Queen Creek Tribune 03/19/2023

BY MARK MORAN Tribune Staff Writer

AThe South Korean company has been quiet for nearly a year after announcing its $2.8-billion investment in the facility and won a state Land Department auction of 650 acres of State Trust Land near N. Ironwood Drive and E. Germann Road.

In a Jan. 31 letter, Byungsoo Ko, director of

fter months of inactivity, LG Energy Solution has taken a small step in the construction of its proposed battery production facility in Queen Creek. But the company continues to remain vague about its construction timetable – or even firmly commit to its long-proposed plans here.

its American subsidiary, ES America, LLC, told Arizona Commerce Authority President/ CEO Sandra Watson LG is making a sworn certification that it “has agreed to make capital investments of at least $50-million in the construction of new manufacturing at the Site.” Queen Creek Economic Development Di-

Steady as she rides Maricopa County agrees to clean up old QC landfill site

Steady as she goes Trick rider Summer Boyd wowed the audience at Roots and Boots as the celebration of Western heritage began March 15 at Horseshoe Park and Equestrian Centre in Queen Creek. The all-women’s rodeo Wednesday was a prelude to a jam-packed celebration that ends today, March 19. For details, see rootsnboots.org and for more photos from the women’s rodeo, see page 12. (David Minton/Tribune Staff Photographer)

BY MARK MORAN Tribune Staff Writer

Maricopa County supervisors last week agreed to comply with an Arizona Department of Environmental Quality to clean up toxic chemicals at a now-closed Queen Creek landfill.

The county still owns the E. Riggs Road site just feet from the Horseshoe Park Equestrian Centre and had disclosed the presence of at least one potential harmful chemical two years ago after testing water samples.

Although the county has been working to clean up the site ever since those tests, ADEQ wants it to follow a detailed cleanup and remediation plan outlined in the consent order that the Board of Supervisors approved without comment March 15.

The order directs the county to update ADEQ on its progress

Call to arms led Gilbert man to a business he loves

BY CECILIA CHAN Tribune Managing Editor

Mike Reber used to build custom acrylic aquariums until the housing market crashed and his business hit a slump.

“Nobody wanted aquariums anymore,” the Gilbert resident recalled. “My wife said, ‘do something you love.’”

And that’s what Reber has been doing for the nearly 15 years – selling antique and modern firearms.

He recently relocated his business Arizona Arms Sales from Chandler to Gilbert to a historic house converted to commercial use, half a mile west from the Heritage District. The 2,200-square foot brick home was once the residence of Otto and Edna Neely and part of the Neely Family farmstead, a working dairy farm until 1972.

“I’m getting older and I’ll not do this forever,” the 67-year-old Gilbert resident said.

“We downsized from a 12,000-squarefoot warehouse to this small property to basically have a mom-and-pop shop. It’s not

stark and white. It’s a nice, quiet little place.”

Visitors who enter the shop are greeted by two life-size cardboard cutouts of actor John Wayne in his cowboy persona and autographed photographs of the costumed actors from the 1993 movie “Tombstone,” hanging on the wall – testimony to Reber’s love of the Wild West.

Reber says his customers comment how comfortable they feel in the store.

Helping with that comfort level is employee Joy Triplett, an avid shooter who started off skeet shooting while in high school.

Most gun stores are staffed by men, which is intimidating to women, especially as first-time gun buyers, she said.

“Women tend to sell better to women,” said Triplett.

Women increasingly are buying guns

nationwide and Reber is also seeing the same: 25-30% of his customers are women looking for protection.

Women accounted for about half of all gun purchases between 2019 and 2021, and that new gun owners are more likely to be female, according to a survey by Harvard and Northwestern universities.

Gun manufacturers such as Smith and Wesson are taking note. The Massachusetts-based company released the Shield EZ in 2018 with an easy-to-rack slide and guns now come in all colors of the rainbow.

Americans own more guns per capita than any other country and 46% of U.S. households own at least one, according to the University of Chicago in 2022.

Arizona Arms Sales stocks about 2,500 guns and offers an array of choices, half modern and half collectibles. The store also sells ammunition and some gun accessories.

“We sell lot of collectible firearms, lot of historic firearms,” Reber said.

There’s a black-powder revolver dated

GUNS page 10

Mike Reber, owner of Arizona Arms Sales LLC in Gilbert, holds an 1860s-era Henry Rifle, one of many vintage firearms he sells. (David Minton/Tribune Staff Photographer)

An edition of the East Valley Tribune

Queen Creek Tribune is published every Sunday and distributed free of charge to homes and in single-copy locations throughout Queen Creek

CONTACT INFORMATION

Main number: 480-898-6500

Advertising: 480-898-6559

Circulation: 480-898-5641

Publisher: Steve T. Strickbine

Vice President: Michael Hiatt

ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT Display Advertising: 480-898-6309

Classifieds/Inside Sales: TJ Higgins | 480-898-5902 tjhiggins@TimesLocalMedia.com Steve Insalaco | 480-898-5635 sinsalaco@TimesLocalMedia.com

Advertising Sales Executive: Jane Meyer | 480-898-5633 jane@TimesLocalMedia.com

NEWS DEPARTMENT

Executive Editor: Paul Maryniak | 480-898-5647 pmaryniak@TimesLocalMedia.com

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

Reporters: Mark Moran | 480-898-5601 | mmoran@TimesLocalMedia.com Ken Sain | 928-420-5341 ksain@TimesLocalMedia.com

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

Photographer: Dave Minton | dminton@TimesLocalMedia.com

Design/Production Supervisor: Shannon Mead | smead@TimesLocalMedia.com

Design: Ruth Carlton | rcarlton@TimesLocalMedia.com

Circulation: 623-535-8439

Circulation Director: Aaron Kolodny | aaron@TimesLocalMedia.com

9.6-acre commercial rezone of industrial land sought

BY MARK MORAN Tribune Staff Writer

The Queen Creek Planning and Zoning Commission is considering a rezone of 9.6 acres on the southwest corner of Germann and Meridian roads an employment to a commercial classification

“The intent is to develop the property as a mix of commercial uses,” said a report submitted to the Planning and Zoning Commission by Iplan Consulting on behalf of Barney Farms, which owns the land. The report was presented by Iplan’s Greg Davis.

The 9.6 acres connects to what is slated to become the Germann Commerce Center on 67 acres, which Barney Farms sold to Thompson Thrift Commercial for $30-million last month.

The Commerce Center backs up to a large residential area owned by Fulton Homes just to the north and sits next to more vacant land destined for development.

Iplan said the rezoning will not create a shortage of available land for potential employers, considering the town’s recent annexation of 4,100 acres of State Trust Land.

The town is currently marketing that land in the northeast corner in the hope of creating what it calls an advanced manufacturing corridor.

“We do not see a scenario where the conversion of the subject 9.6 acres will result in a shortage of employment land,” the report said.

The report said research shows that industrial development on the site, in addition to similar projects planned or being developed in the area, will benefit from having small nodes of commercial activity nearby because workers would have access to services such as food, snacks and fuel.

“This site, at under 10 acres, is appropriately sized and positioned to serve both adjacent industrial and residential land uses and activates a property that will immediately benefit the Town,” the report said.

“We believe this amendment makes bet-

is considering

ter land planning sense as it is adjacent to two arterial streets which make it more appropriate for commercial/retail uses.”

Iplan also maintained, “This proposal could accelerate bringing all three of those to this area sooner than if left as Industrial.”

Town Development Services Director Brett Burningham and Senior Planner Sarah Clark said this area “could certainly work as light industrial employment.”

“However, with the new residential population growth in the area, and the new transportation corridors opened up, [they] believe that commercial will be viable and attract users that will bring higher benefit to the site, to the area, and to the Town,” a town staff report said.

The report said staff favored a “smaller commercial parcel at the intersection, increasing the amount of commercial land to support the needs of the surrounding area.”

The town report pointed to a similar rezoning application that was approved in October of last year at the southwest corner of Germann and Signal Butte roads as an example of how such a plan can work.

“The Barney Family has been developing land in Arizona since the early 1970s (Circle G, Val Vista Lakes) and has been landowners in Queen Creek since the 1940s,” Davis of Iplan said, adding:

“They care deeply about the community and the development for their property and as such, continually look for the highest and best use for each parcel they own.”

The renderings submitted to the Planning and Zoning Commission show multiple potential occupants for the 9.6 acre site but “no users are confirmed at this time nor are any included with this application.” 

The town

a rezone of 9.6 acres at Germann and Meridian roads from an employment to commercial classification. (Town of Queen Creek)

BATTERY from page 1

rector Doreen Cott was copied on the letter but did not respond to a request for comment and the town had little response when asked about the letter.

“There are no updates on the LGES project at this time,” said town spokeswoman Constance Halonen-Wilson. “The Town and (Pinal) County are continuing to work on the advanced manufacturing corridor and the opportunities it will bring to the region.”

Sophia Sojeong Kim, a spokeswoman for LG Energy Solution in Korea, said the company still has not made a final decision on the facility, but acknowledged the letter to the Commerce Authority.

“LGES has signed the letter - confirming our original investment plan (announced last year) exceeds USD 50 million, which makes Queen Creek Township eligible for the Arizona Department of Revenue’s reimbursement program,” she said in an email.

“In short, LGES has confirmed and agreed on Queen Creek Township’s being reimbursed from the Arizona state government,” Sojeong Kim wrote.

According to the Reuters News Service, LGES said it is in “active discussions” with Tesla and other electric vehicle startup companies to supply batteries from the proposed Queen Creek but did not elaborate.

“We are discussing with Tesla the supply of cylindrical batteries to be produced by the Arizona plant,” LG Energy Solution said in an earnings conference call on Jan. 27, according to the online publication Business Korea.

That report also said the facility could expand beyond its current planned size in light of the increasing demand for lithium batteries, including from Tesla.

The site sits amid more than 4,000 acres of former State Trust Land that the town annexed to develop commercial and industrial projects and is marketing the land to developers.

As part of the agreement with LGES, Queen Creek will “construct improvements to public infrastructure set forth in the Development Agreement,” the letter to the Commerce Authority said.

According to the LGES website, the new battery facility will be the first cylindrical lithium battery manufacturing plant in

North America.

“Batteries produced from the Arizona plant will be supplied to EV manufacturers including prominent startups and electric tool companies based in North America,” LGES said when initially announcing the facility in 2022.

“The company’s brand-new manufacturing facility will utilize a state-of-the-art smart factory system boasting remote support, manufacturing intelligence, logistics automation and more.

“This one-of-a-kind technology, along with its expertise in the mass production of batteries, will allow LGES to meet consumer demands in a stable manner and secure the company’s leadership in the North American battery market,” the company said on its website.

LGES said construction was to begin in the second quarter of last year, but then activity stopped.

The company has not undertaken any development of the site and the slowdown has raised speculation as to whether the project would proceed as LGES announced it was reviewing its plans.

But Business Korea quotes an unnamed source close to LGES saying “Even at the

time of announcing the review, LG Energy Solution was not considering scratching off the investment plan.”

“I understand that the company adjusted the details of its plan, such as the size of the plant and mass production timing, during the review process due to changes in the business environment,” the source was quoted as stating. “It will restart the project sooner or later, I think.”

The letter of intent to the Commerce Authority to invest $50-million is some confirmation that the deal is still going ahead, though there has been no official confirmation from Seoul.

“We’re still reviewing our investment in Arizona, and once we reach the final decision, we’ll make a public announcement,” Sojeong Kim said this week.

The partnership includes LGES, Queen Creek and Pinal County.

LG’s initial announcement of its plans to build the plant has stirred some controversy.

While town officials say it will be a boon to the town’s economy, neighboring resident have expressed fears it will be an environmental timebomb threatening people, pets and livestock. 

LANDFILL from page 1

every 30 days, describing what measures it has taken to remedy the problem, and meet date-specific benchmarks for progress.

The landfill stopped accepting refuse in 2007 and was officially closed in 2010, according to a county report.

The Queen Creek Landfill operated from 1972 to 1990 under an intergovernmental agreement between Maricopa County and the town and was then subcontracted to Allied Waste Industries, Inc. in 1994.

Queen Creek was not the only municipality using it, according to the county.

“The waste acceptance is believed to have doubled in 1997 when waste from the City of Chandler was added to the existing waste stream received at the QCLF,” it said.

“Waste at the north end of the landfill is believed to be the oldest. The majority of the landfill disposal area is unlined. The total disposal capacity of the (landfill) is estimated to be between 3,000,000 and 4,250,000 tons of waste,” the report said.

County officials told ADEQ on Jan. 26, 2021 that it had detected tetrachloroethylene (PCE) in a monitoring well and that the same chemical was found at “statistically significant levels” in groundwater. The levels exceeded the state’s aquifer water quality standard, the county reported.

The Centers for Disease Control says many industries, like dry cleaning and metal degreasing, “produce liquid wastes that contain the compound, which may then end up at waste treatment facilities.

“Tetrachloroethylene evaporates quickly from water into air, although some tetrachloroethylene may remain in the water. It is generally slow to break down in water. Tetrachloroethylene can migrate through vapors from the groundwater (or soil)

up into the air of homes and buildings through vapor intrusion.”

The CDC also says, “Studies in humans suggest that exposure to tetrachloroethylene for prolonged periods may lead to a higher risk of bladder cancer, multiple myeloma, or non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, but the evidence is not very strong.

“In animals, tetrachloroethylene has been shown to cause cancers of the liver, kidney, and blood system. It is not clear whether these effects might also occur in humans, because humans and animals differ in how their bodies handle tetrachloroethylene.”

The county commissioned further study

and on June 8, 2021, Hydro Geo Chem, Inc., confirmed the chemical’s presence and said it was “a statistically-significant exceedance” of state standards.

ADEQ required the county to drill three wells to monitor the groundwater and vapor in the soil at the site by the end of January of this year. Those wells were drilled and completed ahead of schedule, according to county documents.

By the end of next month, the county must drill additional monitoring wells offsite near the landfill location. Two of those wells will be near the Sonoqui Wash Trail, which is popular with horseback riders.

According to the county, those wells are scheduled to be completed by April 14, with door to door and email communication going out to members of Queen Creek homeowners associations by the end of March to inform them of the status of the cleanup and drilling of the wells.

The county held an informational meeting in Queen Creek last September to provide information on the current status of testing, discuss the remediation actions it is taking at the site, outline next steps, and answer questions. Eight people attended, the county reported.

As wells are drilled, the county agreed to send the groundwater samples to ADEQ for analysis by the second quarter of this year, then come up with a proposed cleanup plan by fall.

ADEQ requires Maricopa County to have the remedial plan completed by the end of next February.

The county must also provide a separate Health and Safety Plan “that describes all activities to be performed to protect onsite personnel, visitors, and/or area residents from physical, chemical, and all other hazards posed by the work the (re-

The now-closed landfill is close to Horseshoe Park Equestrian Centre. (Maricopa County)

medial action plan) requires,” the order states.

That plan also must include a description of how it will meet water quality standards, how the plan “will protect public health and the environment,” how it is reducing or eliminating the source of the chemical and “a description of how generated wastes will be handled.”

Maricopa County has 60 days to provide the state with a final report on the remediation work and ADEQ will then determine it the site can be considered remediated.

ADEQ retains the authority to require additional measures of Maricopa County if its clean up criteria are not met.

“We appreciate the County’s attention

and responsiveness to this item,” said town spokeswoman Constance Halonen-Wilson told the Tribune when asked for reaction.

“It is important to note that none of the Town’s active wells are within one mile of the monitoring well that detected PCE. The Town tests for PCE at all well sites and all levels have been non-detect,” she said. “The Town’s water quality is ensured through a series of chemical and bacteriological tests performed throughout the year.”

Queen Creek currently contracts with Waste Connections of Arizona, which “utilizes a landfill in Eloy and a recycling center in Apache Junction,” Halonen-Wilson added. 

East Valley event thanks Vietnam veterans 50 years late

BY JOSH ORTEGA Tribune Staff Writer

In March 1973, the last U.S. combat troops withdrew from Vietnam and returned to a divided country where many veterans didn’t receive recognition for their service.

Starting at noon Saturday, March 25, the 50th Anniversary Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day event looks to remedy that by honoring area veterans who served on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces from November 1955 to May 1975, regardless of their location at the time.

Veterans are invited to receive free haircuts and other services from approximately 100 education and informational vendors.

The public is invited to join the celebration, which will include live bands, Native American and Mexican folk dance troops, military equipment displays a Wreaths Across America educational trailer, food trucks, and a replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

Organizers encourage people to contribute a small donation of a non-perish-

Protect Your Legacy

able food items to benefit the Superstition Community Food Bank.

• Your family will know your wishes

• The decisions will already be made

• You achieve peace of mind

• Funeral costs

bers served in Vietnam, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.. is inscribed with the names of over 58,000 service members killed in the war.

In 2012, President Barack Obama signed a presidential proclamation designating March 29 as the annual observance of Vietnam War Veterans Day. In 2017, President Donald Trump signed Vietnam War Veterans Recognition Act, to include National Vietnam War Veterans Day as an occasion for raising the flag on all public buildings.

In 2012, Nancy Fassbender of Gold Canyon started to hold an event that drew more than 1,500 veterans every March to the Mesa Market Place Swap Meet to honor veterans.

The Lincoln, Nebraska, native joined the Army National Guard in 1975 as a helicopter mechanic and although an injury ended her military career three years later, Fassbender said she’s still “very proud” of it.

From February 1961 until May 1975, approximately 2.7 million U.S. service mem-

Starting at 10 a.m., ceremonies will take place including a color guard by the Apache Junction High School Navy JROTC. Additionally, students from Patterson Elementary School in Gilbert will be on hand holding signs with supportive phrases like “Welcome Home” and “Thank you for your service.”

Nancy Fassbender, Jerry Sullivan and Trio Caldwell show off the pins they will be giving to Vietnam War-era veterans. (David Minton/Tribune Staff Photographer)

Fassbender spent much of her career as an accountant and moved to Arizona in 1998.

An office manager for a tax preparation company in Gold Canyon, she organizes a variety of veterans events and even penned a book, “My Fallen Hero,” which chronicles the stories of all the service members from Pinal County who died in combat, starting from World War One to present day.

Elisa Krcilek, vice president of Mountain View Funeral Home and Cemetery, said that while she holds a special place in her heart for all veterans, those who served in Vietnam hold a special distinction. (YouTube)

“I encourage the public because I want them to welcome home the Vietnam veterans,” Fassbender said. “This is why in Iraq and Afghanistan we didn’t lose as many soldiers as we could have, because of what the technology and everything that we learned happened in Vietnam.”

Fassbender has partnered with Mountain View Funeral Home and Cemeteryin Mesa on other projects, including the Wreaths Across America, which offers people a chance to sponsor a wreath for placement on a veteran’s grave during the Christmas holidays.

She approached Mountain View about hosting the Vietnam veterans celebration and was surprised by the response.

“I didn’t get one sentence out before they’re saying, ‘We’re in, we would be honored to work with you on this,’” Fassbender said.

Elisa Krcilek, vice president of Mountain View Funeral Home and Cemetery, said that while she holds a special place in her heart for all veterans, those who served in Vietnam hold a special distinction.

“I come from a very long history of military and the people serving today are treated and respected far greater than they were 50 years ago,” she said.

Krcilek and her sister were born on base at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, California, while her dad served as a heavy equipment operator in the Marine Corps. She has two sons serving in the Navy.

Along with the importance of the half-century anniversary, Krcilek said events like this allow the community to come together, regardless of political views of the war, to honor men and women who came home and found no respect

or gratitude for their service.

“It gives our cemetery the opportunity to say thank you, to show reverence and respect to those that served during a very difficult time,” Krcilek said. “These guys, no matter what role or what job they had, during Vietnam, they’ve all come back with some heavy weight on their hearts.”

Krcilek’s dad served four years in the Marines and went to boot camp with many men who deployed to Vietnam, including two cousins, one of whom was featured on the cover of Time Life Magazine and in a documentary.

Krcilek said events like this tell those veterans they are appreciated and their service has not been ignored.

She recalled an incident in a supermarket that occurred while she was wearing a “Proud Navy Mom” t-shirt and a elderly gentleman walked up to her “clearly choked up” and thanked her son for his service.

Krcilek said the man told her, “You have no idea how prideful it is, but how sad it is, there’s not a day that goes by in my life that I do not think about that war.”

That’s one reason that when Nancy Fassbender approached Mountain View with her idea, Krcilek said they “just fell in love with the idea.”

“So, it’s a very honorable thing to be able to do for our veterans and their families,” Krcilek said. 

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.

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1860, an 1882 and an 1887 single-action Colts and an M1 Garand sniper rifle with scope and a funnel-like fire hider attached to the muzzle end that was used during the Korean War.

“It’s one of the more unique pieces he has because it has all of the originals,” Triplett said of the M1. That weapon retails for $5,200.

An 1865 engraved Henry Repeating Rifle in pristine condition also is for sale for $35,000.

“I’ve sold five of them already,” said Reber, who acquired them from a collector.

One of the oldest pieces in the store is a flintlock rifle circa 1830s but that belongs in Reber’s private collection and isn’t not for sale.

Reber has been collecting guns for 40 years and has amassed a personal collection of 300.

“I love the Colt revolvers, the Winchesters,” said Reber, who works seven day a week and doesn’t have the time to go shooting anymore. “There’s history there and I like history.”

For the collector preferring something more modern, Reber offers a custom

“MAGA AR-15” stamped with “Trump” and “MAGA” on it that comes in a variety of colors such as red and purple, retailing for $1,195.

Reber has sold eight of those so far.

Besides the brick-and-mortar location, Arizona Arms Sales has a big internet presence – selling on gunbroker.com under “acrylictnk.” Another venue for the business is the weekend gun shows, like the one he’ll be attending this coming weekend in Queen Creek.

Reber said he attends 35 to 38 events a year, all in Arizona. The shows comprise the biggest portion of his business at 50%, he said.

His wife, Judy, mostly works the weekend gigs, and also has a business she runs out of the shop.

Judy Reber has owned Merino Skin Care USA for over 35 years and although the bulk of her sales is from online, she’s stocking her product at the shop.

“A lot of these gun people need this for their hands – especially the guys because they don’t go to a beauty supply to get something good,” she explained.

A bestseller is the “Crack Blaster,” which is great for outdoor shooters because their hands dry out in the Arizona sun or

for people cleaning guns because the oil tends to eat up the hands a little bit.

Changing careers midstream isn’t new for Reber, who raised lions, tigers and bears for 20 years while living in Ohio. He would get the exotic animals when they were 2 weeks old, raise them and take them into schools, nursing homes and the like for education presentations.

Federal regulations eventually made it increasingly difficult to run the business and Reber sold it.

He said the same thing is happening to gun sellers as increasing restrictions are placed on them. He said that the federal Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Bureau already can revoke a firearms license for any one of the five violations.

“So, the goal is to get rid of gun dealers,” Reber said. “That is the goal. And they’ve gone probably over the last 30 years, gone from almost 500,000 dealers to probably 60,000 now.”

The Giffords Law Center reported that over 52,900 individuals currently have “Type 1” federal firearms licenses that allow them to act as firearms dealers. Another 7,000 have “Type 2” licenses, which allow them to buy and sell guns as pawnbrokers, and about 74,251 individuals have other types of federal firearms licenses.

According to the nonprofit, which works to enact stronger gun safety laws in the country, “dealers are subject to very little federal oversight” and claimed that “gun dealers represent a major source of illegally trafficked firearms.”

The organization was formed from a merger between a California legal group and the group formed by former Rep. Gabby Gifford, D-Tucson, who survived an assassination attempt in 2011.

The American Progress, an independent, nonpartisan policy institute, stated that guns are diverted into illegal gun markets in three common ways – straw purchases, secondary sales through private sellers, and theft from individual gun owners or firearm dealers.

porting of ballistics data.

An unsettling fact is that more Americans – 45,222 people – died of gun-related injuries in 2020 than in any other year on record, which includes murders and suicides, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

But more legislation is not the answer to stopping the gun violence, Reber said.

“Punish the people – that is the first start,” he said. “If they would just enforce the laws that are on the books already, which they do not.”

He recalled that a former employee stole “many guns” from his business and he reported it to the police and ATF.

“They didn’t even make any attempts to contact him at all,” said Reber, who gave the agencies the accused thief’s identity. He said he was basically told that his case was a low priority.

Reber said he and other gun dealers also have told the ATF about a dealer transferring weapons to buyers at a gun show without doing a background check because the computer system was down. At the end of the show when the computer system came back up, the dealer then submitted the background checks, which was “1000 percent illegal” but he’s still in business, Reber said.

And, he said, the ATF agents who do annual audits of his business give conflicting information.

“They do not have a single clue about their own laws and I know that for a fact,” said Reber, who knows the gun laws inside-out and is often called upon by media for commentary whenever there is a mass shooting. “All the laws are subjective to whoever is doing the investigation.”

Triplett added that it’s getting to the point that nobody wants to be in the business because of the hassle.

But, he added, “After I spent 11 months fighting to get my business license, they’re going to have a tough time putting me out of business,” he promised. 

Just last week, President Joe Biden, who has a long record of pushing for gun control, signed an executive order directing the Attorney General to move the country as close to universal background checks as possible without additional legislation.

The order also directs Cabinet members to expand existing federal campaigns and other efforts to promote safe storage of firearms and it helps catch shooters by accelerating federal law enforcement’s re-

Arizona Arms Sales

Location: 487 W Elliot Road, Gilbert Hours: Mondays to Fridays, 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Gun show: Mike Reber will be selling his guns at the Crossroads of the West Gun Show, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday, March 25 and 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Sunday, March 26 at The Barney Family Sports Complex, 22050 E. Queen

Road,

Photo

Photo by Art of Aperture Photography

Yippee ki-yay, ladies

Roots ‘N Boots opened its four-day extravaganza on Wednesday with a women’s rodeo that showed off their skills on horseback after 1) Pro Rodeo Queen Laurna Grogitsky rode with the Stars and Stripes. After the ceremonial opening, a variety of thrilling displays of horse-woman-ship included 2) Kaylee Billingsly of Phoenix roping a calf; 3) Ellison Walker of San Tan Valley losing her hat while chasing down a calf; 4) Cindy Welling roping one of the animals; 5) Emily Gately showing off her roping skills; 6) Stacy Padilla of San Tan Valley racing around a barrel and 7) Leigh Ann Billingsly chasing down a calf

PHOTOS BY

DAVID MINTON/AFN Staff Photographer

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Builder’s EV center addresses big need

BY KEN SAIN Tribune Staff Writer

There’s been a severe labor shortage that has caused delays to building projects around the nation and St. Louis-based McCarthy Building Companies is doing something about it with its first Innovation and Craft Workforce Center in West Chandler.

The $10 million investment is meant to help train future workers, bringing more electricians, carpenters, plumbers and others into the workforce.

“We noticed the same deficiency in craft workers and the gap between what the overall need is in the local market, and the supply of workers,” said Eric Fields, the vice president of operations for the company. “

“So we wanted to create a space that we could attract that talent that might not be interested in the construction industry, have a space to be able to train them, to give them the skills they need to pursue a career in construction.”

The new training center is partnering with East Valley Institute of Technology to expose young people to possible careers in the construction field.

Fields said ideally these new workers will be hired by McCarthy, but that if they decide to go to a different company, so be it.

“It’s not a selfish thing, we want to just generate momentum for the industry,” Fields said. “We have a lot of peer companies that we work with, and we want them to be just as successful as we are.

“But there’s a shortage of 4,000 workers – not all of those need to go to McCarthy.”

Fields says many of their new trainees respond to job listings. They will take someone who has no experience and pay them $19 an hour to start.

The first step is to teach them the safety habits they need for their jobs. That hap-

are learning for a few years.

“That’s kind of individual based, but we

Then, they can expect to work with experienced workers in whatever field they

follow a typical four-year apprenticeship program,” Fields said.

“If you’re coming to us as a green individual with no experience, usually it’s about four years to get through to get all the knowledge you can before we’d send you out on their own. But, some people develop faster than others.”

He said they are flexible, so if someone starts out as a plumber, but soon learns they don’t like that, they can switch to something else.

“We can help foster that transition into the different trades that they might be more passionate about,” Fields said.

“I’m big on wanting to put people in roles that they’re passionate about, because we usually get better results. And so helping folks find that right career path is definitely something we’re trying to do.”

EVIT students were at the center the first week of March. Fields said they had the class work with the integrated design and delivery team, led by architects, working on a virtual 3D model.

“Then our self perform teams take that model, and break it up into their individual things, you can generate fabrication sheets, those fabrication sheets are then manufactured in our prefab facilities,” Fields said.

“So those students were learning that and then taking one of the fabrication sheets and generating a hands-on activity related to a built-in wall roughed in for a plumbing fixture.”

McCarthy is spending a lot of money to attract and train new workers.

“I think you’ll start to see some of these pop up around the country in other McCarthy regions, and probably see other industry partners generating facilities like this to help with that overall demand,” Fields said.

“It’s not just McCarthy that has the need. Definitely want to attract the best talent, then train them and retain them.”

pens in the new training center with the Safe Start classes.

Ethan Covington measures a pipe fitting in a training jig at McCarthy Building Companies’ new Innovation and Craft Workforce Center. (David Minton/Tribune Staff Photographer)

The Solar Operations and Management Center is part of McCarthy Building Companies’ new Innovation and Craft Workforce Center. (David Minton/Tribune Staff Photographer)

Kelly’s censorship question may tip voters against him

BY JD HAYWORTH Tribune Columnist

Mark Kelly, who used a stellar resume’ to win a 2020 special election for the U.S. Senate, then spent an astronomical sum to keep the seat in 2022 for a full term, is discovering the effects of gravity on governing.

You won’t find Arizona’s junior senator prepping to star in a remake of the 1976 movie, “The Man Who Fell to Earth”— at least not yet. But the Tucson Democrat, like that film’s leading man, the late David Bowie, may soon sing of “Ch-Ch-ChCh-Changes.”

Look for Kelly’s popularity among Arizona voters to suffer a precipitous fall –all because of a not-so-innocent question he asked. It came during a March 12 Zoom call

of 200 people, including other senators, House members and committee staffers from both parties – all joining with representatives from the Federal Reserve, Treasury Department, and the Federal Deposit and Insurance Corporation (FDIC). The subject was the Silicon Valley Bank bailout.

The former astronaut and his crew were looking for a way to bailout of the incoming critical press coverage once that call concluded.

“Sen. Mark Kelly Called for Social Media Censorship to Prevent Bank Runs,” read the headline on journalist Michael Shellenberger’s Substack blog, “Public.”

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Kentucky) provided details of what’s quickly become a massive headache for the Arizona senator, saying that Kelly “asked the three agencies if there was a program underway on social media to censor information that would lead to a bank run.”

“I believe he couched it in a concern that foreign actors would be doing this, but he didn’t suggest the censorship should be limited to foreigners or to things that were untrue. The people from the three agencies couldn’t answer him and just sort of took a pass on the question.”

Massie initially took a pass on directly identifying Kelly—as did Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colorado)—who took to Twitter to claim that “a member asked if they (Treasury officials) were reaching out to Facebook and Twitter to monitor misinformation and ‘bad actors.’”

Lest the GOP stand accused of manufacturing misinformation, Rep. Dan Bishop (R-North Carolina), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations, and Accountability ID’d the Arizona senator and demanded that Kelly be held accountable.

“I have confirmed with (House Speaker Kevin) McCarthy that it was Sen. Mark

Kelly who asked on last night’s zoom call whether the call hosts (at Treasury, the Fed, and the FDIC) were interacting with SM (social media) platforms and on the lookout for foreign influence that might promote bank runs.”

Kelly and his staff didn’t exactly run to cameras and microphones to deny the senator’s line of questioning. In fact, it took almost 24 hours for Kelly to respond.

Curious timing, that.

Remember his aforementioned “stellar resume’?” Kelly’s qualifications as a fighter pilot and astronaut?

Both those positions require lightening-quick reflexes and instant responses. If untrue, a simple “No!” could have been uttered in less than a second.

When Kelly’s staff finally formulated a response, it was more lawyerly that lei-

HAYWORTH page 18

Opening a box brings a flood of memories

BY DAVID LEIBOWITZ Tribune Columnist

The cardboard box sat in the garage for years, in part because the shipping label said it weighed 110 pounds. But the real reason I put off unpacking the box was fear of what it might contain.

My brother packed it up shortly after our mother died at the end of 2017. She was a bit of a packrat, my mom. There was no telling what she might have saved.

Lately, with another birthday looming, I’ve been on a neatness kick. You know the drill: As getting older sets in, you think more order in your life, less detritus, will make you feel on top of things, not quite so ancient.

In a fit of motivation, I opened the box. And found a thousand yellowed news-

paper columns dating back to the first tales I ever got paid to write in Trenton, New Jersey, in 1992 and after my move to Arizona in spring 1995.

My parents subscribed and had those newspapers mailed to Florida. I dug in and spent the morning reading Valley news from what feels like an eternity ago.

What struck me was how little has changed over the better part of three decades. Back then, the sad sack Arizona Cardinals were on the prowl for a new taxpayer-funded stadium. Today it’s the equally sad Arizona Coyotes looking for a new home and a massive handout.

In May 1995, I wrote about the National Rifle Association coming to town for a national convention. I contrasted the exhibit halls full of guns with a sober scene across town in Mesa: 400 schoolkids and teachers mourning the shooting death of 16-year-old Derrick

Garcia, killed by a former classmate who put a bullet in his chest.

“It’s just going to go on and on,” said Jessica Olivarez, Derrick’s 17-year-old cousin. “I hope this time, Derrick’s death changes everything. … Nothing is worth this.”

I shared her hope. A few hundred thousand senseless shootings later, we remain stuck in place.

So it goes for gay rights, as well. We’ve come a long way since I wrote about Dawn Bates and Barb Jones, a Tempe couple together for 16 years, but whose union could not be made legal back then.

The two had faced financial struggles, discrimination and hatred for being out and lesbian.

“I think we’re looking for a level playing field,” Barb said in 1996. Many of my gay friends are still looking today. Barb

concluded with a thought that makes every bit as much sense to me today as it did 27 years ago.

“We,” she said, “ought to be accorded the respect that any American would expect.”

In the paper days later, a guy named John Camp singled out the column in a letter to the editor.

“I would like for Mr. Leibowitz and all those who support the marriage of homosexuals and enjoy parading ‘loving’ couples to advance their cause, to answer one simple question: Must all loving relationships end in sexual acts of some kind in order to prove their validity?”

Like I said, the years pass, but some things stay the same. I still have no clue what that guy is talking about.

page 17

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surely offered. Mark’s underlings insisted that their boss was focused on foreign adversaries potentially trying to take advantage of the situation by spreading misinformation.

Actually, it appears “Team Kelly” was more interested in misdirection than misinformation in responding to concerns, emphasizing a focus on “foreign actors.”

Some days, I fear this beautiful state of ours is about to come undone, that Arizona will finally break beneath its stressors: Drought, sprawl, hatred, po-

Granted access to contemporaneous notes taken by another participant on the March 12th Zoom call, this columnist can reveal that a couple of questions asked by Senator Kelly were much more “universal” in nature, going far beyond the oft-mentioned overseas “actors.”

Specifically, “Do we have a group of people paying attention to what’s going on online?”

Then, more troublingly, “Are we making social media companies aware so

litical tomfoolery, evil HOAs, sports team futility, too few dollars for education, too many incompetents in too many elected positions.

that they can take action?”

Given the Democrats’ collective coziness with Big Tech—and their successful efforts at censoring their GOP opponents during the 2020 and 2022 campaigns, it’s not far-fetched to suggest that Kelly views his own experience with political censorship as a benefit.

Whether Arizona voters will view their junior senator’s embrace of censorship as a much-needed tool—and even an asset to government— is doubtful. 

Probably not, the contents of the box reminded me. We’ve battled the same problems for decades. We’ve outlasted them so far. We probably will for years to come. I packed up the box and put it aside, vowing to visit it again down the line. Because what good are memories if you never unpack them? 

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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Unselfish mindset key for Casteel baseball this season

BY ZACH ALVIRA Tribune Sports Editor

Matt Denny can’t help but smile when thinking about the players he has in this year’s Casteel baseball roster.

It’s littered with next-level talent from top to bottom and of various ages. He has seniors getting looks from colleges and those he calls vastly underrated. The junior class is led by a player whose family has a history of making it to the big leagues, while the sophomores and freshman are already playing key roles at the varsity level.

But even with all that talent, Denny hasn’t had any problems corralling it. Each player wants to see others succeed. Each player wants the team to be the best it can.

It’s because of that unselfishness Denny believes his team has an opportunity to do something special this season. But he knows there’s still a lot of baseball left to be played.

“We try not to get too ahead of ourselves. We tell our guys to keep our feet grounded,” Denny said. “Live in the moment now. This is a really cool group. They’re disciplined, they’re tough and they really play for each other.”

The unselfishness of the Casteel roster starts with the understanding of what the Colts are capable of this season. The Colts went under .500 last year as a team but knew they were better than what the record showed.

This year, they’re a young group, led by a few seniors that have helped elevate the program over the course of their careers. Crew Price is one of them.

The senior outfielder is batting a teamhigh .500 so far this season with three home runs, one of which on a catcher’s interference. Denny said he’s one of the most underrated players in the state.

“He’s been the person that has helped me exceed all of the expectations for myself and he sees, honestly, more than I see

in myself sometimes,” Price said before explaining how close the team is this season. “We hold each other accountable and make sure we all are doing the right thing and having a fun time.”

The leadership from players like Price extends to other seniors, even if it’s in a different capacity.

Pitcher Nick Dale has established himself as the starter for the Colts this season. But just two years ago he was on the outside looking in as he was cut during tryout.

Plenty of people got in his ear and told him to transfer. But he stuck it out at Casteel and came back with a vengeance as a junior. He made the team and is now a star.

Against Basha, one of the top 6A programs this season, he pitched five innings and allowed just four hits to the Bears’ high-powered offense. He picked up his third win this year with a 3-0 shutout.

“I’m a lot more confident now,” Dale said. “I know what kind of pitcher I am, and I know my pitches are good enough to beat anybody. I haven’t focused on the

result as much and just focus on making good pitches.

“We all understand how good we are, but we don’t get cocky.”

Through seven games this season, the Colts outscored opponents 51-14. That includes the win over Basha as well as 5A contenders Campo Verde and Horizon.

Along with Price, junior utility player Landon Hairston has been key for the Colts’ big bats. He also bats .500 with 11 hits and a team-high eight RBI.

Hairston’s success and talent on the field comes as no surprise to Denny. Hairston is the son of Scott Hairston, who played 11 years in the majors. His great grandfather, Sam Hairston, grandfather, Jerry Hairston Sr., and uncle, Jerry Hairston Jr., also had stints in the big leagues.

He’s not trying to replicate his family’s success and represent Casteel in the process.

“That’s been my goal since I was a young kid, to keep the family tradition going,” Hairston said, adding how much fun he’s had so far this season. “This group of guys

is great. We’ve got some guys on this team that are super competitive and want to win at any cost. Whether it’s a small role or a huge role, they’re up for the task.”

Denny said the talent extends to the Casteel bench, too. But none of them harp about a lack of playing time or roles that aren’t as big as they envisioned. To them, it’s all about “Pound the Rock,” a Motto adopted by the team that reminds them to stay grounded even when success is coming their way.

It’s made the Colts successful so far, and they hope to keep it going even as they faced national competition this past week in the Boras Classic and again in their tournament, the Coach Bob National Invitational, this week. Over 100 teams are expected to participate in the tournament, many of which from all over the country.

Denny believes games like those will help Casteel through the grind of the season. He knows there will be tougher matchups. He knows his team may struggle at times.

But he also knows this team plays for each other and that’s what makes them a special group with the ability to make a deep push in the playoffs.

“These guys are great. I knew it from the beginning and they’re even surpassing some of my expectations as well,” Denny said. “We just need to keep doing what we’re doing. There’s going to be some downs. We just have to trust in the process and prepare ourselves to make a run.” 

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

Casteel High School baseball head coach Matt Denny, junior utility player Landon Hairston, senior pitcher Nick Dale and senior outfielder Crew Price all know what the Colts are capable of this season. But they also embrace an unselfish mindset that puts egos aside to focus on the team’s success. (Dave Minton/Tribune Staff)

Symphony of the Southwest entertains for 8 decades

BY COTY DOLORES MIRANDA GetOut Contributor

The Symphony of the Southwest, a hidden gem of an orchestra with members from throughout the East, presents its season final concert on April 1.

Playfully titled Romantic Favorites for April Fools, the eclectic symphony will perform at 7:30 p.m. at the Mesa Arts Center.

Until 2008, Symphony of the Southwest was called the Mesa Symphony. The current name better indicates not only the demographics of its 70plus musicians, but also the composition of the audience it attracts.

The Symphony of the Southwest has been under the baton of conductor Cal

Stewart Kellogg since 2005. His vast experience, as indicated in his biography on SymphonyoftheSouthwest.org, spans the world.

Before moving to Phoenix in 2000, Maestro Kellogg conducted 24 opera productions over 16 consecutive seasons for the prestigious Washington National Opera at the Kennedy Center, Washington D.C.

The maestro is an avid believer in the power of live music.

“The symphony concert is a real thrill; you can’t match it. You can play CDs all day but they’re not the same as when you hear the symphony live. It’s exceptional.” said Kellogg, who lived and studied in Italy for two decades right after high school.

Among the symphony orchestra’s

members is Mesa resident Andrew

“Andy” Bunch, who is concluding his 49th season. He joined in 1974, shortly after graduating from Arizona State University.

The bassoonist has served under seven conductors, including Kellogg. His first three conductors were Bill Engelsman of Mesa’s Westwood High School; Ralston Pitt, who at the time was music supervisor for Mesa Public Schools; and Wayne Roederer, string specialist for the Mesa district.

Gilbert residents Trent and Megan Bender have played with the Symphony of the Southwest and for 12 years. (Courtesy of Kathy Roark) see SYMPHONY page 21

NHRA’s Erica Enders is ready for a sixth win

BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI GetOut Staff Writer

The impending closure of Wild Horse Pass Motorsport Park means the end of an era for five-time Pro Stock world champion Erica Enders.

Enders’ family has a long history with the Valley. A former record-breaking water-skier, her father, Gregg Enders, helped dig Firebird Lake, near the track. They frequented Manzanita Raceway in Phoenix, prior to its closure.

“Before I raced professionally, I always traveled to Phoenix to race, even though it’s a long haul from Houston,” she said. “That’s even as kids and junior dragsters. It’s sad that it’s coming to a close.”

Enders will have one more shot with the 28th annual NHRA Arizona Nationals at the Chandler track from Wednesday, March 22, to Sunday, March 26.

“I think you can look forward to some pretty outstanding performance there,”

Enders said.

“We’re on the heels of our fifth world title last year. Our expectations are set pretty high.”

Enders, 39, is in her 19th professional season, but she has been racing since she was 8. She grew up watching Gregg race as an amateur, along with her sister, Court-

ney Enders. In 2003, The Disney Channel released a movie about the sisters called “Right on Track.” Erica was portrayed by Beverley Mitchell, while Brie Larson played Courtney.

In 1993, she won the Division 4 Junior Dragster championship in the 8- to 9-yearold class. Two years later, she was crowned Junior Dragster Driver of the Year. She now boasts 37 career wins.

“At 16, we joined the Lucas Oil Series, which is like the minor leagues,” Enders said. “I did that for five years. Then I got a deal to drive professionally at the end of 2004. Back, when I was a kid, when they’d ask what I wanted to be when I grew up. Other kids would answer doctor, lawyer, astronaut. I always wanted to be a race car driver and I’ve been blessed to accomplish that dream.”

Girls look up to her, she said. In 2006, she was the first woman to qualify No. 1

NHRA Arizona Nationals speeds back into Arizona for one last time and Erica Enderswill be racing for one last win at the track. (Special to GetOut)

SYMPHONY from page 20

“It is always inspiring to work with colleagues that are as dedicated and talented as the musicians in the orchestra,” said Bunch.

“In the early years the symphony held its concerts at high schools and churches, but since the opening of the Mesa Arts Center we now have a world class venue in which to perform. We have also had the pleasure of performing with a number of talented, creative guest artists.”

Bunch has also performed with the Arizona Wind Symphony for 12 years.

Chandler resident Timothy Haas, principal clarinetist for Symphony of the Southwest, is in his 18th year. He teaches clarinet and saxophone in his home studio, online with students nationwide, and as clarinet professor at Grand Canyon University.

He said he was introduced to the clarinet in sixth grade.

“When we were in elementary school, I played recorder. Sixth grade at our school was the first year band was offered. I didn’t want to do it, but my mother signed me anyway,” he laughed.

“It was awful. I stuck with it for a while and discovered I liked it,” he said, admitting by high school he was All-State California in the instrument.

He chose it for his career, earning his undergraduate degree at ASU and then his Master’s in Clarinet Performance from Florida State University.

Haas said he appreciates the mastery of his fellow symphony musicians and their

from page 20

in Pro Stock, in Topeka, Kansas. She broke the national speed record in Pro Stock at 213.57 miles per hour in Gainesville, Florida. The accolades continued.

“I remember being a fan and going to see the women I looked up to,” Enders said.

“I stood outside the pit waiting to get autographs. I see the same sparkle in some of those kids’ eyes. It’s been a surreal, pinchme moment. I try to make it the best experience I can for them.

“The first time someone asked for my autograph, I was a kid racing juniors. I thought, ‘So, this is where I’m going.’ We’ve had a blast of a life getting to do what we love.”

In 2018, she began driving a Pro Modified entry for Elite Motorsports, a twin turbo 2019 Camaro. The following year, Enders escaped serious injuries when her Chevrolet Camaro caught fire at the end

conductor.

Gilbert residents Trent and Megan Bender, who’ve been with the Symphony of the Southwest since 2011, play viola and French horn, respectively.

“I love playing the music that Maestro Kellog selects. We seem to play one of my favorite composers almost every concert. Dvorak, Tchaikowsky, Brahms, they all wrote fantastic parts for the viola,” said Megan, adding:

“We’re playing selections from ‘West Side Story’ which is one of my all time favorites, at our next concert.”

The couple, who met in orchestra while attending the University of Iowa, concur that their conductor is one reason for the Symphony of the Southwest’s continuing success.

“Maestro Kellog is one of the kindest people I have ever met. He’s so knowledgeable about the music and I truly feel it is a privilege to be following his baton,” said Megan, an orchestra teacher at Mesa’s Poston Junior High and Field Elementary schools.

“The players in our orchestra are also some of the most talented musicians as well as just enjoyable people to be having fun creating music together.”

After directing a high school band and teaching music at the elementary school level, Trent Bender is dean of students at Desert Ridge High School in Gilbert.

Symphony of the Southwest musicians as well as Kellogg say full audiences at their concerts are a boon, though ticket

of a qualifying run in the NHRA Pro Mod class in Ohio.

The challenges of racing have kept her passionate throughout the years.

“The challenges intrigue me,” she said. “Pro Stock is a challenging car to drive. You’re pretty busy inside the cockpit, having to shift and whatnot. It’s a cool class. No matter how much seat time you have, or years you’ve done this, it’s still tough. It’s really humbling. That’s what keeps me coming back. I want to be the best.” 

If you go

What: NHRA Arizona Nationals

When: Various times Wednesday, March 22, to Sunday, March 26

Where: Wild Horse Pass Motorsports

Park, 20000 S. Maricopa Rd, Chandler

Tickets: Tickets start at $44

Info: nhra.com

prices don’t begin to cover the symphony’s financial needs.

“It really depends on fundraising efforts,” said Kellogg, specifically pointing to Tempe residents Kathi Roark and Patricia Cosand, neither of whom are among symphony members.

Instead, these two women launched an Etsy shop called “Sewing for the Symphony” where they sell their handcrafted works with all proceeds earmarked for the Symphony of the Southwest.

“We’ve done many things to help raise money,” said Roark. “Patricia does a lot of smocking, mainly children’s clothing. She has a huge following in the UK. I do machine-embroidered towels, aprons; I’ve also knitted scarves.”

Why put the profits of their labor into the symphony’s coffers? Roark doesn’t hesitate to answer.

“It’s such a good organization; our biggest issue is letting people know we’re here,” she said. “And we have enormous respect for the conductor and musicians. Actually, we have many friends who are musicians.”

The April 1 concert line-up is a varied one with presentations from Brahms (‘Academic Festival Overture’) to Bernstein

(‘West Side Story Symphonic Dances’). And though the 2022-23 season comes to an end, there are other ways to enjoy the musicians.

People can hire the Symphony’s Community Ensembles for private events, large or small.

Their website SymphonyfortheSouthwest.org lists the various possibilities ranging from string quartets to full orchestra. There’s even a ‘Sing-a-long with Cal’ with Maestro Kellogg performing ‘golden Broadway favorites’ on piano.

Donations can also help the Symphony of the Southwest continue to fulfill their mission “to enrich the community through quality musical performances and educational programs for people of all ages, backgrounds and economic levels.” It is also possible to “Sponsor a Chair” in the orchestra through donations.

Opportunities for tax-deductible donations can be made on their website , through PayPal, or by check mailed to 2109 E. Greenway Drive, Tempe AZ 85282 For more information on the Symphony or to purchase tickets for the April 1 concert: SymphonyfortheSouthwest.org. They can also be found on Twitter and Facebook. 

ENDERS

When it comes to runzas, I’ve discovered there are generally two types of people.

Those who have never heard of them, and those who would travel for miles just to find a runza that’s as tasty as the one they remembered way back when. If you’re from the Midwest, especially from states like Nebraska, Iowa and Kansas, you’re as likely to stumble across a Runza restaurant or drive-in as you would a burger joint.

Runzas (also called “bierocks”) are fantastic. There’s no other way to put it.

With JAN D’ATRI

GetOut Columnist

Runzas are a little

known delight for your table

They are slightly sweet soft yeast dough made into bread pockets and filled with ground beef, cabbage onions, and seasonings. A good sharp cheddar can also be added for extra zing.

They are baked in various shapes. The official Nebraska Runza is always baked in a rectangular shape, and the Bierocks of Kansas are baked in the shape of a bun.

Both the bierock and the runza sandwich have Ger-

Dough Ingredients::

• 1 package active yeast 2 cups warm water

• 7 cups flour, divided

Directions:

In a bowl, place 2 cups of warm water. Sprinkle packet of yeast over top.

Stir gently and let dissolve.

Transfer to a bowl with electric mixer. Add sugar, salt and 2 cups of flour.

man-Russian roots going back to the 18th century. Originally the bierocks were served to the field workers for lunch. Today runzas and bierocks can be found at just about every church fund-raiser in the Kansas area.

For this recipe I’ve substituted ground turkey and pork for the beef simply because I now have beefless eaters in my family. In my opinion, they’re just as delicious. 

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 1 tablespoon salt

Mix with paddle attachment until blended. Add melted butter and remaining 5 cups of flour. Mix until dough ball comes together.

Runza filling

• 2 cups sweet yellow onions, finely chopped

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 2 lbs hamburger (or one pound of ground turkey and one pound of ground pork.)

• 5 cups (one head) cabbage, shredded or chopped

Directions:

Sauté onions in oil until soft. Add meat and brown. Add cabbage, stirring to combine.

Add Worcestershire sauce, oregano, salt and pepper. Stir and cook for about 15 minutes. When done, spoon

Place dough in a large bowl (greased with melted butter), cover and let rise for 2 hours or until doubled in size.

Push down and let rise 5 minutes. Divide into 15 balls.

On a floured surface, Roll out dough to 1/4 inch thick and cut into approximately 5-6 inch rectangles.

• 1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

• 1 teaspoon oregano, optional

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 black pepper

• 1 block sharp cheddar cheese

• 2 egg whites, beaten

2 heaping tablespoons of meat on each rectangle. Add slices of cheese if desired.

Fold up burrito style, seam side down. Brush with egg whites. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or until runzas are golden brown. 