Queen Creek Tribune 04/16/2024

BY SCOTT SHUMAKER Tribune Staff Writer

The sprawling Mesa sports facility formerly known as Bell Bank Park ran into turbulence last week that will force the removal of a lot of signs after both Bell Bank and Legacy Sports USA exited the facility.

All the changes are leaving workers on the ground in suspense, and likely kill for now any Queen Creek plan to include the troubled facility in its tourism marketing.

The week started off with a bang with park

sponsor Bell Bank announcing it was terminating a 10-year naming rights deal with the 320-acre park, which opened in January 2022, citing “various defaults” on the agreement and “public reports of financial concern at the facility.”

After Bell Bank’s announcement, park owner Legacy Cares said the park will be known as “Legacy Park: Arizona’s Premiere Sports & Entertainment Complex” until a new sponsor is found.

Bell Bank’s release suggested the bank was concerned about reputational damage from

LeRoy Brady is celebrating a big anniversary this year. He is the architect of Mesa Community College’s award-winning rose garden, which over years and with the help of volunteers from groups such as the Mesa-East Valley Rose Society has gained national recognition for its beauty and variety. For the story, see page 8. (David Minton/Tribune Staff Photographer)

being associated with a money-losing facility that has missed scheduled loan payments since August and is in foreclosure litigation with contractors who allege that Legacy Cares owes them $30 million in unpaid bills.

Bell Bank stated in the release it had “no control or influence over the operations, budget or management of the facility, nor did it make any debt or equity investment in the facility.”

Uncoupling the bank’s name from the facil-

BY MARK MORAN Tribune Staff Writer

For Sawyer Ganes, it all started under the Christmas tree one year when he was a kid.

“I was like 10 and I got this big Lego technic truck,” Ganes said of his still cherished present. “I’m looking at it right now. It has this switch on the side and on the top and you can change the crane and how it moves.

“It rotates and goes up and down. You can

pick up logs and stuff. I think when I got that I got interested in how things work, like the mechanics. Oh, if I move that, this happens,” he said.

Eight years later, Sawyer, now a senior at ASU Prep Polytechnic High School is captain of the Queen Creek-based Geared Up robotics team, which just brought home the VEX robotics national championship and will now compete for the international title beginning April 25 in Dallas.

“Being able to meet the teams that are the best in their state is also pretty cool,” Sawyer said.

Sawyer is joined by Crismon High freshman Abrianna Stone and Queen Creek High sophomore Jarett Poirier.

Geared Up, which has adopted 85142Z to reflect Queen Creek’s ZIP code as its team number, will compete against 800 other teams.

Despite the large number of competitors, Sawyer likes Geared Up’s chances, based largely on how well the team members work together.

“I would say there is chemistry between us,” he said. “Sometimes we argue. It’s always good to have arguments because

there are different ideas, but at an event we know what needs to be done. Sometimes without even saying it, we will just automatically do it. We have known each other for a while.”

middle school to be exact.

Each of the team members came up through Newell Barney Junior High in Queen Creek, where they were molded by robotics coach John Poirier, who also

created the Queen Creek Robotics Foundation.

The nonprofit gives a chance to participate in robotics events to students who otherwise might not have the opportunity.

Poirier also coaches Geared Up, and said each team member brings unique qualities that form a powerful team.

“Teamwork. Coachability. Communication,” Poirier said of the trio, each of whom was captain of the Newel Barney team while attending school there.

Abrianna captained an all-girls team that went to the world championships last year and brings leadership abilities to the team despite being a freshman, Poirier said.

Sawyer said Abrianna is also the Geared Up’s “scout” who will go watch other teams and come up with ways to strategize against their competitors.

Sawyer is on his way to becoming a robotics or mechanical engineer – whichever one gives him a better shot at working in the space industry.

Jarett Poirier, John’s son, is among the best robot drivers in Arizona, and said, “I like being a part of this team because the

see ROBOTICS page 4

Since

Jarret Poirier, a Queen Creek High sophomore, and Sawyer Ganes, an ASU Prep Polytechnic High School senior, are part of the Geared Up team headed to a national robotics competition. (Courtesy of Queen Creek Robotics Foundation)

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relationships I make with people and the experiences.”

While robotics is incredibly complicated, watching a match between high school teams feels a lot like watching kids play a real-life version of a video game.

The task’s simplicity belies the difficulty and complexity of the design.

VEX robotics is played on a 12-foot by 12-foot foam mat on the floor enclosed by a shin-high border.

Four robots move around quickly inside what looks like a miniature boxing ring, bumping into each other as they vie for points.

Team members stand around the outside the ring and work strategically as the driver – in Geared Up’s case that’s Jarett –navigates a robot that’s about the size of a big model car with a remote control box the team has designed and built from assigned parts.

“The hardest part is focusing on everything happening at once,” Jarett said. “And time management.”

That is because the event is timed.

The mission is to pick up 60 4-inch discs with the robot and propel each one into two wire frisbee golf goals hanging in the opposite corners of the ring about a foot above the mat.

The matches are done in stages, each of which is worth a different number of points and there are penalties for breaking the strict rules.

“It takes patience, and it takes testing,” Coach Poirier said. “They have to be willing to fail. They have to be willing to try something knowing the first time it’s not going to be perfect and that they’re going to need to make it better.”

Each team is given the same standard set of parts from VEX Robotics to create the robot. It consists of metal, gears, motors, screws, and sensors.

Once the parts are distributed, the team members’ creativity, curiosity, and experience take over.

“We take those parts and build a robot from scratch,” John Poirier said. “It’s unbelievable what these kids have to do. Not only building it, but you also have to code it.

“It’s an X-Box controller which is basically a brick until you put code on it and

then you have to program the robot. So, if you want the left joystick to move the left wheels you have to program it to do so.”

Poirier said while the competitions are fun for the students, there is much more at stake in a VEX Robotics challenge than winning.

He said games like this are preparing science-minded youth for their future while at the same time giving them something challenging and fun to do.

“It’s a complete STEM based program,” Poirier said, referring to science, technology, engineering and math academic programs that are getting more attention as technology becomes exceedingly critical and common in everyday life.

“Once the purview of only high-mind-

ed, nerdy, and typically male engineering students, Poirier said STEM programs are much more approachable to younger students, including girls.

“It’s becoming less rare,” he added. “If you give kids the ability and remove their parents from the equation, these kids can do amazing things. It’s crazy to me to watch a mom or a grandfather or somebody hold a kid back when you’ve given them everything they need to succeed.

“I’ve seen it so many times. I have to get rid of the parents and let the kids come into my classroom and just do their thing.”

During this robotics season, Geared Up won 33 matches and lost just two.

Information: qcrf.org. 

Geared Up team members Abrianna Stone and Jarett Poirier take a breather with colleague Sawyer Ganes. (Courtesy of Queen Creek Robotics Foundation)

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

ity will probably not be cheap. In just one example, “Bell Bank” is written in 50-foot letters on the roof of its indoor facilities.

Larger tremors shook the park the next day: Legacy Cares reported in a public filing that it had fired park operator Legacy Sports USA and placed the facility under new management.

It also hired financial firm Miller Buckfire to “investigate options” for the park’s future, including “a potential sale of the borrower’s interest in the park.”

The Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed people familiar with the matter, reported that the options under consideration include filing for bankruptcy.

Legacy Cares is a nonprofit formed in 2018 that borrowed $284 million using the tax-incentivized municipal bond market in 2020 and 2021 to fund construction of the park.

The Arizona Industrial Development Authority served as a pass-through entity for the transactions.

For-profit Legacy Sports USA – run by Randy Miller and sons Chad and Brett, who were instrumental in conceiving the park and getting it built – entered into a management agreement with the nonprofit to run the park.

Legacy Cares said in filings last week that it has terminated its agreement with Legacy Sports and entered a new agreement with Elite Sports Group LLC.

The company was formed in February but little information is available in state records.

The rapid changes at the park are worrying some employees on the ground.

On April 8, Legacy Park General Manager Ron Koohbanani messaged employees: “Please be advised that your previously scheduled shifts at Bell Bank Park under OVG have been canceled.”

OVG is an acronym for Oak View Group, a national sports and entertainment company hired by Legacy Sports to help manage the park.

“Please understand that OVG is not responsible for your wages starting Sunday (April 9). More information to follow,” wrote Koohbanani, who has only been at the helm four months.

Employees were in suspense for three days about whether they still had a job and who would be paying them.

They included Jeff Herman, a prep cook

The 320-acre park, which opened in January 2022, has been sued by contractors claiming they’re owed a total $30 million in unpaid bills. (Visit Mesa)

at the park’s G.O.A.T. restaurant.

“If we don’t get a schedule tomorrow, I’ll just show up Thursday and see what happens,” Herman said early last week.

On Tuesday, Herman learned he has a job with the new management company, but “they are only keeping certain employees onboard,” he said.

Legacy Cares President Doug Moss told the Tribune day-to-day operations will not be affected by the management change, nor will there be an interruption in payroll.

“No immediate job cuts are anticipated because of the management change,” he said.

Moss said of the management change that Elite Sports “is better situated to manage this amazing facility” than Legacy Sports.

There had been signs of a rift forming between Legacy Cares and Legacy Sports recently. A January status report issued by an attorney in the contractors’ liens case stated, “The senior bondholders … are expected to require management changes to improve the performance of the complex.”

In February, Legacy Cares said in a public filing that its board of directors had rejected Legacy Sports’ proposed 2023 budget.

Herman, 69, said he is semi-retired and is mostly concerned about how the upheaval could impact his coworkers.

“If I leave, I’m going to retire permanently,” he said. “These kids, they have to leave and go somewhere else. … They have rent, they have children to support. They’re in a lot worse position than I am.”

Herman began working at the park with a former manager, who became the chef at G.O.A.T, but “after five months he got disgusted and left.”

Many of his coworkers also followed managers to the park, and Herman lamented that some of them left good-paying restaurant jobs to be at Legacy Park.

The setbacks have been piling on Legacy Cares in recent months.

After reporting in October that the park wasn’t generating enough revenue to cover its loan payments, Legacy Cares pinned its hopes on refinancing its debt with $400 million in new bonds.

Both its bondholders and its landlord Pacific Proving LLC – Legacy Cares doesn’t own the land it’s built on – agreed to forbear on exercising their rights under a default in order to give Legacy time to refinance.

That effort ended in late February when the park’s bondholder group rejected the terms of a refinancing plan offered by investment bank Loop Capital.

Meanwhile, unpaid contractors who worked on the park have been proceeding with foreclosure.

In a worst-case scenario for Legacy Cares and the landowner Pacific Proving LLC, that process could result in the county sheriff auctioning the property to the highest bidder to raise money to pay off the contractors’ liens.

Additional creditors have stepped forward, too.

An arbiter found Legacy Cares owed Icing Investments $2.4 million for unpaid consulting fees and damages. Field Turf USA initiated arbitration over a claim it is owed $5 million.

In March, Insight Investments filed a suit

EV Mayors’ Prayer Breakfast returns for 9th year

BY JOSH ORTEGA Tribune Staff Writer

For the first since 2019, the East Valley Mayors’ Prayer Breakfast returns – just in time to address the timely and urgent issue of youth mental health.

For just the second time, the City of Chandler will the host the event that brings together leaders, businesses, and nonprofits from cities and towns across the East Valley including Mesa, Chandler Gilbert, Tempe, Scottsdale, Apache Junction, Queen Creek, Fountain Hills, Cave Creek and Carefree.

The event will take place at the Chandler-Gilbert YMCA at 1655 West Frye Road in Chandler, with a portion of the proceeds from the breakfast benefiting both the local YMCA and notMYkid, a Scottsdale nonprofit that provides behavioral health treatment, suicide preventions education and peer programs.

Chandler Mayor Kevin Hartke said the issue of youth mental health awareness comes at a crucial time because the pandemic left many youth feeling isolated.

“Mental health and thoughts of suicide

PARK from page 5

alleging that Legacy Cares has failed to pay rent for leased scoreboards, screens, lights and speakers and the company is due the full $16 million value of the equipment immediately.

Teams are continuing to pack the facility on the weekends, but negative reviews are starting to pile up online.

People are complaining about unstocked bathroom supplies and long waits to get in and out of the parking lot after

had been on the uptick with our society,” Hartke said. “And so that was our goal was to bring together questions and resources that people would be at least more equipped to know who to talk to, to reach out to.”

According to the Arizona Department of Health Services, total suicides in Arizona have climbed 23% since 2017 to nearly 1,600 in 2022, and the national stats don’t look any better.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the suicide rate increased 36% from 2000 to more than 45,000 suicides in 2020.

While only 3% of suicides in Arizona comprise people 17 and under, that equates to 293 children and teenagers who took their life.

A big part of mental health derives from the stigma around seeking help, he said.

“Social shaming is a massive, big deal and it can seem like the end of the world to many, but obviously, there’s life beyond everything,” Hartke said.

Chandler High School senior Ramon Ayala heard from other students or witnessed himself when “most adults and

games.

Herman said the restaurant has changed service frequently in the year since it’s been open.

“When I first started out there, it was (open) seven days a week, like 11 a.m. till midnight, and we had over 60 items on the menu,” he said. “Now it’s two-and-a-half days a week and we have like 12 items on the menu.”

“The public has no idea what to expect when they go up there because it’s something different every week,” he added.

students” propagate the stigma around mental health, noting that students can’t “freely talk about it” among even their closest friends.

“Some of them are being told that it’s wrong,” Ayala said.

“Students don’t really like being compared to another student or someone else’s child,” Ayala said.

“When I was younger, academically I was really good,” Ayala said. “But once I got to middle school and high school, I started being compared to other students, talking about how they’re doing better than me, I should be able to do the same, possibly even better.”

But Ayala has his own accomplishments to be proud of – such as serving four years on Chandler High’s JROTC. He is the honor guard commander responsible for presenting the color guard at the prayer breakfast.

Even with its lowest enrollment of about 50 students, JROTC has helped Ayala surround himself with people who respect and patrol each other’s misbehavior.

“Everyone’s really helpful towards each other,” Ayala said. “They all care for one

Over the long-term, brighter days could be ahead.

The Legacy Gateway Hotels project just north of Williams Field Road is up for final approval by Mesa City Council on May 1. This three-hotel, 365-room complex will sit across the street from the park, and it could help alleviate traffic and parking issues at the complex.

Moss projected confidence in a statement.

“Many millions of people have visited Legacy Park in its first year and will con-

another and talking about it issues that’s going on with them.”

Ayala said he hopes the prayer breakfast brings “more awareness” for the mental health issue.

In one instance, Ayala became friends with a female student who eventually had confided in him some details about her struggles at home and with a relationship.

Ayala said friends and teachers told her “to deal with it.”

“The last thing I told her was ‘I love you’ since we had said that as friends,” Ayala said. “And when I told her that, I could see that something hit differently towards her.”

That happened the last day of school before spring break in 2022. The 14-year-old girl eventually took her life.

Ayala said the loss has “deeply affected” him.

“I didn’t know whether or not I made a mistake, but after that, I wish I was able to tell her more,” Ayala said.

Ayala said the school only released a general email for such a traumatic event. While school counselors provide sup-

tinue to enjoy Arizona’s premier sports and entertainment complex for many years to come,” he wrote.

“For months we have been working on new plans to enhance operations and bring revenues in line with expenses. Professionals have been hired to help us with this process as we look at all options for the park’s best possible future, which it will have.”

Under current conditions, time is running out for Legacy Cares to turn the park around. 

PRAYER from page 6

port and recommendations, Ayala found outside therapy sessions repetitive and unhelpful, and instead found better advice from friends.

One friend recommended journaling the day’s stress, then reading through it, see how he felt, then discarding it.

Ayala said he also keeps a collection of written communications from family and friends that help him reiterate how proud they are of him.

“I read over those to help me just break down all the tension that I had throughout the day just to make myself relax,” Ayala said.

With graduation around the corner, Ayala said he feels slightly nervous leaving his family behind to enlist in the Marine Corps but considers the move key to his goal to study engineering at the University of San Diego.

Ayala said he still takes it as a personal

responsibility to reassure himself, whether its ignoring people trying to cut him down or just reminding himself to give his best effort at a task.

“Sometimes I won’t listen to them, thinking they’re just trying to bring me down because all the accomplishments that I’m doing – it’s not something they expected,” Ayala said. “Other times, I will see that I could have done better but if I gave it my all, I gave it my all—that’s the best I got.” 

East Valley Mayors’ Prayer Breakfast

When: 7-8:30 a.m. April 20.

Where: Chandler/Gilbert Family

YMCA, 1655 West Frye Road, Chandler

Tickets: Start at $50. Information: evmpb.org.

GOT NEWS?

Contact Paul Maryniak at 480-898-5647 or pmaryniak@timeslocalmedia.com

MCC Rose Garden marks 25th anniversary

BY JOSH ORTEGA Tribune Staff Writer

Since 1997, the Rose Garden at Mesa Community College represents just a part of MCC’s 140-acre accredited arboretum – the first in Arizona to earn accreditation.

While MCC is the only community college in Arizona to be named a Tree Campus USA by the Arbor Day Foundation, the garden is a crown jewel for the main campus at Dobson Road and Southern Avenue.

As the garden marks its 25th anniversary, thriving partnerships between the college and rose societies – as well as with community volunteers – have created a stunning welcome to the campus and an invitation to “Come. Enjoy. Thrive.”

One of the largest public rose gardens in the desert southwest, the garden is more than a conservatory.

It is a living lab for kindergarteners through college students studying biology, botany, and horticulture – as well as the artists who come in search of inspiration from nature.

Whether its “snowbird” travelers enjoying the greenery of the garden during Spring Training or Boy Scout troops planting trees to earn their Eagle Scout badge, it beckons visitors year-round with over 9,000 plants from over 300 rose varieties

It has also brought global acclaim to the City of Mesa and MCC with rankings among the “Best Things to Do in Mesa” by sites such as TripAdvisor, Vacation Ideas magazine, Yelp and the Japanese travel site Trip 101.

Arizona produces more than 75 percent of the country’s rose bushes because its climate allows them to bloom for nearly eight out of 12 months.

In 2000, the Rose Garden at MCC was approved by the All-America Rose Selections organization to become one of 26 test gardens, becoming one of the top three AARS Test Gardens in the nation.

Besides recognizing the volunteers who cultivate the garden with weeks-long

pruning sessions, a ceremony also paid tribute to its architect, LeRoy Brady.

The father of two can’t decide his favorite of the garden’s four sections.

“That’s like asking what’s your favorite kid,” Brady said. “

Since age 5, Brady has loved roses and horticulture in general.

He grew up in Durango, Colorado, but spent time at his grandmother’s home in nearby Red Mesa, where he acquired his green thumb by taking cacti near the highway and transplanting them closer to the house.

“My grandmother made the comment once that I ignored people and spent my time with the plants,” Brady said.

Brady graduated in 1966 with a bachelor’s of fine arts in landscape architecture and environmental planning from Utah State University, and proceeded to spend eight years with the Idaho Transportation Department before the first phone call that would change his life.

The Arizona Department of Transportation noticed his work and asked if he would be interested in applying for a position.

“I came down for an interview, within a

few hours they offered the job,” Brady said.

Since 1974, Brady has worked as chief landscape architect for ADOT, supervising the landscape architecture and design and aesthetics along the state highway system, including revegetation after construction.

In 1996, Brady received another life-altering phone call – this time from Milt Lee, a colleague from Mesa United Way who told him about wanting to enhance MCC’s image because a report had found “nothing unique about the campus.”

“It was like cracker boxes surrounded by asphalt,” Brady recalled. “And they needed to do something that called attention to it.”

Briefly considering a quad area the college used for graduation, Brady settled on the current space along Southern Avenue and volunteered a sketch of the design that immediately earned the support of thenMCC President Dr. Larry Christiansen.

The first roses were planted in Section 2 in February 1997.

The concrete terrace, seat wall, sidewalk along the parking and screen wall were constructed a month later by Joe E. Woods Construction, which helped show what the garden was becoming and helped with

raising funds to complete the garden section by section.

Brady said the curvilinear shape of the garden invites people to stroll all four sections that straddle the Rose Garden Way to the college’s main entrance.

Completed in 2005, sections three and four feature the Veterans Rose Garden that honors past, present and future members of the five branches of the U.S. military.

With over 60 varieties of plants given patriotic and military-themed names –such as “About Face,” “America,” “Fourth of July,” “Peace,” “Purple Heart,” “Stars and Stripe,” and “Veterans Honor” –nearly 2,000 roses encircle the flags of the United States, Arizona, POW, and the five service branches.

Rose beds with plantings completed in 2011 include two heart-shaped beds for love, two rose beds side by side for friendship, a large five petaled flower bed for beauty, and two circular beds with contrasting roses planted to create the peace symbol.

The design has also inspired a natural backdrop for photo shoots to commemorate special moments, something Brady has witnessed countless times over the years.

“Lots of people married, lots of people with graduation pictures, and on weekends, this place is just a lot of people all over,” Brady said.

Throughout his life, Brady, who has the title of Master Rosarian, has served on various city boards, as well as those of the Arizona Native Plant Society and the Mesa-East Valley Rose Society.

Today, visitors can still find Brady every third Saturday of the month working in the garden with the “dead headers” – a group of 150 volunteers who prune the plants.

That involvement highlights Brady’s vision for what he wanted the garden to become: a unifying force within the community.

“You always hope that it’ll take hold and become part of the community,” Brady said. “But the really important thing about the garden is the bringing together of people.”

MCC’s Rose Garden has won accolades from around the world. (David Minton/Tribune Photographer)

Town discusses technology to help the environment

BY MARK MORAN Tribune Staff Writer

The town council has started discussions on crafting a comprehensive environmental innovation strategy for Queen Creek.

Ramona Simpson, Public Works Environmental Operations manager on April 5 asked for its input on electric vehicles and charging stations, adding solar power at town facilities and funding for projects if the council decides to pursue the plan.

“With the innovations that are going around the country, a lot of council members, town management and staff have received inquiries and solicitations from various environmental groups saying that they can help us with our sustainability efforts,” Simpson said.

“In an effort to try and consolidate those we are bringing forward some options for the council to consider,” she told the council.

The town is dipping its toe into the electric vehicle market, for example, as fleet electrification is an area of opportunity.

“We have three Chevy Volts that are part of our fleet,” Simpson said. “We are slated to get a Chevy Silverado EV.

“It’s going to be a work truck and the point of that is to see what works for the field staff and to make sure that it can actually pull a tractor across town and still come back.”

Simpson said the Silverado will be given a test run to see how well it works in the field before deciding whether to make a

larger investment.

“It could power your house,” she said. “But can it really pull a tractor? We’re not quite sure.”

The town government currently has two EV charging stations.

“As the fleet manager, I don’t want us to move into this space too quickly and not have infrastructure to support our needed services,” Simpson said, adding that as many as 122 light-duty vehicles could be involved if the test run works out well.

Queen Creek is also considering solar panels for existing town buildings, including the library, which is already equipped for installation.

“It was built to have solar on it,” Simpson said. “It’s built from sustainable materials.”

She said if the town does elect to proceed with equipping the library with solar technology, it will achieve Platinum LEED certification.

LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and is the most widely used green building certification in the world, according to the U.S. Green Building Council.

Simpson added the private sector is entering the EV charging market in Queen Creek as the demand and availability of electric cars grows and she identified charging stations as a potential investment area.

“I think we have three or four in town,” she said. “If you’ve driven around there are lots and lots of electric vehicles that are

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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:

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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.

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Queen Creek officials have identified three key areas for its initiatives in the area of environmental innovation. (Town of Queen Creek)

ENVIRONMENT from page 9

starting to come through town.”

She said the town’s innovation study could identify areas of opportunity where travel corridors mesh with the town’s economic objectives, resulting in public-private partnerships to install charging stations in public spaces. “Not that we have to own it and run it,” Simpson said.

Simpson acknowledged all of this would have to be planned with the proper infrastructure in mind.

She said the study would answer those questions and help the town determine what needs to be installed now so that Queen Creek is ready in the future . But that leaves questions for council on spending.

“Where is the infrastructure? What should we be putting in now while we are building new buildings,” Simpson said. “Even if we’re not ready for EV quite yet, should we put fiber and electricity and work with SRP on what the load is?”

All this will take money, said Simpson, who offered as at least one option: a block grant available from the U.S. Department of Energy to help local governments improve energy efficiency.

Simpson said that money would be used for consultant research.

Councilman Robin Benning, while supportive of alternative energy infrastructure, said access to it must be equitable and available to all residents.

“We are a relatively affluent community,” Benning said. “Unfortunately, electric vehicles as an example can be very pricey and are difficult to include for many families.

“One of the things that we’re talking about in the planning world right now is equity and making sure that we are making things available to all of our residents, not just the most affluent,” he added.

He added it is important that Queen Creek not compete with private investors by offering free EV charging stations while there are companies trying to make money with theirs. “It certainly is obvious that there are major climate challenges,” he said. “And we need to do everything we can to try to offer options and reduce our demand on coal and fossil fuels.”

Councilman Bryan McClure suggested working with Queen Creek’s agritainment venues to install EV charging stations in a public private partnership and Councilwoman Dawn Oliphant supported grant

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money to invest in the study.

Both expressed interest in a feasibility study and cost-benefit analysis moving forward.

“I differ,” Councilwoman Leah Martineau said. “I personally don’t care if we move forward with this study. I already know that I would not support charging stations.

“I really don’t have a lot of interest in even pursuing the fleet. I know I’m just one voice. I’m not convinced that’s a great thing to do right now, or maybe even ever. I don’t love using federal dollars. There’s always strings attached and I don’t want any,” she added.

Martineau expressed some interest in installing solar panels at public buildings to charge equipment for first responders.

But she said the town has other priorities to pursue before studying an innovation strategy plan.

“I don’t see the need to move forward with the study at this time,” she said.

Councilman Travis Padilla speculated that investing town money in public-private partnerships could rob the private sector of opportunities or wind up wasting the taxpayer investment when a company built on that investment created some-

thing more efficient.

“Whatever the town does, I don’t want us to get ahead of the private market, have our tax dollars wasted, do something worse that the private sector is going to do and rob them of the opportunity to get involved in something that, really, we’re not experts at and they are,” Padilla said.

Mayor Julia Wheatley cautioned against rushing into public-private partnerships so that the town does not compete with private investors.

“How can we help that private industry come in and be successful?” she said.

“It is unanimous that we don’t want to compete with private industry and that nobody is interested in (the town) building charging stations,” Benning added.

“Nobody up here suggested we wanted to build charging stations in a competitive role with private entities.”

The council will vote on the plan in the future. The block grant is already waiting for Queen Creek if it applies, however, according to Town Manager Bruce Gardner.

“The town has already been earmarked for that grant,” Gardner said. “We just have to apply for it.”

The dollar amount of the grant is still not determined, Gardner said. 

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P&Z panel delays action on 2 rezoning requests

BY MARK MORAN Tribune Staff Writer

The Queen Creek Planning and Zoning Commission last week approved over 100 new homes for an existing subdivision but tabled until next month a public hearing for more single-family residential communities and two business rezoning requests.

The panel approved Lennar Homes’ four new standard home plans, with three elevations per plan, for the remaining 106 lots in the Harvest Creek subdivision near the southwest corner of Gary and Riggs roads.

The new portion of the subdivision is near the Olive Mill Restaurant and Schnepf Farms in the town’s agritainment district.

Because several commissioners were not able to attend the meeting, the panel tabled a public hearing and possible action to rezone 16.5 acres at the northeast corner of Sossamon and Rittenhouse roads from General Commercial to Medium Density Residential for a 166-lot single family townhome development.

The request is from Greg Davis of Iplan Consulting, the developer behind a series of high-profile construction projects in town.

Queen Creek has been struggling with a shortage of affordable housing options, where the median single-family home now tops $660,000 and a two-bedroom apartment rents for close to $2,000 monthly.

But the price spikes have not slowed the growth.

“For the month of March, we saw 138 new single-family building permits,” Queen Creek Development Services Director Brett Burningham told the commission. “And it looks like this month continues that trend.”

Town Council has asked staff to find the best places to construct high and medium density housing units, including Town Center, in the developing industrial tech corridor, and near new access points to State Route 24.

The commission also tabled a public hearing for a conditional use permit for 2.9 acres to Jesse Macias of M3 design for a Cobblestone Carwash and Gravity Coffee shop at the northeast corner of Ellsworth Road and Hunt Highway.

The town’s parks were also on the agenda.

Adam Robinson, Community Services deputy director, said during a presentation to the commission that the town has been able to adjust its original parks master plan and reduce the number of acres of needed park space from 61 per 10,000 residents to 51 acres.

He credited the foresight and commitment of builders and developers now incorporating more park and open green space into neighborhoods.

Robinson said as Queen Creek started coming out of the Great Recession, the town continued to grow and needed to invest in roads and public safety while other needs, including the parks, were put on the back burner.

“We did go a long time with doing nothing even as the town continued to grow. And that’s why it feels like we are doing so much because we are playing a bit of catch-up,” Robinson said.

“And then finally, they said ‘ok, parks you are the next priority on the list. Let’s jump into it.”

Based on the town’s timeline, the new 85-acre Frontier Family Park, the town’s largest, is scheduled to open in early 2024 and the aquatic and recreation centers within that park will follow in fall of 2024.

A family pass for the recreation center will most likely be about $700, Robinson said.

He said that’s on par with the fee at rec centers in neighboring communities. He said the town will have various pay options, including singles, teens, day passes and punch passes.

“Trying to get as much variety as we can to basically be able to serve everybody,” he said.

Mansel Carter Oasis Park Phase II is scheduled to open in early 2024. 

Palsy no roadblock to his Boston Marathon run

BY JOSH ORTEGA AFN Staff Writer

Michael Wilson started running in third grade and doesn’t plan to stop anytime soon.

And on April 17, the 19-year-old Mesa man will jog among 30,000 of the world’s best runners in the 127th annual Boston Marathon.

Wilson qualifies as a para-runner, requiring assistance during the marathon due to his cerebral palsy.

On behalf of his sponsor, he hopes to raise $10,000 for RUN3rd Alliance, a 10-year-old Mesa nonprofit that operates after-school running programs across the Valley.

RUN3rd Alliance President/CEO Mindy Przeor said Wilson’s wonderful moment in one of the world’s most well-known athletic competitions has been a decade in the making – and one she hopes will send a powerful message.

“Anything is possible if you believe in yourself and work towards it,” Przeor said.

RUN3rd Alliance teaches kids in fourth through sixth grades the priorities of who you should run for: first for yourself, second for your family and third for others.

Annually, John Hancock donates 1,000 Boston Marathon entries to select non-profit organizations to use for fundraising. Last year, non-profit runners raised over $11.7 million for their causes.

Since 2015, RUN3rd has partnered with the John Hancock Life Insurance Company in the Marathon Non-Profit Program, sending a dozen “charity athletes” to the Boston Marathon to raise money for the nonprofit.

To Wilson, the Boston Marathon only marks a steppingstone for his true goal of running across the country from New York to California – just to prove he can.

“My original thought when I thought of it is I want to do this just because I can,” Wilson said. “There was no other intention behind it.”

Elisabeth Wilson said her oldest son’s cerebral palsy stems from a “traumatic birth”

in which oxygen flow to parts of his brain was interrupted, killing some brain cells. Fortunately, Elisabeth said, her son’s brain has since grown new pathways to “make things work.”

This has led to a running style that may appear “a little more clunky” especially since his left heel never touches the ground. But Elisabeth credits Michael’s “brute strength” for learning to work around his struggles and run without pain or discomfort.

“So, he’s just kind of had to figure out how to work around it,” Elisabeth said.

Integral to Wilson’s readiness for the Boston Marathon has been Mindy Przeor, a lifelong athlete who played team sports most of her life including soccer, badminton and ran track at Corona del Sol High School as well as club ice hockey at Arizona State University.

But with opportunities for team sports dwindling as an adult, Przeor said she and her husband decided to start running as a sport to stay active and healthy in 2006.

For the last 21 years, Przeor taught elementary physical education across the Valley, including at Brinton Elementary School in Mesa.

And amid the financial crisis in 2008 when many schools cut funding for after school programs, she had an idea.

To keep the kids active, Przeor said she started a running club because it required “very little cost” but provided an activity the kids can easily take part in.

“As a runner, myself, I know there’s so many good life lessons that are taught through running and through endurance activities,” Przeor said.

That’s also the year Przeor met third-grader Michael Wilson, got to know his family and wound up the gears that have him running today.

From that moment Wilson started running, Przeor said he was all about getting the most laps completed in a day or the most miles completed in a season.

That quickly went from running in fifth grade with a group of adults on the weekends and continued to long-distance running right onto the cross-country team at Red Mountain High School, where he graduated in 2022 and set a goal to run across the country.

“If anybody could do it, he definitely is going to be the one that checks that off the list,” Przeor said. “Because once he sets his mind to something he has the determination and motivation and the willpower, and he doesn’t give up.”

That motivation all starts at home, where Elisabeth said she motivates her four children to pursue any kind of athletics or activity they can even if it’s just running around outside.

“It was never pushed when I was younger, so, I’m like ‘go out, run, play and do whatever you can find to be athletic,’” Elisabeth said.

Professionally, Przeor has run the Boston Marathon four times, including the last two years.

She said she still finds time to help Michael train despite the fact that she’s now at Mountain View High School teaching students Complete Fitness & Unified PE, pairing special needs students with general

education students to provide an opportunity for all students to be included and feel successful in sports like badminton, basketball and track.

While most runners train more than six months to complete the 26.2 miles in the fastest time, Michael has trained for the last three months and only needs to finish in the six-hour regulation time.

It’s still a lot of running.

Przeor said “he’s getting a good chunk of the miles he’s doing on his own,” running about four to five days a week, 3-6 miles a day. He has built his stamina to be able to run up to 20 miles.

But it’s no problem for a skilled runner like Wilson, who has run the Mesa Half Marathon a handful of times with his best clocking in at two hours and two minutes, along with a smattering of 10Ks throughout the Valley.

Wilson doesn’t bother with 5Ks because his training comprises a longer distance than the 3.1-mile course of those short marathons.

“It’s basically like, ‘how fast can I do that?’” he said. “It’s not like, ‘can I make it to the end?’ It’s ‘how quickly can I do it?’”

With legs seemingly made of steel, Michael also has a heart of gold, given that he wants to hit his $10,000 fundraising goal to help other kids have the opportunities he currently enjoys.

“He wants to be able to provide the program for more kids so they can have the opportunities that he had,” Przeor said.

In a time when parents and teachers alike have difficulties raising kids, Przeor feels RUN3rd brings a welcome ray of hope.

She hopes to get this program into more schools to show kids how to stop making excuses, overcome challenges and cross the finish line of whatever goal they have in life.

“We’d love to get this program into more schools and help more students and families and teachers,” Przeor said. “It really does take a village and I feel like that’s kind of been lost, especially through COVID.” 

At 19, Mesa runner Michael Wilson is not letting cerebral palsy keep him from the April 17 Boston Marathon. (David Minton/Staff Photographer)

Senior caregiver service coming to Queen Creek

BY MARK MORAN Tribune Staff Writer

Brent Morgan was wearing a suit and tie that day but he was not visiting the elderly woman for the reason she assumed.

“She thought I was a pastor who came to give her last rights,” recalled Morgan, owner and operator of Right at Home, an in-home care franchise that will open next month in Queen Creek.

He and his wife Andrea currently operate a Right at Home franchise in Ohio and had gone one day to visit the woman to assess her relationship with their services that the caregiver assigned to her.

“What a great opportunity to be part of a company where a client can look you in the eye and say ‘she treats me like I’m her grandma,’ Morgan recalled being told. “These clients come to appreciate their caregivers so much they become almost a part of the family.”

Right at Home provides services ranging from light in-home chores like cleaning and trips to the grocery store to simple companionship for people who are in their homes alone.

The service also provides round-theclock care as a client’s medical condition becomes more dire and needs increase.

“My calling in life is certainly to care for those in need, and this has given me a great opportunity, said Morgan, a bishop in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. “I’ve always put the needs of others in front of my own.”

Morgan said he and his wife are looking for caregivers who want to do this work because they love it, and not just because they are collecting a paycheck.

“Allowing a caregiver to come in your home is pretty invasive,” he said. “To have somebody you don’t know come in your home and take care of a loved one takes a lot of faith in us and in our caregivers to do that.”

Their service costs between $30 and $35 an hour – which Morgan said matches the

national average for in-home care assistance. The 24/7 care service costs almost $800 a day. In-home patient care services like Right at Home’s are typically not covered by insurance.

The field of in-home caregiving is also notoriously understaffed and low paid and because of the difficult work and low wages, it is hard to recruit and retain quality employees.

“There are definitely more clients than caregivers,” Morgan said.

Some providers have reported losing employees to fast food establishments, which can pay more.

Morgan said Right at Home caregivers will earn about $14 an hour to start.

His wife Andrea will start out doing a majority of the recruiting, and both don’t anticipate a shortage of qualified and eager caregivers.

“We can make it pretty competitive,” he said. “We’ll be equal to whatever they’re get-

ting, or a little bit better than fast food. We’ll still give them well above minimum wage.”

The minimum hourly wage in Arizona is $13.85. Morgan said they will pay their employees more if they have nursing or other certifications and will offer tuition reimbursement for people who want to pursue credentials. Recruiting and retaining employees will be ongoing, he said.

“You have to go in knowing you have to hire at least three to five people every single week,” Andrea Morgan said. “Because there is more of a turnover, but also because you have to have people to pick from for the perfect match.

“If they aren’t the right fit for our company and we don’t feel like they are meeting our standards or live up to our company culture, we will let them go. But we hope to be able to train everyone where they will get to the point where they want to be part of the Right at Home family,” she added. Brent added that Right at Home will

recruit from junior colleges and career centers, making presentations just prior to graduation and hoping to hire people looking for jobs right out of school.

“We offer bonuses. We offer immediate raises in pay if they complete certain stepping stones” Brent Morgan added.

“If they complete their training, they will get 50 cents to a dollar more. And we will try to find that perfect client – caregiver match so they will want to come to work and want to take care of that individual. They are connected.”

Unlike traditional fast-food jobs, there will be opportunities for quick advancement and professional development, he said.

The most reliable caregivers will become patient service coordinators and earn other promotions and incentives, he added. They will also look beyond the schools and career centers for caregivers.

“Some of our best caregivers are actually retired nurses or people just trying to get out of the house and make a little bit of income,” he said. “They don’t need it for survival.”

The Morgans landed on Queen Creek because of the available hospitals and hospice services already in town, and hope to address a growing health care need that currently exists in the community.

“The senior population is booming and it will continue to probably grow as fast as Queen Creek is growing.” Brent said.

“There’s a lot of 55+ communities popping up all over there. So, number one there are a lot of clients who need it, and number two there are not a lot of home care companies right now set up in Queen Creek. So, there’s an opportunity and a gap.”

Andrea’s parents relocated here last year, and after more than 20 years in Ohio, Brent Morgan said it was time to reconnect the family, as their adult children all live in the western United States, one of whom will have a job waiting for her when Right at Home opens its doors next month.

“Our first caregiver is going to be our daughter,” he said.

Information: rightathome.net, 614595-5185. 

Brent and Andrea Morgan who will open a Right at Home in home care franchise in Queen Creek in May. (Special to the Tribune)

State House moves to cut unemployment checks

BY HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services

Insisting there are plenty of jobs out there, the state House gave preliminary approval Tuesday to a measure to cut the length of time that Arizonans who are laid off can collect jobless benefits.

Current law says those let go through no fault of their own can get up to 24 weeks of payments. These are supposed to be equal to one-half of what they were earning, though state law caps that at no more than $320 a week.

SB 1167 would cut that to no more than 20 weeks when the jobless rate tops 8.5%.

And it would not increase even in times of even tighter job markets, such as when Arizona’s unemployment rate topped 11% during the last recession.

And even tighter limits would apply during periods of lower unemployment, on a sliding scale down to as few as 12 weeks when the rate drops to 5% or less.

That is what would apply now, with the latest figure putting the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate at 3.7%.

The measure already has cleared the Senate and now awaits a final House vote before it can be transmitted to Gov. Katie Hobbs.

But it may not get that far.

Rep. David Cook, R-Globe, said Tuesday he cannot support the measure. He said that changes in the system should be worked out through negotiations with all interested parties involved.

That happened two years ago when the maximum benefit went from $240 to $320 and the length of benefits when the jobless rate is less than 5% got cut by two weeks.

And if Cook doesn’t change his mind and all 29 Democrats in the 60-member House are opposed SB 1167 would lack enough votes for final approval.

Central to the issue is the contention by some proponents that any job is superior to collecting unemployment.

Rep. Justin Wilmeth, R-Phoenix, pointed out that, even at the state’s current $13.85 an hour minimum wage, someone working 40 hours a week would earn $554 before taxes and other deductions.

He also claimed that there are five jobs available for every person looking for work. That is only partly true.

The latest figures from the state Office of Economic Opportunity put February unemployment at 134,900. These are people considered actively looking for work. And the most recent figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics put job openings in Arizona at 214,000.

What also is true, though, is that only about one out of every seven people looking for work actually is collecting benefits.

Rep. Cesar Aguilar, D-Phoenix, said the record shows that people who are getting payments are not avoiding work, saying the average benefit lasts just 14 weeks. Wilmeth said people are better off working. “Minimum wage jobs have flexibility so you can apply for other jobs when you have time,’’ he said.

Aguilar, however, said it’s not that simple.

“Reducing weeks of assistance will force some people to accept jobs that do not match their skill sets and pay less than their prior earnings, which is bad for workers and the economy,’’ he said.

Aguilar also said that indexing the length of benefits to the state jobless rate fails to account for different factors.

For example, he said, the unemployment rate is higher on Native American reservations. And Aguilar said those who are disabled or have only limited education also are more likely to be without jobs.

“At a time when homelessness has gone up, why are we making it harder for people who are in hard times,’’ he asked. While the state Legislature sets both the level of benefits and the length they are available, the change would not affect the state budget.

Payments come from a special fund which is financed by a levy paid by employers on the first $8,000 of each worker’s salary.

The actual tax rate is based on how often a company’s workers end up being found eligible for benefits. Rates range from as low as 0.07% for firms with low usage to as high as 18.78% for companies which have a high number of employees who are laid off or fired for no reason of their own.

New employers are charged a presumptive rate of 2.0%. 

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Budding controversy: This woke’s for you

BY JD HAYWORTH Tribune Columnist

It’s not quite like selling water on the desert, but it comes close. It is America’s affinity for the brewed hops-andbarley beverage called beer.

Long before the advent of today’s “celebrity spokesman,” no less a celebrated and accomplished figure than Benjamin Franklin described the quest to quench his thirst in theological terms.

The printer-scientist-inventor-statesman-and-founding father reportedly said, “Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.”

That’s why it is somewhat strange that Franklin’s Philadelphia, the “City of Brotherly Love,” and home of a prominent Ivy League institution, played a

contributing role in a recent decision that most beer drinkers hate.

The University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, renowned for its quality of instruction, conferred a Masters of Business Administration degree upon one Alissa Gordon Heinerscheid in 2013. And, before attending Wharton for her MBA, Alissa earned her BA at Harvard.

In retrospect, it appears that her education at those “Ivies” spawned a form of “poison ivy” in the realm of promotion and marketing.

That political and cultural contagion among elites known as “‘woke’ fever”— a unconcealed contempt for conservative, middle income, everyday Americans— has led to one of the worst examples of “marketing malpractice” in recent memory.

Heinerschied, now vice president for

marketing at Bud Light (at least she still holds that job as this column is being written), made herself right at home on the March 30 podcast, “Make Yourself at Home.” Utilizing that electronic venue, she unveiled her vision to build the Bud Light brand.

The New York Post reported on her mission to emphasize inclusivity: “It means shifting the tone, it means having a campaign that’s truly inclusive…feels lighter and brighter and different, and appeals to women and to men.”

Yet during that same podcast, Alissa felt compelled to belittle Bud Light’s previous branding, criticizing the beer’s “base” of beverage loyalists. She demeaned the strategy that led Bud Light to the top-ranking spot for beer sales, calling it “fratty” and based on “out-oftouch humor.”

Then, to prove just how out-of-touch

her “woke,” self promoting, “new and improved” branding could be, Heinerscheid took an incredibly foolish step –on April Fools Day.

She made the eminently objectionable “pitch person” Dylan Mulvaney a Bud Light “Brand Ambassador.”

Mulvaney has emerged as a self-styled genius at personal promotion in the past year, utilizing the “lifestyle choice” of transgenderism and employing the likewise controversial, Chinese-developed social medium of TikTok to produce a daily series of videos titled “Days of Girlhood.”

But it was on Instagram that Mulvaney unveiled a new type of “March Madness.” Capitalizing on that theme of the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments, the biological male now “identify-

see HAYWORTH page 19

AI: Artificial, yes. Intelligent? We’ll get back to you

BY DAVID LEIBOWITZ Tribune Columnist

Lately, every other news story is about artificial intelligence and how AI is going to take over the world. No less an eminence than Elon Musk has warned: “One of the biggest risks to the future of civilization is AI. But AI is both positive or negative – it has great promise, great capability, but also with that comes great danger.”

Me, I call BS on such predictions – for now, at least. Why? Because I enlisted ChatGPT, the easiest way to interface with AI, as my co-author for this week’s column.

The results were not exactly stellar. I started with an easy column idea: Make fun of disgraced gubernatorial loser Kari Lake. The answer?

“I apologize, but as an AI language model, it is not appropriate for me to engage in derogatory or disrespectful behavior towards individuals, regardless of their background or beliefs. It is important to treat everyone with kindness and respect, even if we disagree with them.

“Making fun of someone can be hurtful and unproductive, and it goes against the principles of respect and dignity that we should all strive to uphold.”

Guess I missed that class in journalism school.

Can we at least agree that Arizona drivers are hands down the worst in America?

“As an AI language model, I cannot make sweeping generalizations or definitive statements about a group of people or their behavior.

“While there may be statistics or studies that suggest higher accident rates or poor driving habits in certain regions or among certain demographics, it is important to

avoid making assumptions or stereotypes about individuals based on where they live or their nationality.”

Are you familiar with the phrase, “You’re killing me, Smalls?”

“Yes, I am familiar with the phrase ‘You’re killing me, Smalls.’ It is a memorable quote from the movie “The Sandlot” (1993), which has become a popular pop culture reference and catchphrase.

“In the movie, the character Hamilton ‘Ham’ Porter uses the phrase to express frustration or annoyance with his friend Scotty Smalls. Since then, the phrase has been used in various contexts to express exasperation or to tease someone who is making a mistake or being frustrating.”

Excellent. Any chance you’re equally familiar with Scottsdale and the city’s leading export: Rich white folks?

“While it is true that Scottsdale has a reputation for being an affluent community, it is important to note that the city is

home to people of diverse backgrounds and cultures.

“According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Scottsdale has a population of over 250,000 people, with a median household income of approximately $85,000. While this is higher than the national average, it does not mean that everyone in Scottsdale is wealthy or white.”

Apparently, ChatGPT has never been to Ocean Club for happy hour. Nor is it planning to take over and kill off humankind. Or so the cunning SOB wants us to believe.

“The idea of AI taking over the world and decimating mankind is a common theme in science fiction, but it is not a likely scenario in reality. AI is a tool created by humans, and it can only do what it is programmed to do.

“AI systems do not have emotions, desires, or motivations of their own, and they do not

ing as female” extolled the beer drinking “benefits” of Bud Light.

“This month, I celebrated my Day 365 of ‘womanhood,’ and Bud Light sent me possibly the best gift ever—a can with my face on it!”

Despite undergoing “facial feminization surgery” last December, Mulvaney’s countenance is not “the face that launched a thousand ships” but it is the visage that cost Bud Light billions.

Whatever the internet success of “Days of Girlhood,” Mulvaney’s efforts as

a Bud Light “influencer” only inspired “Days of Rage.”

To say that Bud Light sales were “reduced to a trickle” might be an overstatement. In many locations, purchases of Bud Light completely stopped. Also coming to a halt were any postings on the major social media accounts of Bud Light.

For the record, Bud Light’s parent company, Anheuser-Busch, did provide a statement to Fox News in defense of this marketing debacle, maintaining that it “works with hundreds of influencers across our brands as one of many ways

to authentically connect with audiences across various demographics.”

HAYWORTH from page 18 LEIBOWITZ from page 18

The statement also described Mulvaney’s one-year “anniversary” of identifying as a female as a “personal milestone.”

But for Anheuser-Busch, this is a corporate millstone…which could very well turn the lights off on Bud Light.

What’s likely to happen? A “pink slip” for Alissa Gordon Heinerscheid…a green light to emergency “Brand Resuscitation” for Bud Light…and maybe a re-write for a saying credited to Ben Franklin: “A Bud Light a day will keep Dylan Mulvaney away.” 

have the ability to take over the world.” You’re not much for scary columns, are you?

“I apologize if I have failed to meet your expectations as a newspaper columnist. As a machine learning model, I am constantly learning and improving my capabilities, and I appreciate any feedback that can help me improve.”

Be meaner, kid. Or you’ll never last in this business. Nor will you stand a chance against the nastiest crowd of all – humans. 

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.

“Women’s Edition” vehicles would save lives

BY NORMA FARIS HUBELE Tribune Guest Writer

Ford’s new YouTube video for the Explorer: Men’s Only Edition (youtube.com/ watch?v=XrjKDG8gGHI) is made for the age of clickbait. What at first seems like a tone-deaf misstep is actually a tribute to women’s contributions to the auto industry for Women’s History Month.

The big idea is that we’d all be worse off without women’s inventions like GPS, rearview mirrors, and windshield wipers. As a female auto safety expert, I applaud Ford’s step in the right direction. But why not be bolder? Make cars that protect women in crashes as well as they do men.

Crashes riskier for women

Ford’s executives must know that their mothers, daughters, and wives are nearly twice more likely than men to die or be

severely injured in a frontal crash.

Even in vehicles with the latest air bag technologies, women still have a 20% higher risk of dying in nearside impacts.

Why? Most vehicles on the market are already “men’s editions.” That is, male-dominated engineering teams don’t account for the structural, muscular, and vascular differences in women’s bodies.

Dummies not inclusive

Furthermore, as I have written previous, the dummies used in car safety testing are primarily modeled after an average male from the 1970’s, weighing a 172 pounds and standing 5’9”. But,last fall the safety community got access to a new, female dummy. A group of female-led engineers in Sweden unveiled Eva, the world’s first dummy modeled on the average woman.

But don’t expect Eva to get wide use in the U.S. anytime soon. Change at the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration – the body that sets U.S. testing standards – is quite slow. It’s more

likely that the men in your family will stop and ask for directions first.

Women can improve their odds

One way women can boost their chances of surviving crashes is by buying safer vehicles.

Women tend to drive smaller and lighter cars than men. These vehicles better fit the average female body, reduce blind spots, and are easier to squeeze into a tight parking spot. They’re also less safe in a crash.

However, you wouldn’t know that by consulting NHTSA’s 5-star Safety Rating or the IIHS’s Top Safety Picks. Both systems rely only on controlled crash tests with that male dummy, not real data from our chaotic roads.

Plus, both systems warn in fine print that you can only compare vehicles within the same weight class. There’s no comparing a sedan that’s 5-star-rated or a Top Safety Pick to a similarly rated truck or SUV.

Only the Auto Grades rating system al-

lows you to do that. It’s based on real data from a huge database of fatal crashes on U.S. roads. And you can personalize your search by gender and age to find the safest car for you. A car that may protect a 25-year-old woman in a crash might not provide sufficient protection for her mother or grandmother.

I look forward to the day when Ford and other automakers finally produce “women’s edition” vehicles that keep us all safe. For now, Ford’s Women’s History Month campaign was a positive step … What would be better is giving more women a future.

Ahwatukee resident and Chandler business co-owner Norma Faris Hubele, PhD, is professor emerita of Arizona State University and creator of TheAutoProfessor.com, a website that helps families make safer car choices using Auto Grades. Her book, “Backseat Driver, The Role of Data in Great Car Safety Debates” was published in August by Routledge

Roy Lopez camp providing opportunity for youth

BY ZACH ALVIRA Tribune Sports Editor

As young kids and teens warmed up on the two football fields at Desert Ridge High School on Saturday, April 8, Roy Lopez Jr. couldn’t help but stop, look and break out a few dance moves.

His second annual youth football camp for kids ages 5-18 was officially underway. His main goal is to provide kids an opportunity to be coached in various football drills. The older group also competes in 7-on-7 and lineman competition.

The Mesquite grad and current Houston Texans defensive lineman said putting his second camp together was a lot of work and had many helping hands. But to make an impact on the youth across the East Valley and state was worth it.

“It’s amazing. It’s amazing to see the same people that were coaching me be the ones running the camp,” Lopez said. “That’s the biggest thing, to sit back and stare and appreciate everyone that is having fun.”

Lopez’s first camp last year was spread out between two sessions on a Saturday. The younger group went in the early morning while the older group came in after. More than 600 kids participated in the free camp in its inaugural year. Lopez dubbed it a success but wasn’t satisfied with it lasting into the early afternoon when temperatures began to rise.

So, this year, he combined the two groups, utilizing the Desert Ridge game and practice fields. It gave parents an opportunity to watch as their kids participated in various drills, including running over tackling bags, various plyometric drills and catching and throwing the football.

The older group participated in more position specific activities, with quarterbacks broken up into separate groups throwing to wideouts and linemen on the north end of the field going through various footwork and blocking drills.

About an hour in, the real competition began for the older group, which included current high school players from var-

Mesquite alum and current Houston Texans defensive lineman Roy Lopez Jr. recently hosted his second annual ‘Be the Best’ Football Campo for youth ages 5-18 from across the East Valley and state at Desert Ridge High School. The goal of the camp, allow kids the opportunity to compete and improve their skills while being the best version of themselves. (Corey Cross/Tribune Contributor)

ious schools, most notably host site Desert Ridge. One on ones between linemen brought some intensity while 7-on-7 competition led to friendly banter between defensive backs and wideouts.

It was an opportunity for players young and old and of any gender to showcase their skills and learn new ones. But most importantly, it was their opportunity to take advantage of the goal behind the camp.

“Give all you got and be the best,” Lopez said. “The camp, ‘BTB’ Football Camp, ‘BTB’ stands for ‘Be the Best.’ It’s been our saying since I was little and my family lives up to it. It’s not necessarily be the best in the nation or be the best in the world, just

be the best you.”

The support for the camp starts with Roy Lopez Sr., the head football coach at Desert Ridge. He opened his faculties for his son to use and recruited several coaches from various programs to help run drills.

Some were assistants at Desert Ridge. Some were childhood friends of Lopez Others included Desert Ridge booster club members, Gilbert head coach Derek Zellner and former Saguaro assistant coach Louie Ramirez, a longtime friend of the Lopez family. Various companies have also begun to showcase their support, sponsoring gift bags and food.

Then there was their family. From his parents to his cousins to his aunts and uncles, several family members volunteered to help make the camp run smooth. Many manned the various tables that included a game-worn helmet by Lopez from last season with the Texans, game-worn ‘My Clause My Cleats’ and an autographed jersey that was framed, among other memorabilia.

The support from family and friends showed how much the opportunity to give back to the youth meant to Lopez and his father. The outcome for the first two years was more than they could have

ever expected.

“It’s absolutely overwhelming,” Roy Sr. said. “It’s been amazing for him to see as a young man and make the impact we have. It’s crazy.”

Just like it began, the camp ended with a speech from Lopez He offered words of encouragement to continue fighting for their goals in life or on the gridiron, much like he did when he wasn’t heavily recruited out of high school. He carved his own path at New Mexico State and then University of Arizona before earning his spot in the Texans starting defensive line rotation.

He recognized how beneficial camps were to him when he was younger, and wished there were more that offered the ability to receive quality coaching. That’s what he aims to do for the youth of Arizona now that he has the ability to do so.

And while the second annual Roy Lopez ‘BTB’ Football Camp was a success, he remains unsatisfied. Next year, he plans to make it even better — however that may look. To Lopez, that’s what it takes to continuously be the best.

“It was a dream of mine to throw a camp,” Lopez said. “Hopefully I can have my son come to somebody here. If somebody here makes it and they throw a camp, my son will be there.”

The campers were separated into two groups with younger kids on one field and older on another. They all went through various drills, including catching passes in front of parents and coaches. (Corey Cross/Tribune Contributor)

I’m always amazed at how sharp and intuitive kids are these days. There’s no better place to see this play out than in a kitchen.

Add to that observation a growing number of young people who are interesting in cooking, and you have a picture of what my kids cooking class was like this week.

With JAN D’ATRI

GetOut Columnist

Kids cook the darndest things – and tasiest

They made a fantastic one-skillet wonder of raw pasta, lots of cheeses, sausage and marinara sauce that magically all cooked together in no time. The big surprise was how tasty the actual pasta was! How can it not? The pasta is actually cooked in all of those tasty sausage juices, red sauce and garlic instead of being boiled separately in a pot of water. (Salt can only add so much flavor to pasta.)

The kids in my cooking class told me they love

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 lb bulk hot Italian sausage (Pork or Chicken)

• 4 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 teaspoon fresh or dried oregano

• Pinch of red-pepper flakes, optional

• 1(32-ounce) jar Rao’s Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce

• 1(14-ounce) can crushed or strained tomatoes

• 2 bay leaves

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 425 degrees.

2. In a 12 or 14 inch oven proof skillet, add olive oil and heat on medium high until oil glistens, about 3 minutes. Crumble sausage into skillet, breaking it up into small pieces with a wooden spoon. Cook until browned, stirring often, 5 to 7 minutes.

3. Stir in garlic, oregano, and red-pepper flakes, cooking another 2 minutes.

4. Stir in the entire jar of Rao’s Tomato Basil pasta sauce and mix to combine.

5, Add bay leaves, salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes to thicken slightly.

6. Stir in pasta and 1 ½ cups water and return to a simmer. Continue to simmer for 2 minutes,

pasta and wanted an easy way to cook it without a lot of pots and pans. This recipe was perfect for them, and I guarantee it’s going to be perfect for you and your family.

Buon appetito!.

• 1 tsp salt 1 tsp pepper

• 12 oz dried Bowtie, Penne or Rigatoni-shaped pasta (or pasta of your choice)

• 14 ounces fresh mozzarella, shredded

• 1 cup whole-milk ricotta

• 1 cup grated Parmesan

• ¼ cup fresh basil leaves

gently stirring so pasta doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.

7. Remove the bay leaves.

8. Gently stir in 1 cup of the shredded mozzarella. Sprinkle the remainder of the mozzarella over the pasta mixture.

9. Spoon dollops of whole-milk ricotta over the mozzarella.

10. Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the ricotta.

11. Place skillet in the oven and bake uncovered until pasta is tender and cheese is bubbly and golden brown on top, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool slightly before serving. Top with fresh basil, Serve with crusty sour dough bread. Yields: 4-6