Queen Creek Tribune 01/29/2023

BY MARK MORAN Tribune Staff Writer

ircle K convenience stores are common all over the state but the one coming soon to Queen Creek will be like none of them.

“What you have is a Circle K that is not a rectangular box,” said Mark Schnepf, owner

BY CECILIA CHAN Tribune Staff Writer

Ayear and four months have passed but the death of his 15-year-old son Christian still gnaws at Bruce Petillo’s heart.

“We are devastated,” the Gilbert dad said.

“You never come to terms with it.

“The fact that this was a preventable accident makes it worse.”

It was Labor Day weekend 2022 and Christian was at a friend’s house on a county island in Queen Creek.

The friend was showing off his mom’s handgun to Christian and other boys in a bedroom. As Christian held the gun, it went off, firing a 9mm bullet into his chest, according to the Maricopa County Sheriff ’s report.

The high school sophomore was rushed to the hospital and later pronounced dead. The Maricopa County Medical Examiner determined the shooting was accidental.

of Schnepf Farms, who sold Circle K the land on Schnepf Farms to build the new store.

Schnepf said the store, on the northwest corner of Rittenhouse and Riggs roads, will serve as a model for future ones.

“It has a pitched roof, which is hardly ever, ever done,” he said. “It has angles on it and overhangs that make it look like it’s a farm building, like it belongs on a farm. I sold Cir-

cle K 2 acres but on the condition that I had approval over the design and they agreed to that. It took a while.”

He said the store will have a single lane of gas pumps, not two or more – which are common at convenience stores – and that it will have a “country store” feel.

The Petillos’ youngest child also left behind a brother and sister.

“As parents you’re constantly looking to protect your children,” Petillo said. “I lay

awake at night thinking about ‘what if.’

“Quite frankly we were supposed to be

for Casteel basketball.

Christian Petillo’s family keeps a small memorial table in their Gilbert home with photos and keepsakes of their dead son, who accidentally shot himself at a friend’s Queen Creek area house in September 2021. (David Minton/Sta Photographer)

Town buys Barney sports complex for $11M

BY MARK MORAN Tribune Staff Writer

The town has spent $11-million to purchase the Barney Family Sports Complex on E. Queen Creek Road to be used as a public safety facility for town fire and police services following a $45-million renovation.

The newly renovated 65,000-squarefoot facility will store crime scene and other evidence, fire apparatus maintenance equipment, property, and public safety gear. It will also house a skills center.

The town said the makeover should be done and the building open by the end of August.

“The purchase of the Barney Family Sports Complex is anticipated to cost up to 25% less than the cost to acquire the land and build a new facility,” the town said in a release.

“Properties of this size are not readily available on the market, and smaller parcels generally cost more on a dollar per square foot basis than larger par-

cels,” town documents said.

“Additionally, when evaluating the pace of growth of the community and needs of a changing community and its impact on public safety, the renovation of the Barney Sports Complex was determined to meet the full build-out needs in these critical areas for both departments,” the documents also say.

“Public safety continues to be one of the town’s top priorities,” said Queen Creek Mayor Julia Wheatley. “The town has been evaluating options for a public safety complex to meet the needs of the police department and the fire and medical department.

“The purchase of the Barney Family Sports Complex not only meets the functional needs of the public safety facility, but the location is ideal, and the cost is less than purchasing land and building a new facility,” Wheatley said.

The facility is located on 10 acres adjacent to the town’s Field Operations Facility and close to the nearly 90-acre Frontier Family Park, which is currently under construction.

The owner was evaluating selling the sports complex and had previously approached the town about buying it, according to the announcement.

As Queen Creek evaluated its needs with an eye toward community buildout, town officials later went back to the owner to see if the facility was still for sale and investigated whether it would meet the town’s growing public safety demands.

“The Barney Family Sports Complex was founded by my parents, Katherine and Newell as a place for fun, family and fitness,” Kenny Barney said in a statement.

“It served as a staple in the community for many years and while this is bittersweet, I know they would be proud to have the family facility contributing to public safety here in Queen Creek.”

The town currently has a storage agreement with the town of Gilbert while Queen Creek found a longer-term solution for its needs. With the police department just a year old and growing, police chief Randy Brice said the

facility is a welcome addition.

“We are grateful for the additional space this building will provide for QCPD operations,” Brice told The Tribune. “We are already running out of space in our current facility and this property will provide an opportunity to meet the several critical needs through a dynamic partnership with the Queen Creek Fire and Medical Department.

“In addition to training, logistics, storage, and various workspaces, this site will be able to house the QCPD Property and Evidence facility,” he said.

According to documents, the public safety complex developed on the property will likely be named the “Gail A. Barney Public Safety Complex” in honor of the former Queen Creek mayor and longtime resident Gail Barney, who died last June. 

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Contact Paul Maryniak at 480-898-5631 or pmaryniak@ timeslocalmedia.com

An edition of the East Valley Tribune

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SCHNEPF

from page 1

“A lot of convenience stores these days have the double length lanes and you have this great, big canopy and a great, big gas island,” he said. “This has a smaller profile,” he said. “The whole idea is that it gets to fit in with what our idea of agritainment is.”

Schnepf Farms pioneered the concept of agritainment in Queen Creek, an entertainment area with a nod to the town’s agricultural heritage, anchored by the iconic farm.

While it is an entertainment venue, it is still a working farm. The Olive Mill

restaurant and Sossamon Farms are also part of the town’s agritainment district.

Schnepf said this store will anchor 16 acres at the tip of the agritainment district, land that will eventually be developed with the same authentic rural feel that has made Schnepf Farms so popular and successful.

“Our long-range plans are to put a hotel there, which will look like it belongs on the farm,” he said. “We expect to put a couple of upscale restaurants in there as well and then some retail and some more entertainment which is what our farm is all about, agritainment.”

If the new Circle K does not catch your

eye, which is sort of how Schnepf wanted it, an iconic piece of agriculture equipment will.

“I reserved the right to put one of my tractors out on the corner, permanently,” Schnepf said. “So we will have a poured platform and a tractor that is anchored down and we’ll have a sign that will read ‘Welcome to Schnepf Farms Agritainment District,’” he said.

“When people drive by, they will recognize the fact that it looks different than the rest of the community and we want them to know why. It’s part of Schnepf Farms and (we are) creating that environment of being on a farm, that feel.” 

College offers

BY MARK MORAN Tribune Staff Writer

College just got a little bit more in reach for some local high school students.

The town has kicked off its Queen Creek Promise Program, a commitment to pay for eligible students to attend Chandler- Gilbert Community College for two years tuition-free.

The program is open to Queen Creek high school graduates who must start at the college within two years of graduation, demonstrate a financial need and complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, also known as FAFSA. Students are required to have achieved at least a 2.0 grade point average in high school and must maintain a 2.5 GPA at

The Circle K store that will be built on land that was once part of Schnepf Farms will serve as prototype for the brand’s future stores. (Courtesy Circle K)

the college.

Queen Creek Mayor Julia Wheatley reflected on getting her start at Chandler Gilbert and on the importance of community college.

“After high school, CGCC is where I first started taking classes, and tuition was all on my own, so it took me longer to graduate and go through a university,” Wheatley said.

“As mayor I’m so pleased to see this program offered to our students and residents, and on behalf of the town council we welcome the next generation of community college leaders.”

Community colleges have become known as good places for students wanting to learn a trade, get a specialized certification or earn an associate’s degree, quickly helping them get ready for the workforce.

“Many of CGCC’s certificates and twoyear degrees available are for hands-on and high demand programs, such as aviation maintenance, nursing and even drones,” said Dr. Greg Peterson, CGCC President.

The average community college in

Arizona has more than 5,000 students attending each year. The state’s 20 community colleges enroll over 150,000 students.

If students decide on a four-year degree, they can transfer their community college credits to a university.

Applications for The Queen Creek Promise Program for the fall semester will open March 1 and be open until April 30. Scholarships will be awarded beginning June 1.

Information: embedded.advisor@ cgc.edu. 

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Job growth likely to continue in region, panel says

BY CECILIA CHAN Tribune Staff Writer

Insurance agents, industrial truck and tractor operators, restaurant cooks and home health aides have been the fastest growing jobs in Greater Phoenix.

In fact, the Phoenix metropolitan area recovered all the jobs lost due to the pandemic and is expected to see a job growth through 2024.

“We will continue to see a lot of job growth but not as high as we’ve seen in the past couple of years,” said Brad Smidt, senior vice president of Business Development for the Greater Phoenix Economic Council or GPEC.

The regional economic group works with 22-member communities, including Gilbert, Chandler and Queen Creek to help attract businesses with high-capital investments and high-wage jobs.

Smidt and a panel of experts presented the Tri-City Economic Development Update on Jan. 19 at Chandler-Gilbert Community College.

He said the local market was driven by construction and retail trade in the past and “I think we’ve kind of gotten away from that especially with these larger manufacturing announcements that we’ve seen in the last couple of years with Intel, TSMC, etcetera.

“Overall we’re seeing a much more balanced economy.”

The largest industries in the Valley were professional and businesses services at 16% and healthcare and social assistance at 14% Retail trade made up 11% of the job market and construction 6%.

According to Smidt, the unemploy-

ment rate for Phoenix Metro sat at about 3% and the gross domestic product was still growing – the GDP was $262 billion in 2021 and grew by 7% over the previous year.

Smidt said the unemployment rate for the country and probably Arizona will increase. For Greater Phoenix, it could go as high as 4% or even into the low 5%-range, he said.

“We’ll see kind of where that happens in the next six months to a year,” he added.

Also in the Phoenix metro area and Arizona, overall personal income grew faster than the national average from 2020 to 2021, according to Smidt. In Greater Phoenix, the growth was 7.6% and for the state, 6.1% compared to the national rate of 3.3%.

Inflation has taken a big bite out of the local economy and has been at or near its highest rate in a decade, Smidt added, noting that metro housing prices have increased for over a decade but are dropping after hitting a high in June.

Consumer confidence nationally re-

mained at or near its lowest level in the past 10 years, according to Smidt, who noted that holiday sales came in lower than expected and will cause it to further drop.

Additionally, the business confidence index was in a downturn, measuring 99.7 in October – the second consecutive month where the reading was below 100, Smidt said.

Although the cost of living in Greater Phoenix was 5.8% higher than the national average, it was still cheaper than competitive markets in California, Denver, Colorado and the Northeast, he said.

Only the Texan cities of Houston, Austin and Dallas along with Albuquerque, New Mexico boast a lower cost of living. Smidt also gave a summary of GPEC’s accomplishments for the current fiscal year.

By the end of 2022, the group has helped bring in 22 companies, creating almost 5,000 jobs and $23.7 billion in capital investment just for the first six

months of the current fiscal year, according to Smidt.

“In terms of active prospects, we have about 230 active deals in our portfolio right now at some stage of looking at this market for potential expansion,” he said.

If all those companies came through, it would mean a capital investment of $120.5 billion and 32,649 jobs created, he added.

“What we are seeing right now is about 80 to 85% of our projects are industrial-focused,” Smidt said. “So those are distribution, manufacturing and that includes data center projects that are active in the market.”

He said that since the pandemic, there’s been a huge swing in industrial projects, which captured 55% or so of the market pre-COVID.

Office users, however, went from 45% of GPEC’s portfolio down to 15 to 20%, he said.

“Where we are as a market is we probably have over 20 million square feet of sub-lease space that is on the market that these companies don’t know what to do with,” Smidt said. “They are not utilizing this kind of space.”

But there is still some office activity happening with the office projects coming in smaller now.

“It’s just not the 100,000 square feet, the 150,000, the 200,000-square-foot type of project that we are seeing,” he said. “But we are working on a couple of deals. “We certainly are doing everything we can to find those employers and find those types of projects in back office, in financing, in corporate headquarters.”

The Phoenix metro area has seen a steady increase in jobs through last November. (GPEC)

He said GPEC is hopeful that a return to office will happen a little later in 2023 and hopefully continue to rise in 2024 and beyond.

CEO J. Brian O’Neill gave an update of what’s occurring at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, which he described as a 3,000-acre economic development project and job creator that just happens to have a thriving regional airport and three runways as part of its infrastructure. In 2021, the airport pumped $1.8 billion into the local economy.

“We at the airport really pride ourselves on the diversity of opportunities that we have,” O’Neill said.

The former Air Force base is owned and operated by a joint powers airport authority comprises Mesa, Phoenix, Apache Junction, Queen Creek, Gilbert and the Gila River Indian Community.

According to O’Neill, over 1 million square feet of private development is underway at the airport, which includes Gulfstream building a 225,000-squarefoot West Coast service center and Virgin Galactic building two hangars, totaling 180,000 square feet.

The Valley saw an increase in a wide variety of jobs last year over 2021. (GPEC)

About 1,000 developable acres are left and 660 of those acres are under professional, commercial development, O’Neill said.

“We got two large master developers that are working hard to develop the aeronautical and non-aeronautical land that is still available at the airport,” he said.

Also, there’s $70 million in private in-

vestment going into the airport’s infrastructure such as roadways, sewer, water, electricity and taxi lane extensions.

“All of that is being invested into the airport by private companies so they can unlock the remaining land for future development,” he said.

To keep pace with its growing popularity, the airport’s also embarked on a number of projects, including a $30-million air traffic control tower dedicated in August, a five-gate terminal, runway reconstruction and continued rental car infrastructure improvements.

have to win all the projects but just get the right ones.

“We’re becoming more selective in the projects we are going for,” Miranda said. “We are looking at long-term economic impacts and we are very selective and hyper focused on what residents ask for in the General Plan.”

Cott said Queen Creek is seeing an interest in industrial development with the recent annexation of 4,100 acres of State Trust Land in its northern tier.

Five airlines – Allegiant, Flair Airlines, Sun Country Airlines, Swoop and West Jet – fly out of the airport to over 50 nonstop locations in the country and in Canada. In 2022, the airport set a record with 1.9 million passengers.

O’Neill said future plans for the interim portable structure, in use during the construction of the new terminal, is to turn it into a federal inspection facility, which would allow for international flights to Mexico and beyond.

Currently the five destinations in Canada are all U.S.-preclearance locations, according to O’Neill.

The audience also heard about trends in their respective municipalities from Economic Development Directors Doreen Cott of Queen Creek, Dan Henderson, Gilbert, and Micah Miranda, Chandler.

Miranda said because Chandler was at a different stage in its growth cycle it was beginning to see a trend in infill and redevelopment projects.

He also said that Chandler’s mindset for the past five years has been, it doesn’t

The town, which has always had a robust retail environment, is now seeing second locations for some of its retailers such as a second Sprouts, a second Target and a second hotel, Cott added.

Henderson said as Gilbert reaches build-out, the town is looking at infill, redevelopment and mixed-used development.

“This idea of just wide-open growth… that is not Gilbert’s story anymore,” Henderson said. 

in Hawaii that weekend and postponed the trip because I got sick early in the week…and he went with friends and the accident happened.”

Petillo and his wife, Claire, have now channeled their grief into preventing needless deaths such as Christian’s.

The couple has formed the No DoOvers organization with the goal of stopping children from gaining unauthorized and unsupervised access to guns via education, advocacy and legislation. They’ve also set up a GoFundMe page to raise $10,000 toward that effort.

“One of the reasons we looked at this name for the foundation No Do-Overs is that children are going to make mistakes,” Petillo said. “Most of the time they have the opportunity to learn from them.

“When it comes to guns there are no do-overs and as we as parents look back, we know we can’t change what happened with Christian. There’s no do-over for us.

“We do know we can take what’s happened and save the next child, the next family from having to endure the same tragedy that we’ve endured.”

The organization is pushing a bill

called Christian’s Law, which requires gun owners to secure their firearms and ammunition and carries a $1,000 penalty for violation.

Petillo backed up the effectiveness of such a law by pointing to a report by the RAND Corp.

The nonprofit think tank found that child-access prevention laws or safe storage laws reduce self-inflicted fatal or nonfatal firearm injuries, including unintentional and intentional self-injuries, among youth and also reduce firearm homicides among youth.

State Rep. Jennifer Longdon, D-Phoenix, introduced HB 2192 on Jan. 12. Longdon is a long-time advocate for gun safety after she was paralyzed in a random drive-by shooting in 2004.

Christian’s Law is actually a resurrection of HB 2367, which Longdon introduced in the 2022 legislative session and was held up in the Republican-controlled Rules Committee. Longdon introduced a total of 10 bills in the last session related to gun regulation, all of which were stalled in committees.

The three-term representative said she is unsure how this latest measure will fare.

“With dozens of new members and a

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new governor, I don’t know how to compare our chances to last year,” Longdon said. “These are often, you know, a very long view with public policy and especially with common-sense gun safety. It’s just been too long.”

gun lobby, the extremist gun lobby. So even incremental common-sense changes are a huge challenge and require political courage and that’s a rare commodity around here.

She added that as a survivor of gun violence, she – like the Petillos – isn’t going away.

“We’re going to keep pushing this for as long as it takes, for as long as we can because honestly, that’s what we should be doing,” she said. “This is an issue that has broad public support and it would absolutely save lives.

“But the reality is that the Republicans still control a slight majority and they overall are terrified of the power of the

“And so it takes courage of families like the Petillos and others to get this done. The issue isn’t going away. And neither are we.”

Fellow House Democrat Jennifer Pawlik, whose Legislative District 13 covers a part of Gilbert, is the bill’s co-sponsor.

“It’s a matter of being responsible and knowing where your guns are and making sure they are properly secured,” Petillo said.

Bruce Petillo, holding a photo of his late son Christian, has launched a crusade for gun safety laws but he faces an uphill battle with a Republican-controlled state Legislature, which has refused to even consider similar bills in the past. (David Minton/GSN Sta Photographer)

Petillo pointed to recent stories in the Valley that’s occurred since Christian’s death such as in November when a 16-year-old boy was accidentally shot by a gun in Chandler that he and another 16-year-old boy were playing with.

In fact, in 2021, 56 children in the state died from a firearm injury and all of them were determined to be preventable, said Petillo, citing from the Arizona Department of Health Service’s latest annual child fatality report.

According to the nonprofit Brady: United Against Gun Violence, every day 22 children and teens are shot in the country.

“We have over 6,000 kids a year being injured or killed by guns and no other Western society deals with this,” Petillo said. “There are lots of really responsible gun owners out there. Unfortunately, there are also a significant number of gun owners who are not responsible.

“Responsible gun owners would be supporting this kind of legislation… because these are the types of things that will improve outcomes for kids and start reducing injuries and deaths in children associated with guns and actually help more of these gun owners be more responsible when they are not and help the gun industry. And ultimately it doesn’t infringe on anyone’s right to own a gun.”

House Bill 2192

Here is a summary of a bill that sponsor Rep. Jennifer Longdon, D-Phoenix, hopes will get a fair hearing by the Republicancontrolled Legislature.

A. A person shall not store or keep a firearm or ammunition, or both, in any residence unless the person either:

1. 1. Keeps the firearm or ammunition, or both, in a securely locked box or equips the firearm with a device that renders the firearm inoperable without a key or combination.

2. 2. Carries the firearm or ammunition, or both, on his person or within such close proximity to his person that the person can readily retrieve and use the firearm as if it was carried on his person.

B. A person who violates this section is subject to a civil penalty of at least $1,000.

Petillo acknowledged that some people may get “a little upset” when it comes to any sort of gun regulation but he compared the proposed legislation to laws on the book such as seat belt use and drunken driving – which save lives.

The Petillos also are working with the Song family in Connecticut on passing similar legislation nationally called Ethan’s Law, named after 15-year-old Ethan Song, who was fatally shot by an improperly stored gun at a friend’s house.

Petillo said friends are volunteering to help with the grassroots nonprofit and get the momentum going.

No Do-Overs will partner with other organizations for help in passing legislation, raise awareness and “help us educate and really draw attention to this,” Petillo said.

It will also lobby the technology industry to come up with solutions to provide more safety and security when it comes to firearms and kids, according to Petillo.

“All of us love our children,” he said. “And I think if we look at this from a human perspective and understand that this is a very small step that can actually save a substantial number of children’s lives without infringing on Second Amendment right, I think it makes sense.

“It can happen to anyone. This was not something we would ever think would happen to us. We didn’t have guns in our home. It was just a personal preference. At the end of the day this is a human discussion.

“It’s really a matter of our children and doing what is right for them.” 

Learn more and help

Gilbert parents Bruce and Claire Petillo have formed the No Do-Overs organization, which attempts to prevent unnecessary gun deaths among children and teenagers.

For more information, go to www. nodoovers.org.

The couple also has set up a GoFundMe page for the organization. To donate, go to gofundme.com and search “no do overs.”

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Republicans quash bill to make sidewalk sleeping a crime

BY BOB CHRISTIE Capitol Media Services

ARepublican state senator from Mesa’s personal experience with mental illness and homelessness derailed a bid by another GOP lawmaker, a former cop, to make sleeping on a sidewalk a state crime.

Sen. David Farnsworth’s extended comments about his struggles led the chairman of a Senate committee to pull Fountain Hills Sen. John Kavanagh’s proposal from consideration during a hearing this past week. Farnsworth described how a breakdown led him to leave his family home and travel to Seattle, where he lived on the streets and spent time in a homeless shelter.

“And it was a very educational experience for me because I came to the conclusion that mental illness like physical illness can come on any of us and we can heal from it,” Farnsworth said, saying he had panic attacks and was unable to live at home.

“As an adult with children, I ran away

from home, so to speak, went up to Seattle, spent weeks up there sitting next to a park,” he said. “During that time period, I was homeless even though I owned a home in Mesa.”

Farnsworth spoke during discussions on Kavanagh’s plan to make it a top-level misdemeanor for someone to sleep, lie down or sit on a street, sidewalk or other public right of way. Kavanagh’s proposal mirrors a Phoenix ordinance that is currently on hold because a federal judge blocked enforcement.

Federal courts have held that bans on sleeping in public can it be enforced if there are not enough public shelter beds to house the homeless. Marilyn Rodriguez, a lobbyist for the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona, told the committee that the ACLU sued over the Phoenix ordinance and if the proposal were to become law it likely would face a similar fate.

State Sen. David Farnsworth, R-Mesa, rebutted Scottsdale Republican Sen. John Kavanagh’s bid to make sleeping on sidewalks a crime by candidly talking about a time in his life when he was homeless. (Capitol Media Services)

The number of homeless in the state is two largest metro areas, Phoenix and Tucson, have grown significantly in the past five years. In Pima County, last year’s annual homeless count found more than 2,200 people did not have housing, compared to just under 1,400 in 2018. In Maricopa County during that same time period, the number of homeless grew from about 6,300 to more than 9,000.

Rodriguez noted that Phoenix has just 1,800 shelter beds.

The Legislature has a series of proposals to deal with homelessness, including an effort from Rep. David Livingston, R-Peoria, that would force homeless people to live in dedicated spots, bar sleeping elsewhere and require the state housing department to dedicate money to creating camping locations.

Livingston was not available for comment Friday. His bill, which failed to advance in the past two years, is set for a hearing on Monday.

New Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs’ executive budget also takes on the crisis in homelessness by putting $150 million into the state housing trust fund, money that can be used for homeless shelters, rental and utility assistance and to leverage federal funds to build new affordable housing.

The trust fund has been mainly neglected since its funding was stripped during the Great Recession, although it got a $60 million infusion last year when lawmakers doled out hundreds of millions in surplus cash.

Cities are struggling with how to deal with the homeless.

Phoenix faces a lawsuit from business owners near a sanctioned homeless encampment known as “The Zone,” a halfmile from the state Capitol, seeking to declare the area a public nuisance.

But Kavanagh said in an interview with Capitol Media Services that there are often shelter beds available and that the homeless could go to parks or other public areas rather than camping out on the street if there are not open beds. And he noted that the Legislature earmarked $5 million last year for cities to build temporary shelters and Phoenix is not using that money.

“I think it’s because they don’t want to trigger having to clear their streets and parks,” he said.

In Tucson, advocates for the homeless filed suit last week seeking to bar police from conducting clean-up sweeps of encampments ahead of the annual Gem and Mineral Show, a huge tourist draw. The city also faces pressure to address the issue from business and civic groups who say it is a threat to public safety and business.

Losing the support of any Republican in either chamber spells doom for any legislation that lacks Democratic backing, since the GOP has only onevote majorities in both the House and Senate. And even if bills make it out of the Legislature, Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs may hit them with her veto stamp, which she has said she is ready to wield as often as needed.

The sidelining of the ban on sidewalk sleeping was the second Kavanagh bill that hit a roadblock this past week in the Senate Committee on Military Affairs, Public Safety and Border Security chaired by Sen. David Gowan, R-Sierra Vista. His other measure would have made it a crime to solicit for money in a raised or marked median, something that the longtime lawmaker calls dangerous. Kavanagh has tried for years to pass legislation that would prohibit asking for cash at freeway off-ramps or intersections,

Bill would ban political signs on sidewalks, corners

BY HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services

Sen. Steve Kaiser has introduced legislation that could make him a hero of Arizona motorists -- assuming it gets approved and survives a likely court challenge.

The Phoenix Republican wants to ban political signs from street corners, medians and other public rights of way. Kaiser said SB 1116 simply does what his constituents want.

“They hate those things,’’ he told Capitol Media Services.

“They cause a ton of bad traffic because you can’t see around them, people put them in the wrong spot,’’ Kaiser explained. “It creates a ton of trash.’’

And then they can get defaced “and everybody freaks out.’’

What they also are, Kaiser contends, is unnecessary.

“It’s the least effective way to reach voters,’’ he said. Kaiser said text messaging and digital ads are both more effective and cheaper.

Kaiser denied that banning these signs becomes an incumbency protection act, denying challengers the ability to create the same name ID that those in office may already have. Instead, he said, the effect would be the opposite.

“Incumbents usually have the most signs and have better funding to carpet bomb an area,’’ Kaiser said. “They also are better organized and know exactly when to place and where to place, and usually have professionals doing it for hire.’’

There actually already are state laws designed to deal with the biennial crop of campaign signs. They cannot be placed in a location that is hazardous to public safety, obstructs clear vision in the

HOMELESS

from page 12

only to see those efforts fail.

The latest prohibition on begging in a median was pulled from consideration after Gowan amended it to allow people to sell items from the center of the street, a change that Kavanagh did not support.

Kavanagh’s bill on homeless sleeping on sidewalks is unlikely to be revived, at

area of interferes with the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act not to to block access.

Signs are limited to 32 square feet, or half that size in areas zoned for residential use. They can be erected no earlier than 71 days before the August primary and must be taken down 15 days after the election.

And they can’t be placed along state highways or overpasses.

Nothing in SB 1116 would keep residents and businesses from putting signs on their own private property. But it still may run afoul of the First Amendment. It outlaws only political signs on public rights of way. But signs still could be erected at those same intersections to advertise everything from new subdivisions to yard sales services.

Gilbert found out the hard way that picking and choosing what signs are acceptable is not legally acceptable. That case stems from the fact that the Good News Community Church, which erected signs directing people to its site.

The U.S. Supreme Court took Gilbert to task for trying to impose limits on a church using directional sites to its worship services with Justice Clarence Thomas writing a unanimous opinion.

Kaiser called it “an interesting question’’ of whether the state could do what he proposes and single out only campaign signs for special treatment. But, for the moment, he has no interest in expanding the scope of his measure to impose similar prohibitions on other signs at street corners and in public rights of way.

“I really just want to focus it on political signs because it gets out of hand, it gets crazy,’’ Kaiser said.

His legislation has not yet been assigned to a committee. 

least in its current form, unless Kavanagh is able to change Farnsworth’s mind. But that possibility remains remote at this point.

“The homeless problem is a big problem that we need to address,” Farnsworth said.

“I’m not sure this is the way to do it,” he continued. “In fact, I’m not comfortable in addressing it this way.” 

WARNING!

PERIPHERAL NEUROPATHY AND CHRONIC PAIN TREATMENTS

NOT WORKING!!

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

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

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

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

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

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

Effective neuropathy treatment relies on the following three factors:

1. Finding the underlying cause

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

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

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

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

1. Increases blood flow

2. Stimulates and strengthens small fiber nerves

3. Improves brain-based pain

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

It’s completely painless!

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

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

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

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

Aspen Medical will be offering this free chronic pain and neuropathy severity evaluation will be available until February 28th, 2023. Call (480) 274-3157 to make an appointment

Due to our very busy office schedule, we are limiting this offer to the first 10 c allers Y OU DO NOT HAVE TO SUFFER ANOTHER MINUTE, CALL (480) 274-3157 NOW!! We are extremely busy, so we are unavailable, please leave a voice message and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

Queen Creek woman wins teaching scholarship

BY MARK MORAN Tribune Staff Writer

Queen Creek resident Yolanda White Johnson says she would not be nearly as qualified to be the educator that she is if she had gone into the teaching profession right out of college.

“I had a 20-plus year career in law enforcement and criminal justice,” said Johnson, who has been a state and federal probation officer. “So, this is kind of my second career. I am doing a career switch.”

Johnson is one of 20 people nationwide who won a scholarship from a Houston, Texas, group, called Teachers of Tomorrow, which aims to reduce financial and other barriers for people who want to become teachers. More than 7,000 people applied.

“We are in the business to help individuals shine in the classroom,” said CEO Trent Beekman. “We will continue to offer opportunities like this scholarship to ensure cost is not a barrier to aspiring teachers across the country.”

As part of the selection process, each winner completed an application that consisted of a 200–300-word essay on their purpose and passion for education, what inspired them to choose a career in teaching and why they think teaching is a career worth a substantial investment in time and energy.

The scholarship is worth about $6,000 and Johnson said she is using the money to pay for the classes she needs to complete her teaching certification.

She is already qualified to teach 7th and 8th grade social studies at John R. Davis Elementary School in Phoenix, where she is using her previous career experience as well as her life experience in the classroom to make a difference

for her students.

She said this would have been a different experience if she had gone into teaching straight out of college.

“You hear all the horror stories from teachers quitting the profession. They are burned out and they don’t want to teach anymore and the kids are really difficult,” she said.

“And I’m not going to sit here and tell you that it’s easy because some days are great and some days the kids are really challenging but I think that because I had a different career first, because I had those 20-plus years first, I have the patience, I have the understanding and I have that background.”

Johnson said a master’s degree and PhD, as well as 20 years of experience in the criminal justice field, give her credibility with her students and have also given her the experience to invest in the students’ lives

“A lot of these students are minorities and they have never seen anybody that looks like them with a doctorate,” she said. “Or they have never seen anybody that looks like them who has gone to the police academy or done all the things that I have done. So, I am a role model to them, as well.”

Part of being a role model is helping her students understand what can happen if they make the wrong choices or start “hanging with the wrong people, if you don’t go to school,” she said.

Johnson is especially inspired by encouraging kids to do something positive with their lives, even if it does not involve college but instead means learning a trade or doing something else constructive.

But first and foremost, taking the time to invest in them is important, especially when it comes to understanding the junior high aged students in her classroom, she said.

“I have found that the kids really do want structure and they really want somebody that cares about them,” she said. “They are very intuitive. They know when somebody is there for them and when somebody is just there to collect a check. They can absolutely tell the difference.”

Knowing when someone is there for them is often the inspiration a student needs, no matter what socioeconomic background they come from, she said.

“Education is the great equalizer,” Johnson said. “It doesn’t matter where you come from.

– especially given the demographics at Davis, which is in the Roosevelt School District.

“It doesn’t matter how you grew up. You can have one person from what they call the nice side of town of you can have somebody that comes from the lower income side of town. If they both go to school, they both can do great things if they choose to do so.” 

Queen Creek resident Dr. Yolanda White Johnson, a teacher in the Roosevelt School District in Phoenix, won a scholarship to further her second career after over 20 years in law enforcement. (Special to the Tribune)

Jean M Clift

May 12, 1936 – January 23, 2023

Beloved You shared with us your goodness And gave your warm embrace You taught us by example And favored us with grace.

ing

ever-loving, always caring. Jean kept on giving her best.

S

love and goodness dearly miss you, Jean.

W

QC vet clinic brings high-end care for horses

BY MARK MORAN Tribune Staff Writer

Revel Vet, which bills itself as a small-animal veterinary practice, has opened to serve Queen Creek and the surrounding area with specialty care for dogs and cats.

Its owner, Dr. Scott Meyer, has a long history of small animal care, but also brings high-end equestrian veterinary care to Queen Creek with his associated practice called Desert Mountain Equine. And he brings a lot of experience.

“I worked on some Triple Crown horses and Kentucky Derby, Preakness, things like that,” said Meyer.

Meyer is using his experience from the Santa Anita Del Mar Hollywood Park racetrack in California to open Revel Vet, which also sees dogs and cats in addition to horses at the practice on 10 acres of land on Ellsworth Road, just down the street from the Horseshoe Park and Equestrian Centre.

Meyer turned an old house on the property into a clinic for dogs and cats, but he is in high demand as an equine vet – both at the brick-and-mortar location and as a mobile vet.

Having hired two vets to help him, the practice sees between 15 and 25 horses a day, many of which have specific needs.

“With horses, it has become so much more sports medicine oriented,” he said of the dramatic increase in the specialty end of the practice that has seen many technological advancements.

“When you’re spending tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands or in the race horse world, millions of dollars on a horse, regenerative medicine has become so much more important where we can bring horses back from certain injuries,” Meyer said.

“And instead of going out to look for another $100,000 horse we can invest in regenerative medicine to help re-

pair injuries and help bring them back to work.”

The injuries that are common in horses are not all that different from what human athletes sustain: arthritic joints, broken or chipped bones, tendon and ligament damage, and softtissue injuries and tears.

“Some of these tears we can identify them through advanced diagnostics,” Meyer said. “Whether it be radiography, ultrasound or MRI even, we can go and clean those up and then inject stem cells into those structures and have the body regenerate that tissue, which is stronger than it being just scar tissue.”

Stem cells do not speed up the rate of healing of an injury per se, but they are thought to improve the quality of the repair and reduce scar tissue formation. This is particularly important in injuries of equine tendons and ligaments.

Meyer said he feels especially fortunate to have worked on race horses in

California because he learned so much about regenerative equine medicine, common in human medical treatments now, but not so much in veterinary practices, especially here.

“Coming to Arizona I felt like Arizona was behind a little bit in this technology and didn’t have that kind of resource or experience to bring regenerative medicine into the equine world to help repair some of these,” Meyer said.

“So, coming home into this community and being able to bring that with me has been really helpful in growing the practice and help clients with their horses.”

There were other things that are different in Queen Creek, too.

“Just a better lifestyle for what fit our family,” said Meyer’s wife Julie Meyer. “Coming back and going into the grocery store and people actually say ‘hello’ and just a very family friendly feel, very country, very Arizona.

“There are so many folks out here that are ropers and reiners,” she said. “A ton of them are family and friends and it has been really fun to watch.”

Scott Meyer wants to build on that personal touch he feels Revel Vet can offer in Queen Creek, and build a practice in which every pet-loving person feels “recognized, respected, and appreciated.”

The company motto is “to them, you are the best human ever,” he said. “But for every ‘best dog ever’ and ‘best cat ever’ you are the best human ever.”

Taking that mission a step further, Meyer said keeping his practice family=owned and personal might help address a problem that has been on the rise along with the growth of corporate owned veterinary medical care facilities across the state and in Arizona. Veterinary medicine has the highest rate of suicide and depression among its professional staff. Meyer hopes having a more personalized approach can help change that, even if it means getting emergency calls on his cell phone at 2 a.m. for a sick horse.

“Having that human feel to it,” he said. “We care about our doctors. We care about our staff. We care about our clients. It circles back to having that personal view of the country doctor and relationships and we care. We don’t just care about making money. We care about people.” 

Address: 24754 S Ellsworth Rd, Queen Creek, AZ 85142

Phone (480) 701-8609

Dr. Scott Meyer, owner of Revel Vet, is flanked by Shelby Jackson, Maegan Fastenau and Savannah Meyer. (Courtesy of Revel Vet)

Quality pre-k program

A-rated academics in a moral & wholesome environment

State-of-the-art athletic facilities

Full K-12 experience featuring fine arts programs including ballroom dancing, choir, theatre, & orchestra

Entrepreneurship & Dave Ramsey financial literacy courses

Anthem South Pre-K-12 Gilbert K-6

49ers strike gold with East Valley rookie

BY JD HAYWORTH Tribune Columnist

Hall of Fame catcher and noted clubhouse philos-

opher Yogi Berra offered a mathematically dubious calculation to describe the “mind games” within our national pastime. You might call it “Yogi’s Law.”

“Baseball is 90%mental. The other half is physical.”

Brock Purdy plays a different professional sport in a different era, but he probably would not deny the larger truth preceding Berra’s computation – especially in the wake of the Queen Creek native’s remarkable rookie season in the NFL.

Brock’s improbable rise from thirdteam reserve to San Francisco’s starting quarterback—with his successful string of seven straight victories—is the stuff

of storybooks.

As this column is being written, Purdy and his Forty Niner teammates are preparing to visit Philadelphia to play the Eagles for the NFC Championship.

Dizzying heights, for sure…especially for his first year in pro football. But instead of a storybook, Purdy relies on the Good Book, and the Bible has imbued him with wisdom beyond his 23 years.

“Everything happens for a reason; it’s all a lesson from the Lord,” Brock has said. A few hard knocks have supplemented Scripture and kept him humble.

Mononucleosis sidelined Purdy for the first three games of his junior season at Perry High and affected his standing among major college recruiters, who initially displayed minor interest. Then the big schools saw Brock’s big numbers in passing yardage for the Pumas and pounced with cat-like quickness – especially Alabama, which upped its offer from “preferred walk-on” to full scholarship.

Tuscaloosa ain’t Tinseltown, but the Crimson Tide’s head coach then appeared to take a page from the unnamed Hollywood casting director who reportedly said of Fred Astaire, “Can’t act, can’t sing, can dance a little.”

During Brock’s campus visit to Alabama, Nick Saban didn’t mince words, telling Purdy, “You’re below average in height. Your arm strength is whatever. Your accuracy is average.”

Whether it was candor meant to inspire Purdy or confusion with another recruit, Saban’s unvarnished assessment certainly proved motivational. It motivated Brock Purdy to pass on the perennial national power, take a close look at Texas A & M and finally choose Iowa State.

Purdy’s four years as a Cyclone were a whirlwind. Foreshadowing his NFL experience, he began his freshman season as a third-stringer, but soon became the starter, opening eight games and ending up with the sixth-best pass rating in

the NCAA. His second season brought second-team All Big 12 Honors, and he was first team All-Conference his final two years.

April of last year brought another transition and an action some might consider an insult – or, as Yogi Berra might have called it, “Deja vu all over again.”

Purdy’s name was called at the NFL Draft but was the last name called and that final pick came with a nickname that is less than complimentary.

When San Francisco selected him with the 262nd—and concluding— pick of the draft, Purdy earned the title “Mr. Irrelevant.”

What might seem insulting at first glance was actually initiated as an honor. The late Paul Selata, who starred as a receiver first at Southern Cal and later with the Forty Niners, thought the last player picked should receive an “accolade” sim-

see HAYWORTH page 20

Super Bowl ‘bargains’ put skinning in the game

BY DAVID LEIBOWITZ Tribune Columnist

With Super Bowl LVII fast approaching, one can only marvel at the prices being commanded from the tourists coming to the Valley for the Big Game. I am currently staring at the booking page for a Motel Six located near 51st Avenue and McDowell Road in Maryvale.

The price for a 200-square-foot “premium room,” which features two double beds, a fridge, a microwave, and a violent crime rate over twice the national average?

A mere $864 a night.

Keep in mind, this is a hotel with 906 reviews that average two stars. This is

not exactly Fodor’s material: “Holes in the walls and floor, green sludge on the floor. Deposit was more than the room. Check out took 45 minutes. Security was solid though.”

I’m a glass-half-full fellow. Between the solid security and the free wifi, I can’t recommend these luxe accommodations enough. My only regret is that the Dallas Cowboys got knocked out of the playoffs. I would’ve paid big money to see some cowpoke in a 10-gallon Stetson and a Roger Staubach jersey trying to choose between Filiberto’s up the street or the IHOP on the other side of I-10.

Then there’s trying to book a round of golf. If you read this space regularly, you know I’m addicted to that cursed game.

Right now, even modest public golf courses plan to gouge golfers for upwards of $300 a round during Super Bowl

week. Consider OrangeTree in Scottsdale, which in summer is almost worth every bit of their $50 bucks in greens fees. This week, rounds in prime time are going for about $150 for 18 holes.

Super Bowl week? If you want to play the Friday morning before the game, be prepared to part with $315 per person.

Factor in that it’ll be a five-hour round full of drunken bros sporting cigars the size of a 7-iron and I’ll pass. But look on the bright side: These would-be Bryson DeChambeaus typically shoot about 120 not counting mulligans. At $2.62 a stroke, that makes OrangeTree a better buy than a gallon of unleaded.

According to a study by researchers at Arizona State University, SB57 should create about 100,000 visitors to Glendale and points beyond and about $600 million in economic impact.

A sizable portion of this haul will be created by locals renting out their homes. Browsing the available shortterm rentals on VRBO shows about 300 properties left unrented.

The most opulent of the bunch: A “tropical modern paradise” atop Camelback Mountain renting for about $16,000 a night – or 114 grand for the week. It’s a six-bedroom private gated villa close to Paradise Valley with a chipping green and a bocce court. It also includes “daily maid service” and “500 thread count luxury white linens.”

No word on whether security is solid. As a get-rich-quick scheme, I briefly considered going on vacation and renting out my place. Or as I planned to describe it on Airbnb: “Motel 5! LIke A Mo -

HAWTHORN

FROM PAGE 19

ilar to the top selection.

So Selata began “Irrelevant Week” in 1976, bringing the bottom selection to Newport Beach, California, for a trip to Disneyland, a golf tournament, a regatta, and a celebrity roast, where “Mr. Irrelevant” is awarded the “Lowsman Trophy”— the opposite of the Heisman—get it?

There is a higher purpose to the “exer-

LEIBOWITZ

FROM PAGE 19

tel 6 Minus The Crime!”

cise in irrelevancy”—raising funds for charities such as SPIN—Serving People In Need—so Brock and his family gladly made the trip.

Now Purdy and the Niners face this fundamental truth: they are one win away from the Super Bowl.

Berra would caution that “it’s not over ’til it’s over.”

But regardless of the outcome, for Brock Purdy, this is just the beginning. 

ly okay with that.

I’ve been robbed before.

I don’t need to volunteer for a repeat. 

If a room full of green sludge gets 860 bucks a night, I thought I could get $1000 a night, easy. Heck, I might even get 1,200 a night if the out-of-towner wanted to borrow my “personal private security force,” which includes Violet, a pitbull mix, and Lucy and Ethel, who together comprise “25 pounds of canine terror.”

Seems like more trouble than it’s worth, though. I’m going to stay home, stay off the golf course, and watch the big game on TV. That means I’ll miss the Super Bowl Experience, and I’m perfect-

JJ Newcombe’s athleticism shining for Casteel basketball

BY ZACH ALVIRA Tribune Sports Editor

Throughout JJ Newcombe’s high school athletics career at Casteel, he’s been known for his talent on the gridiron.

As a freshman on varsity, he broke out and quickly became one of the top athletes in the state. As a sophomore he continued, as he helped lead the Colts to the playoffs from his position as a corner, wideout, running back and at times, quarterback. He helped lead the Colts to the 6A semifinals last season as a junior, and scholarship offers from major schools have quickly followed.

But Newcombe’s athleticism spread well beyond the football field. He’s an avid sprinter in the spring and the Colts’ starting point guard in the winter. His time on the basketball court, however, is where he takes time to truly enjoy the game. After all, basketball was his first love.

“It started in seventh and eighth grade, that’s what I wanted to focus on mainly,” Newcombe said, adding that he played football after having a conversation with his dad, Casteel head football coach Bobby Newcombe.

“He really recruited me to stay and do all three sports and be a multi-sport athlete because it looks good on my college resume. That freshman year I started leaning toward football.”

Newcombe’s decision to listen to his father, Bobby, has paid off.

He is quickly becoming one of Casteel’s highest recruited players in the school’s short history. His older brother, Isaiah, signed to play with UCLA. Other top players over the years, including quarterback Gunner Cruz — who won a title in 2017 with the Colts — and offensive lineman Brock Dieu, also went on to play Power Five conference football.

Newcombe will be the next one. Though he still has a year left to earn even more offers, he’s already received

scholarship opportunities from Arizona, Arizona State, USC and several others. Most recently, Notre Dame, Purdue and Wisconsin and Michigan were the Power

Five programs to extend offers.

But that hasn’t stopped him from continuing to play basketball for the Colts.

“I think he’s made the commitment

that he’s going to be a three-sport athlete,” Casteel basketball coach Aaron Windler said. “He’s already told me that in a year from now … he said, ‘Coach, I still want to play basketball that fourth year.’ When you have as many football offers at a high level he has, it says a lot about his character, his commitment and love for basketball.”

Windler knows he has a special athlete on his hands every winter, which is why he looks forward to the time Newcombe is able to join the team.

With the start time for the football season now later, there’s a period where all winter teams go without players who also participate in fall sports. The overlap occurs mostly with football, especially at schools with programs that make deep postseason runs that often go into the first couple weeks of December.

For many schools, having adequate depth comes into play. Casteel is one of the programs that can rely on role players to fill the void while they await players like Newcombe. But once he makes it out, the energy he brings can be infectious.

“He’s a high energy kid and super athletic,” Windler said. “I think the big thing this year is he is starting to show some leadership qualities we’ve wanted him to exude much more. Overall, I think he adds a dynamic quality that makes us better on both ends of the court.”

Much like he does with the ball in his hands on the football field, Newcombe simply makes things happen on the court.

He has good ball-handling skills and vision to find lanes to the hoop or open teammates for easy jumpers. When he’s in a rhythm, he’s nearly un-guardable. He’s virtually mastered the step-back jumper and can hit from short, medium or long range.

His speed on the court is unmatched, too. He simply makes things happen for the Colts and can shoot lights out of be

Casteel junior JJ Newcombe is quickly becoming one of the top prospects to ever come out of Casteel on the football field. But that hasn’t stopped him from continuing to play his first love, basketball, at a high level. (Dave Minton/Tribune Staff)

Casteel basketball coach Aaron Windler said JJ’s willingness to continue playing basketball and run track even with a bright future in football says a lot about his character and love for the sports. (Dave Minton/Tribune Staff)

Coming February 2023

the floor general for a team that boasts size and strength in the paint.

He enjoys being one of the team’s leaders. He enjoys setting himself or teammates up for shots in games. He likes being ‘the guy’ for the Colts.

“I want to be a leader on the court,” Newcombe said. “I want to be there for my teammates. I’m probably having the most fun I’ve had playing basketball. Just playing free, going to the rack and helping out my teammates by being a leader.”

Casteel’s season can best be described as a roller coaster with ups and downs.

The Colts started the season hot before encountering a slump. They won’t big games, including one over Desert Mountain, a 5A favorite, and lost others by big margins. Windler and Newcombe both know the team just needs to remain consistent and can be lethal in the postseason.

When they’re on, they’re on, shooting lights out from anywhere on the floor. The defense usually follows, shutting down opposing shooters.

They know there’s little room for error with the season winding down and play-

offs around the corner. It’s coming down to the time when Casteel’s leaders have to step up.

That includes Newcombe.

“The thing we need to work on is more communication and leadership, including in practice,” Newcombe said. “We can be inconsistent with that. But if we do that, I think we can be successful.”  NEWCOMBE from page 21

Have an interesting sports story?

Contact Zach Alvira at zalvira@timespublications.com and follow him on Twitter @ZachAlvira.

Ireland’s We Banjo 3 coming to Chandler center

BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI GetOut Editor

Arizona hasn’t been kind to the Galway, Ireland-based act We Banjo 3. Four of their shows were postponed in February 2022 and each time it’s been to the Grand Canyon State, it’s rained.

Vocalist David Howley is hoping for a better result — and some warm weather — when We Banjo 3 returns to the state, including Feb. 4 at the Chandler Center for the Arts.

“These are very special shows for us,” he said.

“We have a lot of new music that’s creeping in from (the new record) ‘Open the Road.’ It’s more of an explanation and understanding as well of where the band is at. We’re probably going to ask the crowd to dance at some point. We love when people move. Movement in music is so important, particularly as we’ve had a break from it for a couple of years. We’re excited to be back.”

The two sets of brothers – Enda (banjo, mandolin and tenor guitar) and Fergal Scahill (fiddle, guitar and Bodhran) and David (banjo, vocals, guitar) and Martin Howley (banjo, mandolin, tenor guitar) – plan an extended break from their rolling banjos, soaring fiddle and mandolin runs that swirl around propulsive vocals and perfect harmonies.

“We all have a lot of projects that we’ve been working on,” he said.

“Since coming back after the pandemic, we have been on the road pretty much constantly. So, we’re going to do something mad and crazy that mu-

sicians never do – we’re going to take some time o .”

David has solo tours coming up. Martin plays mandolin in the Broadway show “Come from Away,” while Fergal’s talents went viral during the pandemic when he played a tune every day on social media. Enda has a “fantastic Patreon” where he has created a hub for learning Irish tenor banjo.

“We all have stu happening,” he says.

We Banjo 3 grew out of jam sessions among the four men. After Enda returned to Galway from a tour playing bluegrass and old-time festivals, he called David and Martin and asked them to come over to his house to play music. In 2009, they started playing gigs, dubbing themselves We Banjo 3, as they all played the instrument. David added vocals and guitar, and Fergal joined later

on fiddle.

After a performance at International Arts Festival, the biggest art festival in Europe, We Banjo 3 was awarded a grant from the Arts Council of Ireland, which the musicians used to record their first album and continued to tour Ireland.

Touring the world, they’ve showed o their musicianship and recently they released “Open the Road,” a 10-track collection. Upbeat and powerful, We Banjo 3’s music is what the world needs, he said.

“Music is a very inclusive, communicative thing,” he said. “It brings people together. I think that that’s the beautiful thing about coming out to a show. You could come to our gig knowing ever lyric of every song, and you could also come to our gig without ever hearing a single song. We build the gig around the idea that both of those people are included.”

David said the pandemic proved there was a lot more music within them that they weren’t exploring.

“The statement of that album is there are no rules,” he says. “There’s not even a destination really in the album. It’s very much just one large exploration of what comes out of your mind if you just let yourself have fun.” 

If you go

What: We Banjo 3

When: 7:30 p.m. Feb. 4

Where: Chandler Center for the Arts, 250 N. Arizona Ave., Chandler

Cost:Tickets start at $26

Info: handlercenter.org

We Banjo 3 will play at the Chandler Center for the Arts on Feb. 4. (Special to GetOut)

It’s one of those favorite dishes on the menu at Mexican, Tex Mex and Southwestern-style restaurants.

Fajitas refer to grilled meat or chicken usually served as a taco or alongside grilled peppers, onions and flour or corn tortillas. Fajitas are so simple to make at home. A delicious fajita starts with a great marinade. For this recipe, I’ve chosen a simple combination of ingredients, but if you prefer more heat, you can always add some red pepper flakes or a pinch of cayenne.

With JAN D’ATRI

GetOut Columnist

Beef or chicken doesn’t matter: fajitas are easy

For the chicken, I prefer skinless boneless chicken thighs, but chicken breasts work well too. For the meat, you’ll want something with a little bit of fat like a skirt or flank steak. With colorful peppers always available, a combination of green, red, yellow and orange bell peppers make a beautiful presentation along with a large, sweet yellow onion.

To give the fajitas a real authentic flavor, you can toss your flour tortilla into a hot dry skillet or griddle

Ingredients:

For the fajitas:

2 pounds skinless chicken thighs or chicken breasts, or 2 pounds steak

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 green pepper

1 red pepper

1 orange pepper

1 yellow pepper, optional

1 poblano chile

1 sweet yellow onion

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Place Marinade ingredients in a large bowl and whisk to combine.

Add chicken or beef to a zippered bag. Toss well to coat. Marinade for several hours. When ready to cook, cut peppers and onion in strips.

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy skillet over high heat. Add vegetables to skillet and

for just a few seconds to give it the char marks and delicious flavor.

Of course, you’ll want to top off your fajitas with all of your favorite fixings’ like avocado, pico de gallo, cilantro, shredded cheese and sour cream. Plan ahead so the protein can marinate for several hours, then fire up the skillet or grill and get cookin’ south of the border style!

For the marinade

1/4 cup lime juice

1/4 cup orange juice

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 heaping teaspoon cumin powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

Toppings:

1 large avocado, halved and sliced

Salsa or pico de gallo

Shredded cheese

Sour cream

Cilantro

cook until softened and charred. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside. Cook chicken or beef in the same skillet until browned. Slice chicken or beef into strips. Heat tortillas in dry skillet. Assemble fajitas with chicken or beef, peppers and onions. Finish with toppings.

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