Queen Creek Tribune 04/23/2023

Sunday, April 23, 2023

Threats at QC schools prompt police action

BY MARK MORAN Tribune Staff Writer

Amid the epidemic of school shootings across the country, the Queen Creek Police Department is taking action to try to curb a growing number of threats of violence at schools in town.

Together with the Community Services Department, the department is planning an educational campaign to teach students about the dangers of making threats on campus and how those words can affect their future.

Police Chief Randy Brice outlined the program for Town Council April 19 and also got its members’ approval of a plan to broaden the scope of a school resource officers’ duties and adding them at more schools.

“It’s all about averting school violence,” Brice said.

Brice said he wants to establish a strategic presence on all 30 charter and public campuses in town – and wants students and their families on board.

“It’s a collaborative effort,” he said. “What do we need to do in the school and what do we

need to do as a police department and how do we bring in the community at the end of that?”

Brice said he wants the educational plan to be in place by the start of the next school year. He said taking input and creating the plan will be labor intensive.

“While I admit it’s a huge lift,” he said, “it is imperative that we get this information out.”

Brice added the program will not be a cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all program for every school but rather “custom-fit” for each, de-

BY MARK MORAN Tribune Staff Writer

At age 13, Queen Creek middle schooler Jacob Vella misses his family, including his dog, but maybe misses the local In-N-Out Burger a little more.

“I go there all the time with my friends,” said Jacob, who attends Heritage Academy. “Not having it in a five-mile radius makes me sad.”

That’s what happens when you hit the big time. Vella is one of 29 singers selected to be part of the cast of HITS! The Musical, touring the country now and scheduled to be in Phoenix May 3 at the Herberger Theater.

“We held nationwide auditions with more than 7,000 individuals and from those audi-

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Mesa will cash in on QC battery plant

BY SCOTT SHUMAKER Tribune Staff Writer

South Korean electronics maker LG Solution made waves last month when it announced plans to build a $5.6 billion lithium battery factory in Queen Creek at Ironwood and Germann roads.

The news represented a major expansion of a previously announced project – quadrupling the company’s initially announced investment in an operation to make cylindrical batteries for electric vehicles as well as batteries for utility-scale energy storage.

Even though the project is outside Mesa city limits, it stands to gain financially from the project because the city will supply LG with natural gas.

And “their gas demands are very high,” Energy Resources Program Manager Tony Cadorin told Mesa City Council at a recent study session.

Mesa operates as a natural gas supplier in two different and separate ways. The red-shaded area reflects the gas the city utility provides customers living within a small part of the city. The green-shaded area is serviced by the Magma Gas Company, which Mesa bought in 1980. Its territory covers 235 square miles in Queen Creek, San Tan Valley, and Pinal County. (City of Mesa)

The city bought the Magma Gas Company and its service area in 1980. The territory covers 235 square miles in Queen Creek, San Tan Valley, and Pinal County.

It is not connected to Mesa’s gas utility within city limits, but they are both operated by the city.

At the time, Magma had a total 216 gas meters, including 183 residential customers, according to Cadorin.

The city uses Magma as a revenue-generating enterprise, and also sees its status as an energy utility to drive regional economic development.

While growth was slow for the first two decades of Mesa’s ownership of Magma, growth has sped up recently, and the LG battery plant will take Mesa’s gas delivery to a whole new level.

Mesa energy officials are in active discussions with LG to learn more about the plant’s future needs.

Cadorin said the early estimates it has received from the company indicate the plant will use more natural gas than all of Mesa current 75,000 gas customers, resi-

dential and commercial, combined.

Cadorin told council members the city currently delivers 38 million therms per year to its residential and commercial customers, and LG has ballparked that it may need 57 million therms per year.

There’s some irony in the fact that the plant will use so much fossil fuel in order to produce batteries to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.

According to a data conversion tool from the EPA, 50 million therms of natural gas release CO2 in the atmosphere equivalent to 58,870 gas-powered cars driven for a year.

Scott Bouchie, director of Mesa’s Environmental and Sustainability Department, said that city officials are excited about the LG plant because it represents the onshoring of manufacturing and the blossoming of the local green energy economy.

But he also acknowledged the direct financial benefit of the plant for city coffers.

“From our standpoint it is a gas customer,” Bouchie said. “They’re gonna

have gas that goes through a pipe and through a meter that we’ll bill them for, but I think the real excitement does come from the economic development side.”

Mesa officials currently are in the planning stages to extend a gas pipeline out to LG’s property, a project included in the city’s capital improvement program.

The city has been discussing this pipeline extension since last year, but the recent announcement expands the scale.

Cadorin pointed out that LG’s current plans will only take up half of the site, and there are large parcels between LG’s land and Mesa’s existing Magma system lines – meaning there’s room for considerable growth.

“When we’re planning infrastructure down there, we’re really trying to look at the long term in terms of both capacity and cost recovery,” he said. “It’s a very serious project for us.”

Mayor John Giles added a reflection on the news of Mesa’s potentially vast expansion in gas business.

“Congratulations to Queen Creek and congratulations to Mesa,” he said. 

$500K grant bolsters QC trafficking crackdown

BY MARK MORAN Tribune Staff Writer

Driven by a sharp spike in calls related to human trafficking, the Queen Creek Police Department has hired a detective to focus solely on those cases and it is getting nearly $500,000 from the state to do it.

“Over the past year, QCPD has handled more than 600 criminal cases involving crimes or situations that involved some sort of physical or sexual abuse,” a department presentation to Town Council said.

“This included a number of cases associated with human trafficking.”

The town has received a grant of $463,339 to pay for the detective, training and a vehicle through the end of 2025 from the Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs Department.

Cases include any crime involving domestic violence, sexually based crimes, kidnapping or unlawful imprisonment and cybercrimes.

Queen

(Town

Creek

broke down how it will spend a state grant to fight human trafficking.

The detective will earn $282,019 in salary and benefits over the three-year grant period and the remainder will be used for training and a vehicle. The detective’s primary objectives will involve “investigations involving child sex trafficking and rapid recovery of victims. Human trafficking prevention and partnerships with non-government organizations, and training and education on human trafficking,” the report said.

“We are appreciative of the grant funds from the Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs,” Queen Creek Police Chief Randy Brice said in an email.

“As a new department, we are continuously seeking opportunities to provide the best level of service to the community while being mindful of costs. This funding allows us to add an additional detective that will help investigate human and sex trafficking cases, which are often complex and require time and unique skill sets.”

Brice has said more than 40% of the caseload managed by the department’s investigative section is made up of these types of victim cases.

He has said previously that the biggest problem his investigators have is gaining the trust of someone who has been involved in a domestic dispute, sexual assault or human trafficking case – often because they are underage runaways who distrust law enforcement.

They are also often lied to by their traf-

Police

of Queen Creek)

HITS from page 1

tions we pulled together an electrifying cast of budding young superstars who sing and dance with unstoppable high energy and talent,” producer Bob Gries said.

From a hotel in Washington D.C. where the show made its 12th of 48 stops across the country, Jacob said, “I spent a lot of time preparing for the audition, and now I’m here.”

The show wraps up May 8 in San Francisco and has been garnering audiences ranging between 500 and 1,500 people.

The production is billed as “an unforgettable 90-minute musical journey that recreates the biggest hits in pop, rock and Broadway from the 1960s to the present.”

“There’s no script,” said Jacob, who with other performers ages 10-22 will perform as many as 80 songs in medley fashion. “It’s more like a concert than it is a musical.”

The production’s executive producers are musical icon Dionne Warwick and her son Damon Elliott. Warwick, now 82, ranks among the 40 biggest U.S. hit makers between 1955-99, based on Billboard’s Hot 100 pop singles chart.

But her legendary status is lost on Jacob.

“I didn’t know her. We did listen to some of her music though to catch ourselves up,” he said.

But stardom isn’t lost on the youngster.

“Just being onstage is mesmerizing,” Jacob said. “I like seeing everything come together. The end result. All the costumes, the layers of the vocals and the lights, the dancing.

“It’s nothing like being in a rehearsal facility where there’s no lights or costumes. It’s a completely different experience once you are onstage and there is an audience.”

Jacob has always had a good voice, according to his mother, Molly Vella.

But she said he was not always constructive in the way he used it.

According to Jacob’s official bio, he started singing to annoy his older siblings in the car and his parents were prompted to institute a “no singing at the dinner table” rule not long after.

Good thing his siblings did not hold a grudge.

At age 7, while most kids are discovering sports and other hobbies, Jacob was discovering his voice. Literally.

He landed a role in Disney’s “Jungle Book” with his siblings in the local theater and was bitten by the performing bug.

“I really enjoyed people coming up to

me after the show because I thought it was so cool that I had what I thought was a fan club,” he laughed. “I was like ‘oh my gosh, these people think I’m cool!’” he remembers thinking.

“I loved the attention, but I did love performing. I loved to sing, so much to the point that my mom would have to tell me

‘Jacob, stop singing! I’m trying to focus!’ I was a very obnoxious child.”

“Loud,” his mother corrected. “I said ‘loud.’”

Jacob has performed in “Freaky Friday,”

“Mary Poppins,” “A Christmas Carol,” and “Lion King” at the Hale Theater in Gilbert, and in “Seussical the Musical JR” at the

Queen Creek Performing Arts Center. He started his performing career with dance lessons at Rhythm in Motion Dance school in Mesa.

Fame has not changed the mother-son relationship, considering the two are on the road together 24/7 during “HITS” in support of Jacob’s dream of one day performing on Broadway.

Mom is part talent agent, part chaperone, part support staff, and, well, mom.

“I don’t know that any 13-year-old boy wants to spend this much one on one time with their mother in hotel rooms and on bus rides,” Molly Vella chuckled. “But I really enjoy getting to see Jacob in his element and doing what he loves. He’s a normal kid.

“I still have to tell him to pick up his socks in between shows, you know,” she added.

“What?!” Jacob quipped.

“I’m still nagging him,” Molly Vella confessed.

As a middle schooler at Heritage Academy in Queen Creek, being in the showbiz spotlight does not relieve Jacob Vella of his responsibilities as a student.

The family has access to online educational materials and a tutor travels with the show to be sure the kids understand their school lessons.

“The hardest part is balancing rehearsal time and show time with school,” he said. “Not having a teacher was challenging at first, but once the tutor started it became a lot easier and efficient.”

Being on the road away from home during his first national tour has its challenges, but Vella added it does have its perks, too.

“I love going to see all these places,” he said of the sightseeing opportunities a nationwide tour presents. “In fact, we just saw the Capitol. We took a tour and got to see everything. Sightseeing is one of the most exciting things.”

Outside of performing arts, Vella enjoys Kenpo karate and online gaming with friends. If his dreams of making it big on the Great White Way don’t work out, he’s eyeing a career in computer coding and game design.

But for now, even if it’s not Broadway yet, he’s onstage, in the spotlight and singing.

“I never imagined anything like this for any of my kids, so it’s been thrilling to watch it play out,” Molly Vella said. “But I’m sure he would like a break from me.” 

Queen Creek resident Jacob Vella, 13, is excited about his role in HITS! The Musical. (Special to the Tribune)

The cast comprises kids 10-22 who are stopping at 48 cities across the country before their tour ends May 8. (Special to the Tribune)

UArizona to study breast cancer compassion

BY ALEXANDRA ALEY Cronkite News

The University of Arizona will use a $1.7 million grant for breast-cancer survivors and their partners to practice “compassion meditation,” researching whether the program can ease their anxiety, depression and sense of isolation.

The National Cancer Institute’s grant will allow researchers to study whether the program, known as Cognitively Based Compassion Meditation, works to ease the emotional turmoil that often arises in patients and their caregivers, said Thaddeus Pace, principal investigator.

Researchers are trying to determine whether the method helps release stress on the immune system of survivors and their caregivers.

A 2015 report on a pilot study conducted with a group of breast-cancer survivors showed improvements in their mindfulness, and ability to embrace the present moment without worrying about the cancer recurring.

Pace explained another study, in 2019, indicated a possibility “there may be something important about survivors bringing on partners who they see day in and day out.”

“We have gotten sort of positive reactions from survivors and partners who have taken part in the research with us,” Pace said.

“They would recommend this activity to their friends and maybe even other cancer survivors and their families.”

Cognitively based compassion meditation is designed to strengthen empathy, Pace said.

“It’s a meditation that is about our feelings for other people, as well as our feelings about ourselves,” he said.

According to the University of Arizona College of Nursing, the method focuses on mindfulness and how someone connects with another person.

When the study gets underway in May, participants will attend a weekly session online for eight weeks. More studies will be done in the late summer, and then another group next spring.

“We’re hoping to reach out to survivors

and partners across the state, and really across the United States,” Pace said.

Sally Dodds, an instructor who has practiced meditation for more than 20 years, said the compassion sessions, which previously were in-person at UArizona, start with mental exercises.

The survivors and caregivers are told to sit on a cushion or chair and ground their feet to the earth. The instructor then guides them to focus on their breath, to eliminate random thoughts.

After the sessions are complete, participants are encouraged to meditate on their own three times a week using the pre-recorded audio recordings given to them at the end of each week.

“It’s about self-awareness and observing how it works – taking a look internally at how your mind operates,” Dodds said. “These techniques will help you make decisions about the habits you have in your thinking.”

When the participants show up for the next meditation session, instructors will collect feedback on what did and did not work.

“CBCT (Cognitively Based Compassion Training) starts off with helping people to focus their attention and be mindful in the present moment,” Pace said.

“Then, after those skills in the first couple weeks, you start to explore these concepts of self compassion and how you react to yourself in a social world.”

“We wanted to focus on breast cancer survivors because they go through a difficult process and are left with tremendous challenges,” Dodds said.

Dodds recalls a woman in her class who had just gone through treatment and was struggling to hold down a job and manage three kids, straining her marriage.

“She came into class and said, ‘I had the best thing happen while on my way to work the other morning. My husband called and said, “I just wanted to tell you that since you’ve been meditating, how much easier it’s been to be around you, and how much I really love you,”’”

Dodds said.

The benefits of compassion meditation, Dodds said, radiate onto the people around them. 

pending on the input he receives from every school.

“What does each school need to have a direct impact on their kids?” Brice said. “It will be a tailored response.”

He said the department will take lessons that it learned from a recent sextortion campaign in Queen Creek schools, during which he said students came forward to share things for fears of being bullied with officers that they had been afraid to mention until they felt secure to do so.

Brice said having officers there to listen and not to accuse made a difference.

“People would start to confide is us,” he said. “So, we got a lot of disclosures. We expect to see the same thing here.

“We want to have a free flow of information rather than us just going in there and saying ‘stop doing that’ and not really have any interaction. We want them to ask questions,” Brice added.

Queen Creek Director of Community Services Marnie Schubert said police will also assess what students and their families need and want to know regarding school threats.

The department’s plan also will work to establish communication among schools, students and parents with a directed focus outside of the schools, she added.

“The schools requested PD speak with the parents first before they speak to students to first find out ‘what are parents thinking?’” Schubert explained.

She said police officers will attend parent teacher nights or host informational sessions to get input so they can know how best to take the message into the schools.

“That’s an opportunity for police and communications to work together to find out what are the misperceptions out there,” she said.

“What are the areas that might be causing confusion? How seriously are people taking this kind of threat? So, that’s an opportunity to get feedback so that we better develop a campaign for the school.”

Schubert said the plan will be designed to teach kids words are powerful and can have consequences they did not anticipate.

The department and town also will develop a multi-media campaign designed

to saturate the public with a message about the seriousness of making threats at school.

“As funny as Chief Brice may be, it is not funny to make these threats,” she said. “They are not going to treat it as a joke. They take every one of these threats very seriously.”

“We want to talk to the kids and tell them how it affects their life,” Brice added.

He said “Well, I was just kidding” is a common response from suspects who have made threats in school.

Councilman Travis Padilla admitted surprise at the number of school violence threats that Queen Creek police officers must handle.

“This is a much bigger problem than I ever anticipated it would be being new on council,” Padilla said. “It is staggering to me.”

Padilla added that when he was in school, threats on campus “could be taken lightly because there wasn’t action being taken, but now that we have more stress in society, things are happening that we have to be careful about what the consequences are for saying harmful or threatening words.”

Brice said that one of the problems the department currently faces is schools not involving the police until the administration does its own in-house investigation of threats on campuses.

That can slow down the investigative process and potentially have tragic consequences, he warned.

Brice offered as evidence a recent incident in which a school encountered a threat on a Friday but did not notify police until Monday, which was “D-Day,” Brice said, referring to the day the threatened act supposedly would be initiated.

“That has been our biggest struggles with some of our schools,” he said. “They just have a hard time understanding that you get us involved in the beginning.

“Luckily, we haven’t had any tragic events that demonstrate the need, but we do have some things that are sometimes embarrassing or difficult to handle because they waited too long for us to get involved.”

Brice, who is always very careful not to be alarmist when he talks about police matters in public, said Queen Creek is not alone in seeing an increasing number of violent threats on school campuses.

“It’s a nationwide threat,” he said. “It’s not just unique to us.”

He mentioned neighboring school districts have also seen a sharp spike in threats on campus.

To help establish more of a presence on at least some of the district’s campuses, the council voted to broaden the scope of what a school resource officer can do, allowing additional SROs to be placed in more and different schools.

The town also has removed the words “High School” from the definition of

where an SRO can work, and the locations will be determined based on need.

“The police department will evaluate a number of specific circumstances or indicators in order to establish the existing conditions at a particular school site,” the SRO resolution said.

Those factors include a number of service calls at a school, the size and configuration of the size of the campus, call clustering, the number and type of offenses that are occurring.

Brice admitted there is not enough money to put one on every campus.

“If we had unlimited funding and unlimited resources that would be great,” Brice said. “We are looking at who needs it most.

“I don’t want to give the impression that this is going to solve the problem,” Brice said. “I have high hopes that we are going to put a dent in this but (everyone) has to be on board.”

The fiscal impact of shifting and potentially adding SROs is yet to be determined and will vary depending on a school’s needs. 

Threats of violence on Queen Creek Unified campuses that were investigated by police have risen slightly this current school year. (Queen Creek Police)

from page 5

ficker who tells the victim that if they go to the police, the victim will be arrested, which is not true.

Queen Creek could be at a heightened risk for underage trafficking cases because of a state juvenile facility in town.

“Queen Creek is the home to a large juvenile group home that houses over 300 children who are either in DCS custody, are unaccompanied minors-refugees, children on probation, and/or sex trafficking survivors who are there on therapeutic placement,” the report said.

The council report said these children, who are from all over the country, are often victimized again by traffickers when they run away.

The report said taking proactive steps to reduce the number of juveniles who escape from the facility is one way to address sex trafficking in Queen Creek.

“Research has shown that children in DCS custody and undocumented children are at a significantly higher risk of being victims of child sex trafficking.

“A HT detective could work proactively with the group home and the children who reside there to develop safety plans, reporting procedures, and programs to reduce the number of runaways,” the report said.

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children reports receiving approximately 1,500 cases each year involving missing children reportedly involved in sex trafficking.

The agency said almost 75% of those children were in the care of social services when they went missing.

Since QCPD became operational just over a year ago, investigators have responded to 112 runaway calls at the juvenile group home, according to police.

The report said an officer devoted fulltime to anti-trafficking activities will train other officers to recognize signs of abuse and trafficking, and work within the community to create safe zones for runaways

and other at-risk children.

“This is important as Queen Creek is a rural community and having a safe place a child can go to ask for help will reduce the chances of them ending up as a victim of child sex trafficking,” the report said. “These places often include hospitals and fire stations.”

The town also plans to use approximately $60,000 of the grant money to buy a vehicle designed to be sure that the human trafficking victim, already wary of police, will not feel targeted by the officer arrives on the scene to help.

Investigators will keep so-called hope bags with clothing and hygiene products for victims inside the vehicle, as well.

“Most recovered trafficked victims wear clothes purchased for them by the trafficker and are not age appropriate,” the report said. “

This vehicle will allow the victim to feel comfortable and help reassure them they are not the suspect in the investigation,” it said.

“This vehicle will not have any police markings, equipment, enclosure, or other intimidating features,” the council report said.

The money for the Queen Creek anti-human trafficking detective was allocated in AZ HB 2862, which appropriates $8-million in grants to city, town and county law enforcement agencies in an amount of not more than $500,000 per agency to battle human trafficking, according to the Department of Emergency and Military Affairs.

It is not part of a federal grant.

“It is DEMA’s intent to support the state’s anti-human trafficking efforts and use their expertise to support local efforts to reduce human trafficking,” the state department said.

To date, the Arizona Department of Public Safety has been allocated $2-million to invest in anti-trafficking measures, and nine municipalities have applied for the grant. The DEMA report does not specify which towns or cities. 

$35 REGISTRATION INCLUDES T-SHIRT& MEDAL

Gateway booming despite 2 carriers’ departure

BY SCOTT SHUMAKER Tribune Staff Writer

Despite large increases in yearover-year passengers during Arizona’s high tourist season, Phoenix Mesa Gateway Airport may be losing two seasonal air carriers to of Phoenix Sky Harbor.

Gateway Airport Executive Director J. Brian O’Neill told his board of directors April 18 that low-cost Canadian carrier Flair has notified the airport it is leaving.

He said that WestJet, a Canadian airline with twice weekly service to Calgary, is also considering leaving PMGA at the end of the season, though O’Neill said that decision is not official yet.

A spokesperson for WestJet said the airline does not have any updates to share at this time.

Mesa is a popular destination for Canadian tourists, business travelers and seasonal residents.

WestJet has provided flights to Gateway since 2017, and Flair since 2019, though the pandemic disrupted service to Mesa for both airlines.

Gateway spokesman Ryan Smith said this was the first full year back for both airlines.

While the volume of passengers flown by the two Canadian airlines is relatively small compared to Allegiant Air, the airport’s largest carrier, Flair nearly quadrupled its FY22 figures, and WestJet was up 73%.

Despite the growth in Mesa, O’Neill told the board, Flair was moving in the hopes of replicating success it had in moving service from Hollywood Burbank Airport in California to Los Angeles International Airport.

Flair did not return a request for comment.

“They saw a significant increase in going from the secondary airport to the hub airport,” he said. “They think that there’s a revenue premium that they can get in Sky Harbor.”

“I’m not so sure they’re going to find

that here,” O’Neill said, adding that the airport would welcome them back in the future.

O’Neill said that the ongoing pilot and aircraft shortage is also behind the airline changes because it is forcing airlines to prioritize routes and get the most out of each flight.

Canadian airline Swoop is still providing service to Edmonton, Winnipeg and Toronto, and O’Neill said the airport hopes Swoop will increase its service at the airport to “pick up the slack” from Flair and WestJet.

Smith predicted the changes would have little impact on airport operations next year.

“We don’t anticipate any impact,” he said. “Fiscal year to date, Flair makes up less than 2% of our total passenger traffic at Gateway.”

Smith, however, said that the seasonal airlines will be still missed because they help to round out the year-round service and tend to use the airport during slower times of day.

“The airline industry is kind of a fickle thing,” Smith said. “Airlines do this all the time where they look for opportunities to gain that extra percentage of margin, and everything is exacerbated by the pilot shortage.”

While at least one carrier is leaving, O’Neill reported that Gateway’s largest and most important airline Allegiant Airlines is making moves to deepen its investment in the airport.

He said Allegiant has leased a 63,000-square-foot maintenance hangar at the airport, which he said will be the only hangar capable of servicing every aircraft in Allegiant’s fleet.

Allegiant, which offers nonstop service between Mesa and over 30 cities, has flown 1,167,743 passengers this fiscal year to date, compared with 20,494 for Flair and 7,651 for WestJet.

While the news of Flair and possibly WestJet departing Gateway made O’Neill’s regular update on flights statistics and revenue “bittersweet,” there was plenty of good news to console air-

port officials and regional leaders on the board of directors.

O’Neill announced that Boeing had entered into a long-term lease for space at the Gateway Executive Airpark, an industrial campus in the northwest corner of the airport that is currently under construction.

He also reported that the second of two hangars leased by space tourism company Virgin Galactic at the airpark has “gone vertical” in the construction process.

“We’ve got quite an inventory of global leading aviation companies” at the airport, he said.

In another bit of good news, a series of deliveries of parts last month for Intel by international air cargo giant DSV Air & Sea last month was successful, and the Danish company will begin twice weekly cargo service in May.

DSV conducted the trial runs to see how its large 747 cargo planes could navigate between Gateway’s runway and the hangar the company has leased at Gateway’s SkyBridge development. 

SkyBridge Arizona broke ground for its second 250,000-square foot building that is part of a 435-acre mixed-use development at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport. (Courtesy of Skybridge Arizona)

CUSD schools ramping up new security measures

BY KEN SAIN Tribune Staff Writer

The front entrance to Shumway Leadership Academy is closed as construction continues on a new sally port for the elementary school.

It’s just one visible sign of how the times have changed since gunmen targeted children as young as 6 at the Sandy Hook school shooting and as young as 9 in the Nashville school shooting at the end of March.

“I had some kids that were a little anxious to come to school and parents that were anxious to send their kids to school,” said Dr. Korry Brenner, the school’s principal. “But then I think once we had the conversations about what we do, my perception was that they were feeling reassured, relieved.”

Sally ports, which are fortified entryways, have either been installed, or soon will be, at all the elementary schools in Chandler Unified School District.

That is just one of the obvious changes made to schools because of the increase in school shootings.

Stephanie Ingersoll, the district’s executive director of marketing and communications, said the plan is for all that construction to be complete in time for the start of the next school year this summer.

Another change is that every door at the school is now locked. Students must knock to gain entry, and teachers now carry around a lot of keys. Brenner said Shumway began locking all of its doors at the end of last year.

It’s also hard not to miss a security guard at the only entrance to the school. Some of the changes, however, are more subtle.

“What I think long term is more effec-

tive, at least at the elementary level, truly is pouring into our kids,” Brenner said. “So making sure that they feel connected to somebody on campus; making sure they know who they can talk to if they need something; listening to them; teaching them self advocacy skills; teaching coping strategies.”

Brenner said all the classrooms at her school now have a “calm down, cool down box with fidget resources.”

“If I’m feeling frustrated, if I’m feeling anxious — I just need a break — we let them know it’s OK to self-advocate for that break, and here are the tools in this space to take that.”

That’s not the only step they are taking.

“We have some kids who have daily check in, and check outs just to make sure that emotionally, we’re doing OK, and we’re getting that positive pouring, or an opportunity to reset if we did just have a tough moment. They get a clean slate, let’s start again.”

A teacher or staff member may take a student on a quick two-minute walk, just to see how they’re feeling.

When anxious parents call, Brenner says she lets them know that it takes a partnership between the school and parents to help improve the situation.

“I would recommend that they listen to their child’s concerns,” Brenner said. “Understand that parents aren’t in it alone, either. We’re here to partner with parents in that. If they know that their child’s anxious about it, or struggling or worried that it’s important, they communicate that with us so that we can support them here on campus.”

Most elementary school students are not reading or watching the news, but Brenner

said that may not mean they haven’t heard something about the shootings.

“Whether we like it or not, they have access to social media, and they see and hear, I think, more than we want to admit,” Brenner said. “So I do think they’re pretty aware.”

One of the things they teach children even at that early age is that if they see something, they should say something.

“We’re also teaching them self-advocacy, and get an adult to help,” she said. “If you have a peer that said, ‘I’m going to do this’ … or ‘I’m thinking about whatnot,’ our kids, I’d like to believe they’re pretty quick to report to somebody because we have those relationships in place.”

Brenner said this is a top priority.

“As a school system, we take what we do very seriously,” she said. “We can’t educate our kids if they’re not feeling safe, if

they are not truly safe. I think it’s the communication between home and school that is key. If parents are noticing changes in their kids behavior, that they’re bringing it up to us. That if we’re noticing changes, that we’re bringing it up to them.

“We’re just very keenly aware of our kids’ moods and social interactions, more so now than when I started 27 years ago.” 

Dr. Korry Brenner, the principal at Shumway Leadership Academy, stands in the new sally port – a fortified main doorway – under construction at her school. (Ken Sain/Times Local Media)

Good news abounds in Valley housing market

BY MELANIE NEMETZ Tribune Columnist

Remember in 2020 when actor John Krasinski created

“Some Good News” and he highlighted good news from around the world?

His effort was to provide good news in a time where our world was inundated with bad news. Thousands tuned in to good news as they needed to break away from the heartbreaking headlines.

Consider this article your bit of good news.

Our local real estate market hasn’t crashed. Last year many worried our market would crash, prices would plum-

met and people who paid top dollar for homes would lose them to foreclosure.

The market hasn’t crashed at all. Numbers and stats reveal we had a “brief correction,” according to The Cromford Report.

Tina Tamboer of The Cromford Report says “The general public appears to underestimate how quickly the housing market is recovering from the brief correction of 2022. Buyers need to come to terms with this or they will be left in the dust.”

The reality is we are recovering from a brief correction in 2022. That’s great news!

The majority of the Valley is in a seller’s market – or as I refer to it with clients, a soft seller’s market.

What we are experiencing is less inventory, which creates a feel of more

demand. Some homes feel this stronger than others which is one of the reasons for calling this a soft seller’s market.

The other reason is buyers aren’t getting crazy with over list price offers and they are definitely conducting their home inspections in this market.

Last month the active listing count was 489, down from 517 in February. The active listing count is currently down at 430 in Queen Creek. The pending listings rose from 253 in February to 263 in March.

Currently there are 298 homes pending in our MLS. This does not include builder inventory, unless the builder elected to list their homes.

Less active homes and more pendings make for less inventory. We have approximately two and a half times the invento-

ry we did when it was at its lowest in 2022. However, it is still a limited inventory. Buyers and sellers lack enthusiasm and overall urgency. Prices are no longer dropping and have actually gone up 3.5% since December. Keep in mind that buyers are still asking for closing costs on many of their offers.

Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa and Tempe are all in a seller’s market. Queen Creek remains in a buyer’s market, although inventory dropping could move this into a different direction.

Many buyers see Queen Creek as not only a great place to call home, but also where they can get a good price on a home compared to the rest of the East

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NEMETZ from page 13

Valley cities.

This is good news for Queen Creek as it increases the activity and increased showing activity directly impacts sales numbers in a positive way.

How is this mixture of information good news? We are a long way from the market we had just foour months ago. Prices have edged up a smidge when last year they were dropping.

Inventory is dropping where we experienced a 300% increase between March and October in 2022. Many cities have moved from a buyer’s market to a seller’s market, although a soft one.

This movement is towards a healthier market and one that both a buyer and seller can successfully transact. Buyers and sellers should note this as a good time to make a move. Given all that we have had to report in our market, it’s good to share some good news.

Melanie Nemetz, the owner and founder of The Melanie Nemetz Team with Keller Williams Integrity First can be reached at 480-221-3034, melanie@ fosteringre.com or fosteringre.com 

Going blind, Gilbert artist keeps creating

DYLAN J. SEEMAN Tribune Contributor

Cecilia Foerster is growing blind, but is holding on to her aspirations of becoming an artist.

The Gilbert woman’s paintings have attracted a following and she has been building a base of patrons even as her vision slowly ebbs.

Streams of gold, deep blacks and abstracted light define her paintings and she describes them as a reflection of the affliction that has overtaken her life – a dimming of light.

Foerster’s original passion – and what she went to school for – was to become a hair sylist. After graduating from high school, she got certified and settled into what she thought was going to be her life’s purpose.

On a late summer day in 2017 as she was finishing up the day’s work at Men’s Ultimate Grooming, she noticed a dark spot form in her peripheral vision.

“It was a slow day at the barber shop over here in Gilbert, so my co-worker and I are just hanging chatting and I looked at the door because it was bright outside and I was like there was a black spot there where it shouldn’t be,” she recalled.

“That’s a little bit alarming,” she remembers thinking, “but I just brushed it off.”

But that spot persisted and kept growing over the course of a week. So, Foerster decided to get it checked out.

After she was informed of the results, she recalled, “I shut down in a way. That day was a blur.”

The doctor explained that her retina was detaching for unknown reasons. She underwent a series of tests and procedures. The tests came back inconclusive

and, after multiple rounds of surgery, nothing worked.

That’s when she picked up painting.

Faced with losing her passion and vision in her left eye, it became a way to cope with the stress.

Still, she tried to make a living as a barber. “It was really hard getting used to, but it did after a while,” Foerster said.

In 2019, the unimaginable happened.

“It was like a curtain of blackness coming in from my peripherals,” said Foerster.

The doctors suspected that scar tissue had built up from the prior surgeries and now was causing her remaining vision to go.

Doctors advised her to have her bad eye removed in the hope of saving the sliver of vision she had left.

With the paltry amount of sight she

had left, Foerster kept her barber job, although she remembers thinking, I’m too much of a liability,” said Foerster.

Finally, she turned to painting full time.

Foerster has been successful as an artist, selling her work at art markets and establishing a presence online – which is where Kate Miller found her.

Miller drove from Tucson recently to obtain a piece of Foerster’s work.

“I had heard about Cecilia’s story and

started following. Then she started sharing and selling her art. Then I was like no way she paints. I love this, I love the texture of it and it just spoke to me,” Miller said.

Foerster is still nervous about when the last ounce of light will go out but she’s making the most out of the time left.

Meanwhile, people can view her work at sacredart.com or see it in person May 6 at the Family Marketplace, 4011 S. Power Road, Mesa. 

Though she is going blind, Gilbert resident Cecilia Foerster won’t let that interfere with her desire to be an artist. (Dylan J. Seeman/Tribune Contributor)

Going blind, Gilbert artist keeps creating (Dylan J. Seeman/GSN Contributor)

Analyst: Super Bowl might change short-term owners’ minds

BY PAUL MARYNIAK Tribune Executive Editor

Did the Super Bowl take the bloom off short-term rentals’ rose?

Valley housing market analyst the Cromford Report thinks it might – and maybe ought to.

It suggested two weeks ago that owners of such properties may find a better opportunity for making more money from the Valley’s unrelenting housing shortage and going for long-term rents before cashing in big when sale prices peak.

Blame it on the Super Bowl, it said.

The Cromford Report said that while short-term rental landlords were looking forward to cashing in big time on out-ofstate traffic to the big game, they scored no touchdown.

“Many owners were disappointed with their receipts from the Super Bowl,” the Cromford Report said. “We seem to have an excess of short-term rental supply which means owners are having to compete with each other on price for shortterm tenants.

“As we head into the low season for holiday rentals, we may see some get sold off. More likely they will be converted to longterm rentals, where the rental prices are much lower but the percentage occupancy is likely to be much higher.

“Demand for long-term rentals is generally more reliable and consistent.”

Madeleine Parker, spokeswoman for AIRDNA.co – which measures activity on the world’s three most popular short-term rental platforms – disputes any notion business is down.

“We aren’t seeing any weakening in demand for Phoenix/Scottsdale,” she said. “In fact, in March 52% more nights were stayed in the area than the year before.”

She said that Looking at the whole first quarter over a million nights were booked in Phoenix Metro in the first quarter of this year – 50% more than the year before.

“Meanwhile, available listings were up 60%, pushing occupancy down a little to

Airdna.co, which measures the world’s three largest short-term rental platforms, shows these locations for those properties in and near Queen Creek. (airdna.co)

64.4% from 71.3%” in the fist quarter of 2022,” Parker said.

She added, “This sensation of occupancy on an individual level dropping is what is causing this feeling of weakness, especially where hosts are new to the market and are overpricing, or don’t have the great reviews to draw in guests who now

have a lot of choice.”

If short-term rental landlords in the Valley aren’t discouraged by occupancy rates, their out-of-state customers might be if they see a new study by Forbes Advisor. Forbes ranked Phoenix and Scottsdale second and third in the nation, respectively, for charging customers the highest fees.

Those fees – which are over and above the daily rent a vacationer thinks they’re spending for a short-term rental – account for an additional 47% in daily costs for a Phoenix rental and 45% in Scottsdale, Forbes reported.

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“Many travelers feel this fee frustration,” Forbes said, adding that travelers this summer faced an average 36% in fees atop their daily room or house rate.

“So, for a hypothetical $180-a-night beach house, 36% in added fees would push the one-day total to nearly $245. Stretch that out over five days and you’re looking at a bill topping $1,200.”

Forbes based its analysis on a study of 32,000 listings in the 100 most popular Airbnb destination spots.

In Phoenix, it said, the average nightly rate of $202 might look good – until a renter sees an extra 20% cleaning fee, 16% service fee and 10% added for taxes.

Scottsdale was almost as bad. Forbes said vacationers pay an average $253 a night – and then shell out an extra 18% for cleaning, the 16% service fee and 11% more for taxes.

By way of a comparison, Sedona travelers pay an extra 39% in fees and taxes. But daily rental rates are an average $320, according to the report.

While the high fees might discourage some people from scheduling a few days or a week in Phoenix or Scottsdale, they might reconsider when they consider some other top destinations in the Forbes study.

It listed average daily base-rental prices that dwarfed the cost in Scottsdale and Phoenix even after fees are added.

For example, the top three most expensive out of 100 locales were Nantucket, Maine, with a daily average rent of $1,280; Mantauk, New York, $1,1029; and Telluride, Colorado, $825.

Other pricey destinations included: Key West, Florida, $640; Santa Cruz, California, $489; Jackson Hole, Wyoming, $540; Lake Tahoe, California, $501; and Aspen, Colorado, $652.

Over the 100 markets in the Forbes study, 18 showed an average daily rent at least $500. But when fees were folded in, 33 markets cost travelers at least $500 a day and four zoomed over $1,000 per day.

Forbes noted that Airbnb “now prioritizes the total cost rather than just the nightly rate” so that users won’t suffer sticker-shock when they get their bill.

But Airbnb insisted its offerings are still a bargain.

“When compared to a hotel, Airbnb often provides more space and more amenities: Travelers can get an Airbnb with two bedrooms and two bathrooms for ap-

proximately the price of one hotel room at a major chain,” company spokeswoman Cristina Calzadilla told Forbes Adviser. Dustin Abney, CEO of Portoro, which manages vacation rentals, said Airbnb gives renters “a better understanding of how fees are tied to operating expenses.

“Most guests are charged fees when they book a stay, but they don’t know what those fees are actually going toward. Most guests also assume that property managers or hosts are trying to price-gouge them, when this usually is not the case,” Abney said.

“In reality, there are many hidden costs that go into running a short-term rental and these costs fall on property managers to pay.”

But Forbes also noted that travelers might still be shocked and confused.

“Customers may be frustrated by the fact that cleaning fees don’t always align with the length of stay,” it said. “Some even end up paying a cleaning fee that’s higher than their nightly rate for a short visit.”

Marcus Radar, founder/CEO of Hostaway, a platform for short-term rental managers, insisted that most travelers won’t be turned off by extra fees whether they’re hidden or not.

“Most vacation rental trips are booked for unique properties in unique locations where there are few hotels and by groups looking for amenities that hotels seldom offer,” he told Forbes.

“I’ve yet to stay in a hotel offering me a private backyard, a private pool and hot tub, a fire pit and a fully equipped kitchen with an outdoor barbecue.” 

Open border truths emerge in Obamacare

BY JD HAYWORTH Tribune Columnist

Eleven years after the fact, the 44th President was “talking smack.”

Literally.

Barack Obama had been delayed from taking a “victory lap” in 2016 for what he was telling voters would be his “third term,” thanks to Donald Trump’s upset of Hillary Clinton.

But Obama finally got his chance four years later. Pandemic-induced political pandemonium helped make it possible. COVID led to an ominous “opportunity” as politics met public health in 2020.

Democrat election officials in battleground states bypassed their respective state legislatures to put vote-by-mail schemes in place. Arguably, those actions

Here’s

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helped put Joe Biden in the White House.

So, 12 days after what was reported as a Biden victory, Obama was interviewed by Gayle King of CBS News, also known as Oprah Winfrey’s best friend. What did the former prez tell Oprah’s bestie?

Something somewhat beastly.

“Let me walk down and smack this guy on the head,” Obama said, recounting his initial reaction to an event from 11 years earlier and referring to one of the GOP’s most mild-mannered congressmen.

Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) sat among his House colleagues during Obama’s Sept. 9, 2009 address to a joint session of Congress. The subject was the factually misnamed “Affordable Care Act”—known better as “Obamacare.”

That’s when Obama made an outlandish assertion that led Wilson to shout an emotional response.

“The reforms I’m proposing would not

apply to those who are here illegally,” Obama said.

Wilson reflexively yelled, “You lie!”

Mortified at his own impulsive outburst, Wilson later called and personally apologized to the President.

But true to form, Official Washington chose to ignore the truth behind Wilson’s unvarnished initial response, as well as the sincerity of his apology. Instead, Congressman Joe Wilson was called uncivil— and of course, racist.

Lost in all the finger-pointing at Wilson was the bureaucratic maneuvering that began the flow of Obamacare dollars to illegals.

It started shortly after passage of the “Affordable Care Act,” as its broad statutory language promoted selective interpretation and sadly predictable implementation.

Open borders advocates engaged in

“creative accounting” for community healthcare centers, through a grant of almost $29 million from the Department of Health and Human Services. Of that grant money, $8.5 million was earmarked toward “migrant and seasonal workers,” with no requirement to check their citizenship or immigration status.

Now, huge checks are demanded from American taxpayers, as the cost and commitment to illegals has grown exponentially in Obama’s de facto “third term.”

In 2021, Joe Biden took t$2 billion from healthcare programs for citizens to “reunite” parents and children who had come into our country separately – and illegally.

Then, earlier this month, the Biden White House proposed a new rule that would formally expand access to both

see HAYWORTH page 20

tip for you on handling service

BY DAVID LEIBOWITZ Tribune Columnist

When it comes to tipping, there seems to be two schools of thought: If back in the day you worked delivering newspapers or as a waiter, as I did for years, you tend to over-tip everyone. If you never chucked papers from your Huffy or worked in a restaurant, I’m betting you’re probably a 15-percent-ish tipper.

Then there’s my buddy The Cheapskate, who’s the exception to the rule. We had lunch recently. When the tab came, I offered to pay. He agreed – and shared his opinion about the tip I left, which was a shade over 20 percent.

“You’re an idiot,” he explained. “State law says tipped employees have to get paid at least 9 bucks an hour, so long as they make three bucks an hour in tips.

Arizona minimum wage is $12. So why tip them?”

Hmmm. Maybe because waiting on idiots is a tough way to earn a living? And because tipping is a custom dating back to the Middle Ages. Or because it’s the decent thing to do?

The Cheapskate and I debated this out into the parking lot. The next morning, I stopped at my local coffee shop and ordered an iced tea. The touchscreen prompted me to leave a tip, which I did.

Later that day, I added a tip for the Amazon grocery person and handed over a crumpled five to the kid who wiped down my golf clubs.

Now every time I click the 20 percent box on the touchscreen or fish a few singles out of my wallet, I hear a grinding voice in my head, accusing me of being “an idiot.”

Question: Is tipping stupid or generous? Is it a relic of a bygone past we should abandon, or is it one of our culture’s few

remaining social graces, a habit we should continue to encourage if only because it’s a way to be nice in a world where to breathe is to be rude?

Me, I plan to stick with tipping. It makes me happy to reward someone’s hard work. If it’s not breaking the bank, why not keep it up?

However, I’m going to do my part to discourage the “tip creep” that’s occurred at every establishment with a touchscreen.

My new rule of thumb: If the service you provide involves walking less than five steps or lifting something less than 32 ounces, I’m keeping the tip to a buck, tops. Unless you really went above and beyond with the service, small talk and smiles.

The golf club kid still merits a five. Door Dash and Uber Eats runners – who don’t get a cut of the delivery fee these websites tack on to the cost of food – still get a percentage.

But my days of picking up to-go Italian

food and adding 20 percent to the cost of a $25 pizza – for the act of placing it on the counter for me to carry – have come to an end.

If that sounds arbitrary, well, the etiquette experts at Emily Post agree. They recommend a 15 to 20 percent tip for a sitdown meal and 10 to 15 percent for food deliveries.

For takeout? “No obligation,” they’ve ruled, though they suggest “10% for extra service (curb delivery) or a large, complicated order.”

The Cheapskate thinks anyone who tips a server is an idiot. That’s his two cents, which I’m sure he parts with grudgingly. I think good tipping is one of the few acts of American gratitude left in 2023.

Here’s a tip for you: If you can’t part with a few bucks for the hard-working server who brings your food to the table, stay home and cook for yourself.

Think of all the money you’ll save. 

Medicaid and Obamacare for a specially designated group of illegal aliens…those Obama dubbed “Dreamers.”

Never mind the fact that the so-called DREAM Act—the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act— failed to pass either house of Congress. That’s why Obama chose to bypass the legislative process and take executive action.

Aided by Hollywood inspired “newspeak,” Obama nicknamed as “Dreamers” the hundreds of thousands of illegals who were brought here as children, and began Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) through executive order.

What makes this a public policy nightmare is what we’ve seen before: the pre-

dictable and inevitable failure to enforce the requirements for those designated as “Dreamers.”

Sure, anybody can dream…and soon everybody who arrives here illegally will claim the status of “Dreamer.”

So when Barack Obama is again interviewed by Gayle King, the former president will undoubtedly “talk smack” once more.

But next time, it won’t concern the legitimate-but-uncouth warning of Rep. Joe Wilson.

More likely, Obama will relate a story of how he and Biden smacked their hands together in a celebratory “high five.”

But most of us realize there is nothing to celebrate, as the United States rapidly approaches “High Noon.”  HAYWORTH from page 19

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Paladin Sports celebrating 15 years serving youth

BY ZACH ALVIRA Tribune Sports Editor

Jason Best didn’t know what to expect when he launched a youth sports clinic for the first time in 2008.

At the time, he aimed to service the San Tan Valley area, just southeast of Queen Creek. Both communities were nowhere near what they are today — two bustling cities with a population that continues to grow well over a couple hundred thousand families.

He had 30 kids show up for the clinic. But as word spread about a new Christian-based organization known as Paladin Sports Outreach, more families began signing up.

“Jason had an idea to see what the interest level was, but families came to him after and said, ‘What’s next?’” said Blake Wilsford, executive director of Paladin Sports Outreach. “Jason started a soccer league and it just started to snowball from there.”

Wilsford became involved with Paladin in 2011, 10 years after he moved to San Tan Valley in 2001. A year later after his kids were both already involved, he partnered with Best to become the Executive Director of the program.

It wasn’t until 2015 Paladin began seeing exponential growth into the Queen Creek community. But now, 15 years after those first initial 30 kids showed up to give a new organization a chance, more than 4,000 athletes ranging in ages 3-14 call Paladin home for recreation and club level athletics.

The organization, along with its original home of San Tan Valley and first expansion of Queen Creek, now also serves the Florence community.

“It’s been really amazing to see the growth,” Wilsford said. “San Tan Valley was all model homes and Queen Creek was just a small town compared to what it is today. As Queen Creek grew and San Tan Valley grew, we really started to explode as an organization.

“In 2019 we served about 4,000 kids then COVID hit. But now we’re back to serving the same amount.”

Wilsford, who moved from Tennessee to Arizona to be a pastor at LifePoint Church in San Tan Valley, said becoming involved was easy.

The organization uses the idea of faith to not only teach how sports are played but to help mold the kids into those who know right from wrong.

Paladin offers baseball, basketball, flag football, soccer and softball at both the recreation and club level. Families are able to sign kids up for the rec teams and they are automatically placed, competing against other Paladin teams.

Club level sports for ages 8-14 require a tryout process to make each team. From there, they compete against other organizations across the state and country in tournaments.

“We have a philosophy,” Wilsford said. “We aren’t out here to cut kids or anything like that. We’re trying to be there for every kid and allow every kid to play.

Wilsford said Paladin entered the club space in 2015 when his own kids were aging out of the program.

“At the time, we were still serving kids ages 3-8. I was like, ‘Well, what am I going to do?’” Wilsford said. “We extended the rec age to 12 and then I saw there were a lot of kids and families that wanted the competitive aspect as well. So, we started the club at the same time.”

Each recreational season is six weeks long. In those six weeks, six different pillars are taught to the kids. Some of the pillars include respect, kindness, integrity and helpfulness, according to Wilsford.

“The coaches teach examples of those character traits and that’s usually tied in with an example in a bible verse,” Wilsford said. “That’s probably the most impactful time, after practice when the kids gather in a huddle and talk about that character trait.”

Paladin’s name comes from its definition as a noble defender of a worth cause.

In the eyes of Wilsford and Best, they believe their noble cause is sharing the message of Jesus and defending youth through

their opportunity and ability to play sports in both a safe and fun environment.

“That’s what we defend,” Wilsford said. “All are welcome.”

Wilsford said joining Paladin has been a blessing. All of his kids enjoyed their time with the organization before aging out.

They received top notch coaching while at Paladin, both from their father who still coaches club and the likes of David Lopez, who coached Chandler’s baseball team to the 6A final last year and is now the interim coach for the Bulldogs at Queen Creek.

Paladin has an opportunity for kids of every age and skill level. It’s part of what has allowed them to remain successful for 15 years and counting.

“What makes it so special is the impact we’ve seen in the community,” Wilsford said. “The families and number of lives we’ve touched. The testimonies we get years later is what is special and honestly why I have been with this organization for so long and plan to be for some time.”

For more information about Paladin Sports Outreach, visit paladinsports.org. 

Paladin Sports Outreach Executive Director Blake Wilsford is helping the organization celebrate 15 years of service to the Queen Creek, San Tan Valley and Florence communities by achieving more growth and impacting the lives of youth through sports and faith. (Dave Minton/Tribune Staff)

Here’s a “Cake Pop Quiz” for you:

What was created in America 125 years ago and is as popular today as it was then?

The answer is angel food cake. Its age, popularity and versatility make angel food cake a bona fide rescued recipe, but today I’m giving it a brand new twist.

See, I found a way to make angel food cake even more heavenly!

With JAN D’ATRI

GetOut Columnist

Angel Food French Toast is a heaven-sent dish

That’s because I stumbled across a recipe for Angel Food French Toast, and now my new favorite pastime is making this treat and then stepping back and watching people roll their eyes in ecstasy. Angel food cake has a lot of fans; from folks who love that it’s fat-free and sometimes gluten-free, to people who enjoy its light, fluffy texture and taste.

I made a fantastic discovery when I decided to do a taste comparison of store-bought angel food cake to a boxed angel food cake. It wasn’t even close.

The boxed cake is so far superior in taste and it doesn’t get any easier than simply adding water to the mix. That’s right, nothing but water, you mix it for only a minute and a half and you don’t even grease the pan.

Now that I had my perfect angel food cake, I was

Ingredients:

• 1 Angel Food Cake, store bought or boxed cake

• 6 eggs, slightly beaten

• 1 ½ cups milk

• 2 tablespoons sugar

Directions:

Slice the angel food cake into 10 to 12, 1-inch thick wedges. In a shallow dish combine eggs, milk, sugar; and vanilla. Soak wedges in egg mixture for 1 minute per side.

ready to beat together a few eggs, milk and vanilla and turn the cake into French toast. Why did I think this would be a good idea? I wasn’t sure, but the picture was so inviting.

Then, when I made the first test run, I knew it was going to be one of my go-to favorites forever. Served with a little powdered sugar and syrup, it makes a fabulous breakfast. Or, you can arrange the Angel Food French Toast pieces on a platter with some fresh fruit and whipped cream or Cool Whip as a tasty dessert.

Want to watch eyes roll? Put this dish on your Sunday brunch men and I can pretty much guarantee it will be hit. When your family and guests ask where you got it, just tell them it was heaven-sent. 

• 2 teaspoons vanilla

• 2 tablespoon butter

• Whipped Cream or Cool Whip

• Maple Syrup, optional

• Fresh strawberries, raspberries or boysenberries

In a nonstick skillet or on a nonstick griddle, melt butter over medium heat. Cook 4 wedges at a time and cook on all sides until golden brown. Repeat the process. Serve in slices with berries. Top with whipped cream or Cool Whip. Drizzle with maple syrup if desired. Serve immediately. Watch my how-to video: jandatri.com/jans-recipe/one-minute-kitchen.