’t tackle this issue if we don’t know what we’re facing,’’ she said after her speech.

Anyway, Buschatzke said the timing is legally irrelevant: Public or not, Buschatzke said what’s in the report means that his department isn’t issuing any permits at all for new residential subdivisions for the 886 square mile area that has been under study.

What the release of the report has done, though, is create a new focus on the fact that the state faces a water shortage even as people keep moving here.

“We have this dual challenge, right?’’ the governor said. “We have to balance our needs to address the housing crisis with our need to address water shortages.’’

This “dual challenge’’ is caused by a dual problem.

Lawmakers realized decades ago that the state was in a position where the amount of groundwater available would be outstripped by demand.

Arizona has long been entitled to a share of Colorado River water. But it took federal legislation to authorize construction of the Central Arizona Project with the idea of reducing the need to pump.

And in 1980, with the CAP in place, state lawmakers approved a historic law designed to cut groundwater pumping in metropolitan areas, with the idea of “safe yield’’ by 2025, the point at which what is being taken out balances with recharge.

Only thing is, that Colorado River supply, allocated in what it turns out were unusually wet years, has recently failed to materialize. The result has been mandatory cutbacks, with more to come if Arizona, California and Nevada don’t agree on a plan.

But what the report from Buckeye shows is that, for much of the state,

groundwater is not a solution for the future as CAP water becomes scarcer.

“We’ve been trying to take the easy way out,’’ Hobbs said. And that leaves the question of whether Arizona can continue to grow at the rate it has.

“I don’t know the answer to that,’’ she conceded.

“A lot of what we’re facing in terms of Colorado River shortages is that more of the snowfall is being absorbed and there’s less runoff,’’ the governor continued. And that, she said is caused by climate change.

“It’s not something that we can fix by using less water,’’ Hobbs said. “It’s very complicated.’’

But could development actually be stopped?

“There’s a lot in that question I don’t have answers to,’’ the governor said, saying that will become part of what the Water Policy Task Force she announced on Tuesday will wrestle with, “what we need to do to balance our need to continue to house people and our water shortages.’’

Buschatzke said none of this should come as a surprise.

“Over the years, what I’ve said is that, given the fact that groundwater’s a finite resource, that we’ve been allocating groundwater since the 1980 Groundwater Management Act for a variety of uses, that it was kind of a matter of time,’’ he said. And Buschtzke said Buckeye won’t be the last such area affected.

“I can’t exactly tell you who’s next and when that will occur,’’ he said. It will all be governed by the science.

“We’re in the process, as we always are, of improving and updating our groundwater models,’’ Buschatzke continued. “And as we work through those we may see some of this starting to daylight elsewhere.’’

So what are the options for continued growth?

One is to pump water from the Harquahala Valley even further west of

Phoenix. A special law allows transfers from this basin into more water-starved areas of the state.

There is also some reclaimed water that hasn’t already been allocated to things like providing cooling for the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station. And the Colorado River Indian Community recently got federal permission to sign long-term leases for part of its 719,428 acre-feet a year of Colorado River Water. An acre foot, on average, supports a family of three for a year.

But even that has limits.

Buschatzke said the tribe is looking at leases of perhaps 25 to 30 years, too short by itself to become part of any 100-year assured supply for a community or developer.

“But you could take that CRIT water, you could put it under the ground, and you could divide the volume by the appropriate calculations to make it 100 years,’’ he said. “You could pull it out over the 100 years.’’

And what of desalination?

Buschatzke said the only thing that has happened so far is the Water Infrastructure Finance Authority has directed its staff to talk with IDE Technologies, an Israeli firm, about a possible plant on the Sea of Cortez to provide water for Arizona at some future date. But that, he said, is far from a sure thing.

“Right now I would not be able to put any potential desalinated water as an approval for anybody’s assured water supply program, none,’’ Buschatzke said.

“There hasn’t been a plant sited, there hasn’t been a plant under construction, it’s not producing any water,’’ he said. “You have to have water being produced.’’

And that says nothing about it being actually available for 100 years.

“Desal can be part of the solution,’’ Buschatzke said. “But none of the desal being discussed ... is going into anyone’s assured water supply at this time.’’

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tions that are “not directly related to the performance of the job.’’

What that means, she said, is adopting anti-discrimination policies that go beyond what already is required under state and federal laws which cover not just things like race, sex and religion but also pregnancy and veteran status.

Now the list is expanded to include other traits that cannot be considered in hiring, firing or pay, ranging from sexual orientation and gender identity and marital status to culture, creed, social origin and even political affiliation.

But any litigation won’t be limited to what Hobbs just did.

In 2003, then-Gov. Janet Napolitano issued her own, more limited, executive order expanding protections for state workers to include issues of sexual orientation. That order is still in effect, with both Jan Brewer and Doug Ducey, her Republican successors, deciding not to use the power they had to rescind it.

Hoffman said that is irrelevant.

“The executive branch, whether it’s 2003 or 2023, does not have the legal right to create law that does not exist,’’ he said. Instead, Hoffman said, the only protections for state workers are those in what the state and federal government

already have defined as “protected classes,’’ like race, religion and gender.

And he rejected the idea that Hobbs, as the state’s chief executive, has supervisory power over state employees.

Hoffman said the caucus, formed last year, is not limited to this issue.

For example, he said, one goal is “to

protect children from radical ideology like comprehensive sexuality education and critical race theory.’’ And Hoffman said there also are economic issues, “to do what we can to reduce the effects of Joe Biden’s inflation.’’

“The Republican legislature and the Arizona Freedom Caucus will oppose

Katie Hobbs’ woke agenda,’’ he said. “You can bet your ass that will happen.

Hoffman also blasted the new governor for removing the storage containers that Ducey had placed along the border, brushing aside the fact that it was the former governor, facing a federal court lawsuit, who agreed to the $76 million contract to tear down the makeshift wall, not Hobbs.

He also insisted that targeting only this executive order on discrimination -- and not others by the current and former governor on a wide variety of issues -- was not an indication that caucus members are opposed to gay rights.

“It does not matter your race, it does not matter your income, it does not matter your gender, your ethnicity, your national origin,’’ he said.

“It does not matter what your sexual preference is,’’ Hoffman continued. “We stand to represent the people of this state and to do what the constitution empowers us to do.’’

Hebert also suggested that the Arizona Freedom Caucus spend more time seeking to find “common ground and real solutions to the issues confronting our state.’’

“While some in the legislature will seek to obstruct that effort, we won’t let it distract us,’’ she said. 

explosives, firearms, drugs, or human scent, but to keep their fellow officers safe in a way that a human cannot.

“These dogs are a tool,” Brice said. “They can locate things that we had no idea ‘it was over there,’ whether locating a gun, an article of some sort. Whether it’s drugs. It keeps the officer safe from having to go into places or go on a trail.

“You know there could be an ambush waiting for the officer. These dogs have a really good way of sensing those issues.”

Brice said he has already had to turn away philanthropic organizations which have offered to donate money to acquire and train more dogs, but said he will add additional canines as the department needs more expertise in a given area.

“Everything we’ve done up to the point has been very strategic,” Brice said.

“This was all about how we serve the community as we go forward. Another really great thing that we’re going to get is some really good interaction with our school kids, with our public.

“These are just magnets for people to be interested in what we do and be a part of what we do. So, it’s just another tool for me to do community engagement.”

The community will have a chance to meet Jack and Obi, their handlers, and

other officers at the police department’s upcoming Public Safety Day on Feb. 4 from 9-11 a.m. at 20727 Civic Pkwy.

For more information on Public Safety Day visit: QueenCreek.AZ/PublicSafetyDay.

QCPD is also hosting a community outreach event in partnership with a local business, Chips and Salsa with a Cop on Thursday, Jan. 19, at Someburros, 20707 E. Maya Road. 

Sen. Jake Hoffman, surrounded by members of the Arizona Freedom Caucus, says Monday the group will sue to overturn Katie Hobbs’ executive order extending the scope of anti-discrimination protections that govern state employees and contractors. (Capitol Media Services/ Howard Fischer)

Asian District prepares for Chinese Lunar New Year

BY SRIANTHI PERERA Tribune Contributor

Ushering in the Lunar New Year in Asia means setting off firecrackers and fireworks and creating a messy, noisy and immersive experience that differs from the North American version of looking at fireworks from afar.

“We just had our New Year fireworks, but this one has a different appeal to it; it has a lot more of a street vendor vibe. They light it up and they don’t necessarily care about the mess, the smell, everyone just wants to be there for the celebration,” explained Anthony Amphonephong, executive director of the Asian Chamber of Commerce.

Two upcoming celebrations in Mesa celebrating Chinese Lunar New Year will try to offer the real atmosphere. Fireworks, lion dancing, Japanese Taiko Drums and Vietnamese fan dancing will make up the cultural extravaganzas.

Lunar New Year Celebration 2023, The Year of the Rabbit will take place 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 21, at AZ International Marketplace in Mesa’s Asian District, while Culture Night, Celebrating Asian Lunar New Year organized by the Asian Festival will take place 4-10 p.m. Jan. 28 at Mesa Community College. Both outdoor events are free to attend.

“We Asians love to celebrate. So, we organized this for the community to come out and celebrate and have fun,” said local Realtor Winnie Kho Kaplan, whose husband, Steve Kaplan, founded the Asian Festival last year.

As an adviser to the festival, Winnie Kho recently secured a nonprofit designation to facilitate obtaining sponsors and keep it free so that the community may participate in large numbers.

Culture Night will have about 100 booths selling crafts and demonstrations including lantern making, kung fu, calligraphy and a tea ceremony.

Entertainment includes a lion dance,

international live jazz music performed by John Williams (formerly of Herbie Hancock), Taiko Japanese drumming artist Ken Koshio and cultural dances from various Asian countries.

The Asian District also wants to spread cultural awareness and events such as these is a good first step.

“Its aim is to create a central hub for the general public to celebrate with cultural performances and things that they normally would not have access to,” said Amphonephong, who expects at least 2,000 people to attend.

Children will receive the traditional red envelopes with money and 5- to 10-year-olds may appear in a beauty pageant.

“It’s good for anyone who loves cultures. The New Year celebration is joyful,” said David Pham, a member of the Arizona Vietnamese community, which is partnering with AZ International Marketplace to put on the show.

Amphonephong said the festival is being held during the day, oriented toward the family and focused on the cultural aspect of the holiday. The district has dozens of stores and supermarkets providing goods and services.

Outside, there will be about five main food vendors selling Chinese food, Filipino fusion, Vietnamese Pho and a donut cart. “It’s a smaller event and more intimate, that’s what they want to keep it as,” he added.

This is the third Chinese New Year celebration being held in the Asian District.

The first one was held just before the pandemic hit in 2020, and it was “a huge success,” attended by more than 10,000 people. Coming out of Covid, last year’s event attracted about 12,000, and the district held another one, a night market, in October.

Initially, the Asian District Night Market was built around marketability in the area.

“As we recently branded the Asian District, we wanted to bring traffic and a lot of eyes to the area, so we recently held the Asian District Night Market,” Amphonephong said.

“We want every business owner to have the opportunity to host whatever seems fit for their business and this also goes along with it. The Lunar New Year is a very, very big celebration in the Chinese and the Vietnamese community,” he said.

“AZ International wanted to host their own, so we are letting them take the reins on it and we are just helping them out, providing them the resources and what we’ve done in the past to help them succeed,” he added.

The Valley has a burgeoning Asian population.

Amphonephong, who is of Laotian descent, said that when he was small, his family used to know every Laotian who lived in the area.

Nowadays, it is different, he said. A Laotian community is developing in Laveen, and many people are moving there from across the country.

“It’s hard to keep track. There are at least about 100 families,” he said. 

If You Go...

What: Lunar New Year Celebration

Where: International Marketplace, 1920 W. Broadway Road, Mesa.

When: 4-0 p.m. Jan. 21 at Arizona Lion dances at 1 and 3 p.m. and fireworks displays at 1 p.m., 3 p.m. and 5 p.m.

What: Culture Night organized by Asian Festival

Where: Mesa Community College, 1833 W. Southern Ave., Mesa.

When: 4-10 p.m. Jan. 28

Info: Asianfestivalaz.com.

Ken Koshio, a Japanese drummer who entertained at the Asian Festival last year, will be returning fort this year’s Chiense Lunar New Year celebration in Mesa’s Asian District.(Winnie Kho Kaplan/ Special to the Republic)

Deadline for obituaries is Wednesday at 5pm for Sunday. All obituaries will be approved by our staff prior to being activated. Be aware there may be early deadlines around holidays.

Call 480-898-6465 Mon-Fri 8:30-5 if you have questions.

Visit: obituaries.EastValleyTribune.com

Richard was born on July 8, 1946, in Pierre, South Dakota. On Wednesday, December 21, 2022, Richard, 76, son of Perry Aby, SR and Irma Mae (Masek) Aby, from South Dakota passed away at the VA Hospital in Phoenix, AZ. He was the second son and sixth child born into the Aby family living in Canning, South Dakota. When he was four the family moved to Owanka, SD.

Richard attended Owanka Elementary School, graduating from New Underwood in 1964. He was very active in sports, excelling in football.

He worked in Rapid City, SD, before being drafted into the Army, serving from 1965 - 1967 as a E5 Sergeant in Vietnam. He saw combat in the rice paddies and jungles of Vietnam. He was awarded many

Aby

awards and medals. He was exposed to Agent Orange and suffered with its many side effects. He was honorably discharged in 1967. He married Barbara Trask in September, 1968. They had two children Bobbi Jo and Shane Aby. The marriage ended in a divorce. He married Pamela Harrison on August 26, 2000, in Mesa, AZ.

A Beloved husband, son, brother and uncle. His goal in life was always to help. He was a soft spoken man, good natured he would do anything for anybody. He will be greatly missed by many. We had an amazing 22 years together. After retiring we love to travel. Visiting Alaska, Rocky Point, Mexico and taking a cruise to Mexico to name a few. We traveled to many other places in our 5th wheel through the US.

He is survived by his wife Pamela of 22 years, her two children Dennis Harrison, his daughter Brooke, Michelle & Jason Fornoff along with their two children, daughter Courtney Wells and son Brandon Wells, daughter Bobbi Jo Pereira and her husband Andrew and their two children Bailee and Madisen, son Shane Aby and his two sons Ty and Ethen. Sisters Evonne Flax and Geraldine Ray of Pierre, SD, sister-inlaw Mary Aby, Port Isabel, TX and numerous nieces and nephews and cousins.

He was preceded in death by his parents Perry and Irma Aby, sisters and brother-inlaws Lois and Louie Ewert, Shirley and Bill Millard, Joe Flax and brothers Perry Aby, Jr and Donald and niece Lou Ann Brien

He will interred at the National VA Memorial Cemetery Phoenix AZ.

Richard LeRoy

For more Business News visit QueenCreekTribune.com

New state regs could push egg prices even higher

BY HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services

Those already expensive eggs at your local grocer are about to get a tiny bit costlier – and potentially less available.

And it’s all in the name of humane treatment of the hens

New regulations that took effect at the beginning of the month require that laying hens that are kept in cages have at least one square foot – 144 inches –of usable floor space. That compares to cages that until now could be less than half that size.

And beginning in 2025, all major producers have to go to cage-free.

The state Department of Agriculture puts average annual per capita consumption at slightly more than 270 eggs a year. Figuring the new rules would add somewhere between a penny and 3.25 cents per egg, that comes out to somewhere between $2.71 and $8.79 a year.

But Chelsea McGuire, lobbyist for the Arizona Farm Bureau which opposed the rule, thinks those numbers are soft.

At best, she said, it’s speculative as the full rules for cage-free housing are not in place. And McGuire argued that the estimates the state was using didn’t really take into account all the costs.

And that, McGuire said, is only part of the problem that consumers will face, what with shoppers sometimes finding there are no eggs available at any price.

Much of that is due to an outbreak of avian flu that requires farmers to destroy whole flocks even if just one hen tests positive. A ban on selling eggs from traditionally caged hens, McGuire said, only exacerbates the problem.

“We’re restricting the supply from which we can choose the eggs that we can bring into the state,’’ she said, noting the rule affects not just Arizona-based egg producers but any firm that wants to sell eggs to Arizona consumers.

“We’re locking producers into this premium product and doing so unnecessarily,’’ McGuire said. And she said it’s all being done “without a public health or safety justification or a scientific justification.’’

Some animal rights groups argued that it’s cruel to keep the laying hens in tiny pens.

McGuire sniffed at that contention. “Stress indicators on hens, things like that, are really no different between conventional confinement cages and cagefree production systems,’’ she said.

That wasn’t the assessment of thenRep. John Kavanagh, R-Fountain Hills, when he crafted legislation in 2021 to require cage-free housing by anyone producing more than 3,000 eggs a year.

“Confining chickens to less than one square foot, I think, is really cruel,’’ he told colleagues.

“Granted, they don’t have very high levels of sentient awareness,’’ Kavanagh continued. “But they feel pain and they’re prevented from engaging in natural and instinctive behavior, even to the point of spreading their wings or being able to sit down when they lay their eggs.’’

The Farm Bureau managed to kill that measure.

That didn’t end the fight, with the state Department of Agriculture concluding it already had the authority to approve its own rules. And that’s precisely what it did.

It turns out the agency had an important ally on its side: Hickman’s Egg Ranch, located west of Phoenix, which is the state’s largest egg producer. And what it came down to is the fear that the failure to take some voluntary measure would result in something more onerous.

As far back as 2021, when lawmakers were considering the Kavanagh measure, company President Glenn Hickman told lawmakers he worried that voters would adopt an initiative being pushed by World Animal Protection.

It would not only have required cagefree systems by May of this year but would have made violations a crime. By contrast, the legislation -- and the rule that eventually followed after the bill failed -- gives him until 2025 to come into full compliance, with no criminal penalties.

The company already has been moving into the cage-free market. Hickman told lawmakers in 2021 that some clients, including McDonald’s and Costco, already were demanding cage-free eggs.

But the initiative caused some heartburn as company representatives told the Department of Agriculture.

“Hickman’s Egg Ranch informs the department that it cannot convert the remainder of its production facilities to cage-free housing by May 31, 2023, as required by the initiative, and may have to euthanize a portion of its flock to avoid

criminal penalties if the initiative passes,’’ the agency reported.

And then there was the fact that other states already had enacted similar rules, meaning Arizona producers who want to sell their eggs elsewhere effectively would have to go along eventually.

The final rule also is more liberal than what lawmakers had rejected. It exempts any producer which has fewer than 20,000 egg-producing hens.

It also does not require that all eggs come from free-range hens which would have required that they have access to the outdoors at least part of the day. Instead they could be kept in large barns – up to 300,000 square feet where hens could wander about.

McGuire, however, said she remains convinced that none of this was necessary. She argued that Arizonans would have rejected the initiative for cage-free eggs.

The record, however, suggests otherwise. Voters in 2006 approved a ban on “gestation crates’’ for pig and cattle ranchers.

And the Department of Agriculture reached the same conclusion, citing “the success of recent animal welfare ballot initiatives in Arizona and elsewhere’’ to justify the rule.

In debating the 2021 legislation, lawmakers asked Hickman if eggs from cage-free chickens are of higher quality than their more-confined cousins. He said there’s no simple answer.

“You feed the chickens the same,’’ Hickman said. He said it’s like brown versus white eggs, with no real difference.

“But there are some studies that suggest that chickens who have less stress tend to have more natural defenses, immunities, if you will, and are therefore healthier,’’ he continued. “And that would translate potentially into maybe a different composition of egg.’’

Maybe.

“You’re making some scientific leaps,’’ Hickman concluded. 

QueenCreekTribune.com | @QCTribune @QCTribune

The new law requires chickens to be housed in cages that are bigger and “more humane” than those currently used. (Special to the Tribune)

When we waste food, we waste arizona’s precious water

BY HILLARY BRYANT Tribune Guest Writer

s water cuts take effect in Arizona and Valley residents aim to conserve water, one crucial point is being overlooked: food waste. Simply put, when we waste food, we waste water. And Arizona is the worst offender when it comes to tossing out meals.

Whether directly or indirectly, water is used to produce every item of food. According to data from the Water Footprint Calculator, a 4 oz serving of chicken uses 130 gallons of water, and 4 oz of almonds uses a shocking 483 gallons.

If these numbers seem extreme, take a moment to think about how water is necessary in multiple aspects of the processes that get our food from farm to table. Plants need watered. Animals need hydration. Products need to be cleaned. Then there are packaging and distribution pro -

tocols that require even more H2O.

AAs of Jan. 1, Arizona has entered into a Tier 2a water shortage condition. This means Arizona will face a 21% cut of the state’s yearly water allotment from the Colorado River, according to the Bureau of Reclamation.

Meanwhile, with minimal legislative direction, Arizona is the state wasting the item that requires the most water to make: food.

LawnStarter.com analyzed data from Food Rescue US, ReFED, US Environmental Protection Agency, and US Composting Council. The analysis revealed our state has the highest share of food wasted and the lowest share recycled. It also ranked third for the lowest share of food donated to people in need. Regarding policy, Arizona has robust protections for food donors, but no laws mandating food donation.

Waste Not knows how to correct course and mitigate water waste via food rescue. In 2022, the nonprofit conserved

over 220 million gallons of water.

The Arizona Department of Water Resources promotes water conservation in ways like reduced shower times, running a dishwasher or washing machine only when you have a full load, or shutting off automatic watering systems. While all of these steps are critical, we would all benefit from food waste reduction being top of mind, too.

There are two simple ways residents can be a part of eliminating food waste. One of the easiest ways is to plan out your meals and only buy what you know you will use. Another is to use the FIFO method of ‘first in, first out’ when organizing your food, using expiration dates as guideposts.

If you find yourself with excess food, we encourage individuals to find a food bank that will accept the donation. The Arizona Food Bank Network is a great resource to find your nearest local food bank. For businesses, we encourage becoming a food donor with Waste Not.

Every month, Waste Not picks up tens of thousands of pounds of excess food that would otherwise have been wasted. The food is rescued from restaurants, grocery stores, catering companies, and other businesses which we deliver to nonprofit agencies valley-wide.

Seven days a week, Waste Not is rescuing food, conserving water, and feeding hungry Arizonans. For every pound of food rescued, 99 gallons of water are saved.

Arizona is at a crossroads when it comes to where we stand on issues like food waste and water conservation. We have the opportunity to be at the forefront of policy change to better our state and secure our future. Individuals and businesses alike can do their part to reduce their own environmental impact, but lasting change will only be achieved by advocating for new legislation.

The time for talk is over. It is now time to take action.

Hillary Bryant is the executive director of the nonprofit Waste Not. 

Good service evaporating on the business landscape

BY DAVID LEIBOWITZ Tribune Columnist

Can we talk for a moment about service in America circa 2023? This seems necessary because one of two things is afoot in this land of ours.

Either we are seeing the result of businesses being distracted from the real reason they operate – to serve their customers or clients. Or there’s a less pleasant possibility” Americans are getting dumber with each passing year.

Whatever the explanation, I think we all can agree that the old days – when the customer was always right and spending money at a business meant they strived to fulfill your needs – is

deader than a doornail, though we’ve yet to bury the corpse.

I say this having recently returned home from Starbucks with what was allegedly a black coffee. In theory, this should be the easiest beverage to manufacture in this $26 billion global brand’s arsenal.

Drinking said beverage revealed it to be the approximate sweetness of a cinnamon roll, My pancreas spasmed like Kari Lake on Election Day. Reading the cup revealed I had received something called a caramel brulee latte, a drink I can neither pronounce nor stomach.

Typically, I wouldn’t complain about such trivia. But it seems nowadays that everywhere I go – that any of us goes –we end up with the wrong order.

Last week, I got not a few wrong gro -

ceries delivered, but every single item wrong. I feel bad for the poor lady who ordered tampons, skim milk, salad fixings and Purina cat food, but ended up with my ground beef, spinach and popsicles.

One place I favor that rarely screws up is In-n-Out. Maybe they do a superior job training their people, but more likely their very limited menu makes screwing up difficult.

They serve burgers, fries, and drinks. There’s no Sponge Bob kiddie meals, no tuna sliders on special this month. And they don’t seem anxious to shove their politics down your throat.

At Starbucks, the menu is in constant flux. So are the pronouns on employees’ name tags and the associated politics of the workplace.

In the last quarter of 2022, the compa-

ny announced a new loyalty partnership with Delta Airlines, the opening of their 6,000th location – in China – and an international “leadership excellence” retreat to help managers “lead their stores and store partner (employees) through the company’s reinvention.”

“We must all think of ourselves as brand new – for the next few days we’ve got to get into a growth mindset,” North American Vice President Sarah Trilling told her colleagues. “What worked yesterday may not work today. We have to think differently.”

Actually, what Starbucks has to do is make coffee. That’s why people go to Starbucks – for the coffee. Not for the growth mindset.

Or for what company founder Howard Schultz described in a letter to employees late last year as his “business philosophy” based on “the compounding momentum” of love.

I’m not sure what that means. And it may be a felony in Arizona.

The other possibility for this poor service is human error. Last week, the White House announced that a record number of Americans – nearly 160 million – are now employed.

Part of that is population growth. It also may be that people are so poor these days, they can’t afford to retire or skip work to attend college. Given how often we hear about businesses struggling to find workers, one thing seems certain: We appear to have scraped the bottom of the talent barrel.

The basic qualification for work today isn’t the willingness to exude perspiration. It’s the ability to exhibit respiration.

Employees who show up get to work. Customers who show up? Don’t expect much and maybe you won’t be disappointed. 

How to get a letter

published

E-mail: pmaryniak @timeslocalmedia.com

Queen Creek Tribune welcomes letters that express readers’ opinion on current topics. Letters must include the writer’s full name, address (including city) and telephone number. Queen Creek Tribune will print the writer’s name and city of residence only. Letters without the requisite identifying information will not be published. Letters are published in the order received, and they are subject to editing. Queen Creek Tribune will not publish consumer complaints, form letters, clippings from other publications or poetry. Letters’ authors, not Queen Creek Tribune, are responsible for the “facts” presented in letters. 

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Eastmark banking on youth for success in third season

BY ZACH ALVIRA Tribune Sports Editor

Joe Babinski is familiar with building a high school basketball program.

He did it several years ago at Desert Edge in Goodyear, where he took a Scorpion team full of fresh faces and led them to a state championship win in just their third season. He knows accomplishing such a feat is a rarity in high school sports, especially in Arizona where most new schools can take years to grow into a power in any sport.

But Babinski felt if there was another program to accomplish such a feat, it was Eastmark. The football team did it this past fall under Scooter Molander, as the Firebirds dominated their way to a 3A state title.

Now in his third season leading the basketball program, Babinski aims to mirror the success of the football team and what he had at Desert Ridge. And he’s relying on the youth of his program to do it.

“I love our talent, I love the kids we have,” Babinski said. “They get after it. They are emotional, they have their highs and lows. We haven’t really talked about it but they are the footprints. They’re the ones that are going to get this going.”

Eastmark is led by several juniors and a sophomore in scoring. Rhys Walcott, a sophomore guard, paces the rest of the team with 15.9 points per game. Tim Gorham follows him with just under 13 points per game for the Firebirds.

The duo has helped Eastmark secure several victories this season, but they insist they don’t do it alone. Walcott said much of his individual success has come from his work ethic, much of which has been instilled by those around him.

It’s started to rub off on the team.

“My dad always says, ‘I’m on the clock,’” Walcott said. “I just keep my head down and keep working and take advantage of

the time I have left. Everyone on our team puts in a lot of work behind the scenes.”

Walcott said every member of the team holds themselves accountable. Babinski added last season that was one of the biggest downfalls of the team. Many wouldn’t

hold themselves accountable but tried critiquing others. Most of the time, Babinski said, it led to finger pointing.

That has changed this season. Every player knows their role and what it takes to be successful. The team also shares a

tight bond so there’s no need for individual to take full control from a leadership standpoint.

Though, players like Walcott still tend to stand out amongst the rest.

“It’s a little weird because usually older guys take on that sort of role,” Walcott said. “Me being young, I’ve got a lot of responsibility on this team. A lot of people feed off my energy, which is a little weird, like I was saying. But it’s fun. We’re just a good team.”

Much of Walcott’s leadership traits have come from conversations with senior Mack Molander, one of two players in the team set to graduate in May. The son of head football coach Scooter, Mack led the Firebirds to the state championship at quarterback this year.

He knows what it takes to win a title. He knows the hard work and the grind that came with putting the team in position for the championship. Now he’s been able to share some of what he has learned with the basketball program.

His presence alone has made a difference. He’s the first player to dive on the floor for loose balls during games and brings a new level of intensity that has spread to other players.

“(Mack) is a good leader, I mean he led the football team to a state championship,” Gorham said. “That’s been really helpful for us. He gets us hyped before big games. It’s good to have him here.”

Gorham has become one of Eastmark’s top big men this season, even when he at times prefers to play guard. But he’s been forced to step up early on in games and often guard the opposing team’s tallest threat in the paint.

In Eastmark’s first game of the season, that happened to be five-star sophomore Koa Peat at Perry.

Gorham isn’t afraid to admit he was overmatched by the 6-foot-8 Peat as it happens often when he is facing other

Eastmark is led by a slew of juniors. The two seniors who are on the team provide leadership and a championship mindset. Overall, they’re closer than ever this season and believe they have what it takes to win a title. (Dave Minton/Tribune Staff)

Eastmark boys basketball coach Joe Babinski knows what it takes to build a championship caliber program when he built Desert Edge into a state champion. Now he aims to do the same with Eastmark. (Dave Minton/Tribune Staff)

teams. But for every rebound Gorham wasn’t able to get, it taught him how to be more aggressive in the paint. For every dunk, layup or shot Peat had, it taught Gorham how to be stronger on defense.

Games against Perry, the top-ranked team in the state, and other programs at the 5A and 6A level helped Eastmark in the long run, win or lose. They know they are well prepared for games down the stretch because of their previous opponents.

“That game helped me,” Gorham said. “I know Perry is the best team we’re going to play. So, it helped me a lot.”

Eastmark’s rise from the 3A Conference to 4A has gone hand-in-hand with the growth of the school and its athletic programs.

That hasn’t changed Babinski’s goals, however. Just like he did in year three at Desert Edge, he expects Eastmark to compete for a title this season. It won’t be easy, he and his players know that.

But he’s confident they will continue to improve as the season goes on and could get some help with the new Open Division potentially taking some 4A teams.

“I’m looking right here and it’s year three,” Babinski said. “So, I’m saying to myself, ‘We better be right there knocking on that door.’ We had a lot of talent at Desert Edge, but I believe this group can do the same thing, especially with the Open stealing some of those teams.”

Barrett-Jackson is a ‘see and be seen’ show, auction

BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI GetOut Editor

Barrett-Jackson, The World’s Greatest Collector Car Auctions, hosts its annual flagship auction at WestWorld of Scottsdale each January, serving as the gateway to events season in the Valley.

This year, like years past, Chairman/ CEO Craig Jackson expects another incredible event with an enviable No Reserve collector car docket and a host of activities for auction-goers of all ages. The event kicks off on Saturday, Jan. 21, and runs through Jan. 29.

Included in this year’s auction is a 2005 Porsche Carrera GT, one of only 644 sold new in the United States. One of the last and most popular analog supercars, the vehicle has less than 3,400 miles and, while it was originally finished in black, this Carrera GT now has a concours-qual-

ity paint finished in a bespoke PPG red.

A limited-edition 2020 Ford GT Carbon Series is another featured vehicle sell-

ing with No Reserve. Finished in frozen white, its carbon blue graphics package features a blue center stripe down the

middle of the exposed single carbon-fiber stripe.

Other options include exposed carbon-fiber sideview mirror caps and the standard Carbon Series weight-saving titanium exhaust system. Essentially still in the wrapper, this supercar has only 32 miles on the odometer and comes with the window sticker, factory production photos and battery charger.

Also headed to the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale auction block is a 1966 Shelby Group II Mustang built for Ken Miles to race in the Sports Car Club of America Trans-American Sedan Championship. However, Miles died in a crash while testing a car at Riverside International Raceway on August 17, 1966, and never got behind the wheel of this Mustang.

Its first owner was driver John McComb, who competed extensively in

Hale Theatre comes up with ‘laugh riot, ‘The Hit’

The Hale Theatre has come up with a ribald comedy of love, family and attempted assassination to begin the not-so-new year through Feb. 11.

“The Hit” by Mike Buckley received critical acclaim when the play premiered at the Horton Grand Theatre.

It is centered in San Francisco, where Susan is trying to save herself from a slow death by hiring a hitman. She mistakes an unsuspecting travel agent for the real hitman and then comes to find out the real hitman is falling for her brother.

Between all the laughs and confusion is a story of second chances at life and love.

The new comedy stars Hale veteran Alaina Beauloye as Susan, most recently seen in “Lucky Stiff.” Originally from New York City, Alaina boasts an extensive list of credits including Broadway, film and

commercials. She has been seen in more than 20 productions at Hale and is a two time AriZoni winner.

Playing across from Beauloye is Adam Guinn as Sam, who has been in several Hale productions such as “The Music Man” and “Brigadoon.”

“The Hit” is directed by Tim Dietlein, who has been involved in theater for over 50 years. He regularly plays Scrooge during Hale’s annual production of “A Christmas Carol” and his directing credits include “Bright Star,” “Daddy Long Legs” and “Big River.”

Buckley is a professor at Southwestern College and teaches scriptwriting. His play was originally produced by Lamb’s Players Theatre and received standing ovations during its run. Theaters in Utah as well as in Arizona have started pro -

Barrett-Jackson chairman and CEO Craig Jackson is excited to kick events season into high gear when Barrett-Jackson revs into town on Saturday, January 21 through Sunday, January 29. (Photo courtesy of Barrett-Jackson)

GETOUT STAFF

Starring in “The Hit” at the Hale Theatre in Gilbert are, from left, Alaina Beauloye, Adam Guinn and Tyler Saccoman. (Courtesy Hale Theatre)

SCCA events. McComb sold the car in 1967, but it continued to be raced into the early 1970s.

Another highlight is a 1969 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, No. 61 of 69 built in 1969. It is powered by an all-aluminum 427/430hp V8 engine mated to a M21 4-speed manual transmission and a 4.10 posi-traction rear end.

This Camaro is optioned with D80 spoiler equipment and an AM radio. It comes with a Jerry MacNeish Certificate of Authenticity and is from the Northside Customs Collection.

Jackson says the 50th anniversary celebration of Barrett-Jackson in 2022 was its most successful auction in the company’s history, surpassing $203 million in sales while also raising more than $8.8 million for charity.

As is the case with all Barrett-Jackson events, many celebrities attended as well.

“Last year, Joey Logano came with several other NASCAR drivers,” he said. “He ended up being the NASCAR Cup Series champion (at Phoenix Raceway).”

The auction also welcomed GRAMMY Award-winning artist Pitbull as he sold his 2022 Karma GS-6 EV “Mr. 305 Edition” to support The SLAM Foundation and Selfless Love.

Other celebrities in attendance included Bret Michaels, Tim Allen and Renee Zellweger, as well as professional athletes such as DeAndre Hopkins, Richie Incognito, Bubba Watson and Jacoby Ellsbury.

This year was one of change for Barrett-Jackson. In August, IMG, an Endeavor company, acquired a majority stake in it.

The global leader in events, IMG owns, operates and commercially represents the likes of Frieze art fairs, the Madrid and Miami Open tennis tournaments, Formula Drift, and New York Fashion Week: The Shows.

“Pairing Barrett-Jackson with the unique power of the Endeavor network is an unparalleled opportunity for our company, immediately opening doors to amplify and accelerate the growth of Barrett-Jackson as a global lifestyle

brand,” Jackson said.

“I couldn’t be more excited to have this perfect partner as we look to optimize our fan experience and create new touchpoints for car enthusiasts around our live events and media offerings.”

Jackson and his team are working on elevating the auction experience and promises there are plenty of activities at the events beyond the block.

“It’s a lifestyle event and we add experiences all the time — live music, firepits, cigar lounge, the food and beverage offerings. It all lends itself to this experience that is Barrett-Jackson.”

Several family-friendly activities include STEM Fest on Saturday, January 21, as part of Barrett-Jackson’s Family Day, when children 12 and under receive free admission. Hot Laps and Thrill Rides with Toyota, Dodge, Ford and Chevrolet as well as exhilarating off-road experiences with RAM and Toyota will be available throughout the event.

As part of STEM Fest, winners of Barrett-Jackson’s community STEM Program, Gearing Towards The Future, will showcase their projects along with companies and organizations focused on STEM initiatives. The winners will also receive their awards during the event.

Introduced in September, Gearing Towards The Future was created with Sci-

Tech Institute to develop future automotive engineers and technicians.

“Barrett-Jackson is passionate about its long history of creating family-friendly automotive lifestyle events that encourage multiple generations to come together and enjoy a shared interest with one another,” Jackson said.

“This new STEM program provides an even greater opportunity to engage with the youth here in Arizona through an exciting educational platform that will help support the future community of automotive enthusiasts.”

There were four open competitions: a 10th and 11th grade-only competition focused on the design and build of an electrical component for any vehicle for the future of transportation, a 7th and 8th grade-only competition focused on developing a plan that outlines how to implement electric vehicle charging infrastructure that could be implemented across the country, a 4th and 5th grade-only competition focused on presenting the design and layout of a future vehicle, and a competition open for all grades, Pre-K through 12, with the focus on presenting a plan for future transportation options in a community setting of any size.

Barrett-Jackson is invested in Gen X, too. The Future Collector Car Show

(FCCS) returns Sunday, Jan. 22, with a new location: the Polo Field at WestWorld of Scottsdale. The concours-style event will celebrate the cars we love today and the collectibles of tomorrow.

During the show, which was formerly held at High Street, spectators will enjoy a variety of vehicles ranging from the 1980s to today, from highly modified custom builds to original and perfectly preserved rides, effectively creating an experience where generations of vehicle owners can find common ground in their love of future collectibles.

“The FCCS is all about cars from the ’80s and up, and it’s really taking the collectors and enthusiasts who dream about those cars and showcasing them,” Jackson said.

“It’s a true judging of that era of cars. We really want the generation that grew up with these cars—millennials, GenXers—to enjoy this entire genre of cars. We’ll have European sports cars and Japanese cars; cars the younger generation of automotive enthusiasts grew up loving.”

Jackson says there’s truly something for everyone.

“Barrett-Jackson is a place to see and be seen,” he said. “It is a lot of fun. It’s something unique. It is the only major event like it in the world. People come from around the world to enjoy it. Locals should take advantage of it as well. There’s so much happening here in Arizona in early 2023, and it all starts with Barrett-Jackson.” 

If You Go...

What: Barrett-Jackson, The World’s Greatest Collector Car Auction

Where: WestWorld, 16601 N. Pima Road, Scottsdale

When: Times vary, Saturday, January 21, to Sunday, January 29 Cost: Tickets start at $25; discounts for seniors, military, students, first responders, children

Info: barrett-jackson.com

This 2019 Ford GT Heritage sold last year for $1.2 million. (Photo courtesy of Barrett-Jackson)

With JAN D’ATRI

GetOut Columnist

These shrimp eggrolls will give guests a big bang

What started as just a delicious one-off for my New Year’s Eve party has now become a new favorite recipe to enjoy any time you are craving something shrimpy, crunchy, saucy and just plain out of this world.

Bang Bang Shrimp Eggrolls will step in and satisfy your craving and have you rubbing your belly with delight! The bonus, of course, is they are incredibly easy to make and take less than a half hour from skillet to table. One of my favorite things about this dish is the sweet & spicy Mayo-Sriracha sauce! Wow! The perfect accompaniment.

Why not start off the new year with a bang…. bang? Then sit back and take in all the compliments you’ll receive!

Ingredients:

For the shrimp

1 ½ lb small/medium pre-cooked shrimp, shells and tails removed, deveined, defrosted 2-3 TBSP cornstarch

2 cups canola oil, for frying-optional

For the sauce

¼ cup mayonnaise

1 TBSP Sriracha

1 TBSP rice vinegar

1 TBSP sugar

Directions:

1. Pat defrosted shrimp dry. Toss in cornstarch until covered. In a shallow skillet over high heat, heat oil for about 5 minutes. When oil shimmers and one shrimp tested in the oil sizzles, cook the remainder of shrimp (don’t overcrowd skillet) until pink, about 2-3 minutes. Remove to a paper towel to drain. Place shrimp on a cutting board and rough chop. .

2. Make the sauce. In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, Sriracha, rice vinegar and sugar. Refrigerate until ready to serve

3. Make the Egg Rolls. Lay out the egg roll wrapper. Spread a small amount of the sauce in the center of the wrapper. Next, Add about 2 tablespoons of cabbage mix to the center, then 2 tablespoons of shrimp, 1 chopped cheese slice, and another tiny drizzle of sauce.

For the egg rolls

12 egg rolls wrappers

2 cups pre-shredded cabbage mix

12 slices pepper jack cheese, rough chopped Bang Bang Sauce (from above)

Shrimp, (from above)

For cooking

3-4 cups canola or vegetable oil

For serving 2 stalks green onions, chopped fine

4. Dip your fingers in a cup of water and wet the edges of the wonton rapper. Carefully wrap the egg roll, burrito style, being careful to keep it tight so the ingredients don’t fall out. Dip fingers in water again and press to seal the wrapper. Repeat for all egg rolls.

5. In a large skillet, add oil and heat over medium high heat for about 5 minutes - to 325 degrees. Carefully add egg rolls into the skillet, cooking 4-5 at a time, not crowding them. Cook 2-3 minutes per side, until golden brown, then carefully flip over and cook another 2 minutes or until browned. Remove and place on a paper towel lined plate. Repeat for all egg rolls.

6. Serve on a platter and top with Bang Bang sauce and green onions. Serve immediately. Makes12 egg rolls.

ducing it and it continues to be a hit.

Tickets start at $30 for youth and $45 for adults. Performances are on Wednesdays, Saturdays with select Friday matinees. Call the box office at 480-497-1181 or go to HaleTheatreArizona.com to order online.

The Hale is located at 50 West Page Ave. in Gilbert’s Heritage District, across the street from the Gilbert Water Tower Park. Several restaurants and ample free parking are located nearby. 

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