QUEEN CREEK TRIBUNE, SEPTEMBER 25, 2022

Town Council OKs Colorado River deal

BY MARK MORAN Tribune Staff Writer

TheQueen Creek Town Council last week gave final approval to the pur chase of Colorado River water from GSC Farm in Cibola.

The vote on Sept. 21 completed a deal long in the making that will result in 2,033 acre feet of new water flowing to Queen Creek after the first of the year, every year, in perpetuity.

Town officials are doing that with $27 mil lion borrowed from the state.

They’re seeking a loan from the Infrastruc ture Finance Authority of Arizona to cov er the purchase agreement, said authority spokesman Garrett Corral.

Among the benefits of the loan, he ex plained, is that “instead of taking out a tradi tional loan, this would also cost the ratepay er less money and increase savings.”

Queen Creek will pay 3.25% on its loan as

opposed to 4.75%.

“If you were to compare that to the open market, probably a savings of about $6-mil lion, probably a little bit higher,” said town Finance Director Scott McCarty.

While Queen Creek will pay less interest on the money it borrows from the state, thus saving money, the town is in turn also help ing smaller communities that can’t afford to

BY MARK MORAN Tribune Staff Writer

Mark Schnepf stands on a path of one of the two corn mazes he’s prepared for Schnepf Farms’ annual Pumpkin & Chili Party, which begins Oct. 1. (David Minton/Tribune Staff Photographer)

Town OKs Olive Mill expansion, possibly with a hotel

BY MARK MORAN Tribune Staff Writer

TownCouncil last week cleared the way for a 32-acre expansion of the Queen Creek Olive Mill at the north east corner of Meridian and Combs Roads that could end up including a hotel and homes.

Originally zoned for “neighborhoods,” the re-zoning of this particular 32-acre plot of land is broken down into three land use categories on either side of Me ridian that are connected by a high-tech, family friendly path across the road.

The first parcel allows for single -family residences.

“The idea and intent of this plan is to encourage a direct, safe crossing link into that new olive mill facility to try and

see OLIVE page 4

These maps show how Queen Creek Olive Mill owner Perry Rea is envisioning an ex pansion of his agritainment venue. (Special to the Tribune)

An edition of the East Valley Tribune

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

CONTACT INFORMATION

Main number: 480-898-6500 | Fax: 480-898-562

Circulation: 480-898-5641

Publisher: Steve T. Strickbine

Vice President: Michael Hiatt

ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT

Display Advertising: 480-898-6309

Classifieds/Inside Sales: Elaine Cota | 480-898-7926 | ecota@TimesLocalMedia.com TJ Higgins | 480-898-5902 | tjhiggins@TimesLocalMedia.com

Steve Insalaco | 480-898-5635 sinsalaco@TimesLocalMedia.com

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

NEWS DEPARTMENT

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

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

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

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

Photographer: Dave Minton | dminton@TimesLocalMedia.com

Design: Ruth Carlton | rcarlton@TimesLocalMedia.com

Production Coordinator: Courtney Oldham | 480-898-5617 production@TimesLocalMedia.com

CIRCULATION : 623-535-8439

Circulation Director: Aaron Kolodny | aaron@phoenix.org

Distribution Manager: Brian Juhl | brian@timeslocalmedia.com

GOP elections chief candidate defends riot attendance

BY HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services

The Republican candidate for sec retary of state defended his atten dance at the Jan. 6, 2021 riot, saying his presence there did not make him a participant.

“The last time I checked, being at a place where something’s happening is not ille gal,’’ said Mark Finchem.

During a half-hour televised debate Sept. 22, Finchem said he went to Wash ington to deliver a “book of evidence’’ to federal lawmakers about claimed irregu larities in the 2020 vote in Arizona – ma terial that came out of a hearing in Phoe nix involving attorney Rudy Giuliani and other Trump supporters.

Democrat Adrian Fontes said he does not buy that explanation. And he said it

OLIVE from page 3

funnel whatever this future plan ends up being as a future tie and connection into the Olive Mill to further reiterate that this is intended to be the Olive Mill’s agritain ment connection,” town planner Steven Ester said at a recent Planning and Zoning Commission meeting.

He said it would include an approx imately 43,000-square-foot new store front “for the Olive Mill to continue its re tail operations as well as some if its actual production and bottling.”

The Queen Creek Olive Mill is one of three “legacy sites” in town that promote agritainment, which is defined by the town as promoting Queen Creek’s agricul tural heritage and background while also providing entertainment options. Sossa man Farms and Schnepf Farms are the other two agritainment venues.

“This is really one of those Big Three that sort of pioneered the zoning district to try and maintain that agricultural fo cus as far as the development that occurs in this zoning district,” Ester said of the Olive Mill plan.

“What he did is engage in a violent in Mark Finchem, left, the Republican candidate for Arizona secretary of state, and his Democrat ic opponent, former Maricopa County Recorder Adrian Fontes, debated election security and other issues. (Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission)

shows that Finchem was not interested in following the legal procedures to contest the election results.

homes would be close to a hotel should one be built.

The Olive Mill is adjacent to Schnepf Farms in the southeast part of Queen Creek.

Plans for a hotel would appear to be a little further down the road than a lawyer for the Olive Mill was willing to discuss.

Sean Lake, an attorney who represents Olive Mill owner Perry Rea, was not will ing to name hotels that have already ex pressed interest in being involved in the project. Nor would he divulge how big the structure would be.

“We have been talking to some specific hotel users that want to locate,” Lake said. “We think this is a great location with two of the top entertainment venues in the town right here. So we think there’s going to be very good demand for a hotel.”

The third area, which is sandwiched be tween the first two, allows for both res idential and commercial uses, according to Ester.

“It’s really a way to sort of allow for some flexibility in the plan and for those lines to shift as it actually develops and comes to fruition,” he said.

Zoning Commission Chair David Gillette. “Along with Schnepf and the future Sossa man development, the Agritainment zon ing is extremely exciting for me, and I can’t wait to see how this plays out.”

Right now, there is vacant land to the north and east of the future Olive Mill Phase II location.

It’s bordered by Combs Road on the south and the Parks subdivision just south of Combs, a development that lies in Pinal County.

“This is really, really amazing honestly,” said Councilwoman Leah Martineau. “I love this. I love the vision. What a unique thing that we offer here in our town.”

“This deepens my appreciation for the continued investment in Queen Creek and very much so looking forward to the development,” said Mayor-elect Julia Wheatley.

Town Council made it clear that future development will take a broad approach rather than a haphazard one in which the lowest bidder may not have a larger vision for the town in mind.

The content of any advertisements are the sole responsibility of Strickbine Publishing, https://timespublications.com/phoenix/ or call 480-898-7901

To

“Specific to the number 2 category,” Ester said, “the applicant and the property own er have really reiterated to us that they’re expecting a hotel user on this property.”

The area in the second category does not rule out single family residences, though. In fact, it encourages them as part of the plan, which would mean those

“There’s a lot of people that have beat down his door trying to do something that is just turn and burn,” Lake said of Rea. “You know, easy, low-hanging fruit. He does not want to do that. He wants it to be compatible with what he has created, kind of a family legacy.”

“Olive Mill is one of my favorite desti nations in the town,” said Planning and

“We often hear from residents about how do we maintain a small-town feel,” said Vice Mayor Jeff Brown.

“How do we continue to keep Queen Creek on the forefront of these agritain ment type uses, something that’s not just another subdivision or its not another storage place or a car wash. We are most appreciative of this nod to Queen Creek’s history,” Brown said. 

WATER from page 1

upgrade their drinking water storage systems, pipes or other infrastructure elements through what is known as the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF), often shortened to SRF.

“Having the medium to big guys in there to balance the portfolio out helps us to get the money out to the smaller ones who may not qualify for tradition al funding or may not have much of an idea where to start so we can help them with technical assistance and work with our other agencies to get them support,” Corral said.

“Ultimately the SRF programs, we aim to protect public health,” Corral said. “It’s not a money-making program in the same way that as a traditional lender is. Our biggest focus is making sure people have continued access to safe and reli able infrastructure.

“It’s really our work with the medium and large size communities that bol sters our loan portfolio and makes it much more stable to help the little ones in need.”

The GSC Farm water will begin its jour ney to Queen Creek in Lake Mead, a Col orado River reservoir behind the iconic Hoover Dam. Then it will be routed to the Central Arizona Project (CAP) canal system, which routes river water to all parts of state.

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

Once it arrives in Queen Creek, the wa ter will flow out of the CAP canal and into a series of special retention basins, from

The Central Arizona Project diagram illustrates various water supply sources. Queen Creek’s primary water supply is groundwater and state law requires that it be replenished at a rate of one gallon in for every gallon used. (Town of Queen Creek)

where it will eventually percolate into the ground and comingle with Queen Creek’s underground aquifer.

Queen Creek officials say the town sits on a secure 100-year ground water sup ply but they are constantly looking for

additional sources of water in hopes of never having to tap it. The Cibola pur chase is one example of that.

“Groundwater use is becoming ex tremely expensive,” Utility Deputy Direc tor Marc Skocypec told Council.

“To offset that, the Town is adding non-groundwater sources,” he said. “We’re adding credits. We’re adding imported surface water in terms of Cibola. And we’re aggressively using and reusing our treated wastewater. This allows us to add a mix of groundwater and non-groundwa ter sources to our customers.”

Skocypec added that a diversified wa ter supply, including using groundwater and non-groundwater from other places is drought resistant.

“It’s not drought proof,” he said,” but it’s drought resistant.”

Adminstration officials also said they will continue looking for ways to their water supply portfolio.

“We are going to continue to stay ag gressive and we’re going to continue to do our best to take what we call this finite water supply that we have and stretch it out from 100 years to 200 to 300 to 400 hundred to basically sustainable to where it’s forever water,” Gardner said.

Skocypec added, “The goal is by 2025, we can be water independent. Probably the most important policy of this is it’s local control over a long-term vital inter est. You’re not relying on another source or another entity’s politics or policies to determine what happens locally.”

With final Queen Creek Town Council approval, the deal now awaits finishing touches on a contract between the Town and U.S. Bureau of Reclamation as well as one between the Town and the CAP. Queen Creek expects its water to start

arriving in the first quarter of 2023.

“I’m just so excited,” said Mayor-elect Ju lia Wheatley. “Especially in the current wa

surrection and try to overturn the very Constitution that holds this nation togeth er,’’ Fontes said.

Finchem responded, “For him to assert that I was part of a criminal uprising is ab surd and frankly, it is a lie.”

There is no evidence Finchem entered the Capitol as Congress was certifying the Electoral College win for Joe Biden.

He was, however, part of the crowd just outside. He posted a photo on Twitter of the rioters, saying this is “what happens when people feel they have been ignored, and Congress refuses to acknowledge ram pant fraud.’’

Some of the debate focused on Finchem’s continued insistence the 2020 election was stolen from Trump.

Finchem previously said he would not have certified the results. But on Thurs day, he dodged the issue.

“There are too many hypotheticals to re ally answer that question because we didn’t know what we knew after the election until after certification of the canvass occurred,’’ Finchem said. “But knowing what we know today, there are certain counties that should have been set aside as irredeemably compromised,’’ he said, specifically naming Maricopa and Yuma counties.

“We’ve got the evidence,’’ Finchem said. “The media has just refused to look at it.’’

For example, he said there are more than 140,000 ballot images out of Marico pa County that were “allegedly scanned by Dominion equipment’’ that have no audit head stamp. And he pointed out that three people have pleaded guilty in Yuma Coun ty to “ballot harvesting,’’ including filling out and casting ballots for others.

Finchem, however, provided no answer of what he believes should have been done at the time.

“I’m not talking about overturning an election,’’ he said. But he said there needs to be some remedy when an election is “mismanaged,’’ especially if there is evi dence it altered the outcome.

Fontes said he sees something else be hind the conspiracy theories about the 2020 vote.

ter climate we’re in, to be able to provide this certainty of water to our residents. And to be able to do it a such a low cost when the cost of water is increasing so rap idly. I am very excited to support this.”  before

“What we now have is an entire set of fiction that has somehow managed to make a lot of money for some people out side of the regular norms that we expect,’’ he said. “This is a chaotic way of redress ing a political loss.’’

But much of the discussion was about who was fit to be not only the state’s chief election officer but also first in the line of succession if the governor leaves office.

“You can decide between community building and stability or conspiracy theo ries and cantankerousness,’’ Fontes said. And he said the “conspiracy theories and lies’’ advanced by Finchem “end up eroding the faith we have in each other as citizens.’’

Finchem, for his part, pointed out that Fontes, then the Maricopa County re corder, had to be stopped by a judge from pursuing his plan in the 2020 presidential preference primary to send ballots to all voters, regardless of whether or not they had asked for an early ballot.

Fontes, for his part, was unapologetic. He said he was trying to address the fact that there were people who, due to the COVID outbreak, were afraid to leave their homes.

Finchem also cited problems in the Au gust 2018 primary where some polling places did not open on time.

“In fact, people stood in line for hours,’’ said Finchem. “He was fired by the taxpay ers,’’ noting Fontes’ loss in his 2020 bid for reelection.

Finchem also took a shot at Katie Hobbs, the current holder of the office.

“I am running for secretary of state to restore honor, to restore integrity, to re store security to the secretary of state’s office,’’ he said. And Finchem said the per son in that position should not be making law but following the laws approved by the legislature.

He used that to dodge questions about whether he wants to kill early voting, a system that has proven wildly popular, what with close to nine out of every 10 ballots cast in 2020 sent early to voters.

“That is up to the legislature,’’ he said.

“But you’ve called for that,’’ Fontes in terjected.

“What I want doesn’t matter,’’ Finchem

starts next Saturday, Oct. 1.

The Flying Farmers ride is almost ready to take flight, too, as it joins other attrac tions like the classic Honeybee Adventure ride and a rock-climbing wall.

Some of the attractions harken to farm owner Mark Schnepf’s family legacy.

“My dad had an airplane. We had an air strip here on the farm,” he said. “My mom flew as well.”

To honor what was once a big part of the Farm’s way of doing business, a car ousel ride with scaled down and freshly painted airplanes, each with a local farm family name emblazoned across the tail, sits in the middle of that gone but not for gotten 3,000-foot dirt airstrip.

It will run beneath strands of replica, vintage light bulbs that have to be checked one by one to be sure they are ready to twinkle on opening night.

The logistics behind the Pumpkin and Chili Party are almost as dizzying as the thrilling, 52-foot-high amusement ride called the Hyper Loop, which will take you up, turn you in all directions, including upside down, and whip you around before bringing you gently to rest in front of one of the concessions stands on the farm.

You’re advised to eat the signature meat, veggie or succotash chili after you take that ride, though.

“It’s the kind of ride that you gotta have a strong stomach if you’re gonna ride that ride,” Schnepf said. “They actually suggest that you wait about 20 minutes between rides.”

It takes the 20 regular staff plus an ad ditional 150 seasonal folks thousands of hours to make the 50-acre “park” area in the middle of the farm ready for what Schnepf says will be about 100,000 visi tors next month.

“We start preparing for the Pumpkin and Chili Party in July when we plant the corn for the corn mazes. We have two gi ant corn mazes we do here on the farm,” Schnepf said.

One is about 4 acres. The other is 10. The smaller one is designed for visitors to pass through quickly.

The larger one is known as the celeb rity maze in which the likeness of a wellknown person is carved into the corn field. Past celebrities include Phoenix sports legends Luis Gonzalez and Steve Nash.

Others have included news icon Larry King and boxing champion Mohammed

Ali, all of whom have been present when their likeness is unveiled.

“What we usually do is charter a heli copter for him or her and fly them out so they can see their image in the maze from up above because if you’re just looking at the corn you can’t see what’s there.”

This year’s honoree remains a secret.

While corn mazes are an historic tradi tion in the fall, getting them carved into the corn is a decidedly modern and hightech process.

Schnepf hires a company to create the celebrity likeness with a computer pro gram which then assigns GPS coordinates in the cornfield.

“Then they come out when the corn is about 6 inches tall,” Schnepf said. “They use their handheld GPS system to spray the pattern into the corn so that the corn dies and the rest of the corn grows to be about 8 feet tall.”

Carving the corn mazes and tidying up the pathways that go through them … check that off the list.

Sprucing up and cleaning the restored, historic 1950’s era buildings that dot the farm, check.

Shining up the amusement rides and checking them for operational and safety issues, check.

Chili, pizza, Italian Ice and other festival food on order, check.

Putting out trash cans and getting the bathrooms cleaned and prepared – that’s just about done too.

There is also a new field of sunflowers this year, designed to inspire selfies among the partygoers, according to Schnepf.

And what would a fall festival be with out big, luscious, bright orange pumpkins peeking out from their thick green patch, waiting to be picked and carved into JackO-Lanterns for Halloween?

And … what about the light frost that settles on the pumpkin patch at night as temperatures dip, creating that chilly Au tumn vibe this time of year?

“This is a little bit of Schnepf Farms mag ic.” Schnepf said. “Not everyone knows this but in Arizona it’s so warm here in this area, you can grow pumpkins but they don’t turn orange until November because they need cold weather to turn orange.

“And so, we ship in our pumpkins from colder climates. We get them from Colo rado. We might get them from Utah. We don’t advertise that.”

The pumpkin patches on either side of the bumpy dirt road wending through the farm stand empty – save for the rogue weed patches still waiting for attention from the farmhands.

“We have this beautiful field of blackeyed peas that we plant and those pump kins magically appear each night in that field of black-eyed peas and people come out to the pumpkin patch and are able to get their pumpkins,” Schnepf said.

Warm Arizona weather isn’t the only challenge that Schnepf faces.

Like other events, The Pumpkin

and Chili Party was devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic and the shutdown that ensued, a sluggish economy as things started to return to normal, and supply chain problems, which, Schnepf said, are still a problem today.

“We have lots of equipment here with the rides and things, so we have to make sure that we have extra parts for the rides,” he said. “When a ride goes down you want to make sure you’re able to repair it in an hour or two instead of a day or two.”

For Schnepf, managing the supply chain problems, as is also the case with other businesses, comes down to looking as far as possible into the future and predicting what he will or may need and hoping he guesses right, which can often be difficult when he’s operating vintage equipment on the farm.

“The train is particularly important to us,” Schnepf said. “People love taking the train ride around the farm and at night time it becomes the spooky train ride and we hire high school kids to dress up in cos tumes and scare people.”

The same holds true for the aging but spruced up Flying Farmers ride, Ferris wheel, roller coaster, carousel, the trac tors for the hayrides and dozens of other attractions designed to show families a good time.

Beyond the supply chain issues, Schnepf is feeling other effects of an economy that has now gone from stag nant to superheated.

“It’s becoming more difficult to staff an event like this because it’s a short-term event for a month,” Schnepf said. “As the economy gets better it’s harder to find em ployees so we employ young people.

“It might be their first-time job so we do a lot of training. But we’re always looking for adults who want to have a part time job, a second job, a seasonal job, whatever the case may be because staffing is super important,” he said.

So is timing.

The maze corn that workers planted in July takes a lot of tending. It has to be watered at just the right time and dry by a certain time so that workers can get a tractor into the field to carve the mazes, the corn from which is eventually used to feed the farm animals.

Amid the crushing pace of growth in Queen Creek, this protected, little area of town on Schnepf Farms really has kept a

Jaime Alaniz adds a fresh coat of paint to a hydraulic cylinder on The Honeybee Adventure ride as Schnepf Farms prepares for their annual Pumpkin & Chili Party. (David Minton/Tribune Staff Photographer)

Arizona getting a fraction of $1.4 billion in water infrastructure aid

BY RYAN KNAPPENBERGER Cronkite News

Arizona will get $109.5 million from the federal infrastructure bill this year to improve water systems in the state – a fraction of the $1.4 billion list of needs state officials say they have.

But even at that level some critics say Arizona is getting more than its fair share of its portion of the funds for lead-pipe replacement over other states with thou sands more pipes to replace.

The $1.2 trillion bipartisan Infrastruc ture Investment and Jobs Act, approved last fall, includes $50.9 million for leadpipe replacement in Arizona, as well as $13.6 million to address PFAS contamina tion in the state and $32.3 million for oth er projects. That’s on top of a $12 million base grant to the state from the Environ mental Protection Agency.

State officials welcomed the money, which they said is badly needed: They point to the Water Infrastructure Finance Authority (WIFA) of Arizona, which has received 34 applications from local gov

ernments around the state requesting more than $1.4 billion in water projects in the current fiscal year.

Those projects represent “an order of magnitude higher than the currently available IIJA funding … and the needs are growing,” Caroline Oppleman, an Arizo na Department of Environmental Quality spokesperson, said in an email.

Of the 34 projects requested, 27 are for general water infrastructure projects, such as building new water pump stations in Prescott, new wells in Bullhead City, connecting water systems in Twin Peaks and more. The estimated cost of the 27 proposals is $1.3 billion – for which the state expects to receive $44.9 million un der the infrastructure bill.

see INFRASTRUCTURE page 11

This chart shows how states differ in terms of the estimated cost improvements to wa ter service infrastructure but those estimates are likely far below the actual cost because they are made in 2015 dollars. (U.S. Environ mental Protection Agency)

a wedding venue.

slice of Arizona’s agricultural history alive and thriving.

“We’ve been doing this for so many years now,” Schnepf said, “people that came here as little kids are now all grown up and they’re bringing their little kids. We are into the third generation of people coming to the Pumpkin and Chili Party, and it’s truly a family tradition.”

Beneath hundreds of the farm’s peach trees (Schnepf is the largest peach pro ducer in the state) walking through this part of the 81-year-old farm is like step ping back in time, onto an old movie set.

“That’s what we’re going for,” Schnepf said. “Kind of a 1950’s farm experience.”

Even though The Pumpkin and Chili Par ty takes center stage in October, the rest of the activity on the working farm does not slow down.

Crops are being tended. Animals must be looked after and Schnepf Farms is also

The farm has been re-zoned to agrit ainment; a designation designed to allow farming to take place while also serving as an entertainment venue with a nod to wards keeping Queen Creek’s agricultural history alive.

“Doing the agritainment helps us pre serve the farm,” Schnepf said. “Because if it was just a farm, where we were just growing crops, we probably couldn’t stay in business.” 

If You Go...

Who: Pumpkin and Chili Party

Where: Schnepf Farm: 24810 S. Rit tenhouse Road, Queen Creek.

When: Oct. 1-30, noon-9 p.m. Thurs days; noon-10 p.m. Fridays; 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturdays; 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Sundays.

Cost: $23.95, $15 for police, fire and active military.

Info: pumpkinandchiliparty.com or 480-987-3100.

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

CUSD board poised to adopt new state policies

BY KEN SAIN Tribune Staff Writer

The Chandler Unified School District is catching up with recent changes in state law this month, updating its policies to reflect some major shifts made by the state Legislature earlier this year.

“As you can see, our legislators have been pretty busy,” said Dr. Craig Gilbert, the district’s associate supervisor for Pre-K-12 educational services.

The changes were introduced at the Sept. 14 Governing Board meeting and are scheduled to be approved by that Board on Sept. 28.

The most controversial change by the Republican-controlled chambers deals with transgender athletes. The law re quires districts to separate sports into boys, girls, coed or mixed and assign ath letes to those teams based on their biolog ical sex. It also allows students and their parents the right to sue if they are harmed by a school knowingly violating that.

While there was a lot of debate about the issue statewide and national, the Gov erning Board had little to say. They mostly

listened to the changes being proposed. That may change when it comes to actual ly voting for them to comply with state law at the Sept. 28 meeting.

But at its Sept. 13 meeting, Kyrene School District Governing Board members had a lot to say about four of the laws, which also expand parental access to books in school libraries, require a minute or two of silence at the beginning of each school day and ban mandates for COVID or HPV vaccines for students.

Members condemned the laws and post poned a vote on the transgender policy in the hope that the district’s general counsel can craft the policy in a way that distances them and Kyrene from endorsing it.

The Kyrene board stressed, howev er, they would obey the new laws and unanimously approved the policies con forming to the library, silence and vac cine measures. They also indicated they would not disobey the transgender poli cy but wanted to see if language could be adopted that would not conflict with its equity policy.

The Arizona Interscholastic Association approved the first transgender athlete to

compete in a high school sport in 2014. While the issue generates headlines, it will have an impact on a small number of students. The AIA has granted only 16 waivers to transgender athletes to com pete since 2017.

Andi Young, who is co-chair of the Ari zona Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Net work (GLSEN), said there was no need for this new law.

“It was a solution looking for a problem,” Young said. “At the time it was approved, I believe there were 10 transgender kids competing, and none of them were the top in the state. And there were already rules in place about trans youth competing in sports. Our opponents like to target our transgender youth to fire up their base and get their voters to the polls.”

Here are the other changes:

 Schools are prohibited from referring students to, or using any sexually explicit material except allowed in sex education classes. There is an exemption for materi al that has serious educational value.

 Parents may request and view any re cords that relate to their children. They also have a right to know what books their child

has checked out of the library. And parents have the right to sue the district if any of their parental rights have been violated.

 Schools cannot insist on students get ting vaccinated against COVID-19 or any of its variants to attend classes.

The law barring mandated shots to pro tect against the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus has been on the books since 2007 but the Legislature this year added a ban on mandating COVID-19 vaccines.

At the time of its passage, Arizona joined 23 other states in banning HPV shots on grounds it encouraged students to engage in sexual activity. By 2018, the Centers for Disease Control reported that more than 43 million teens and young adults had con tracted some form of HPV, which can cause everything from genital warts to cancers.

 Districts cannot require young students to wear a mask without parental consent.

 Parents can sue the district if they usurp the rights of parents in the up bringing, education, health care or mental health of their children. This is primarily directed at the teaching on controversial

CUSD parent alarmed by son’s school library book

BY KEN SAIN Tribune Staff Writer

Chandler parent Charlotte Lawrence said her 11-year-old son handed her a book he found at his school li brary and said, ‘Mom, I don’t know if this is appropriate for me.’

“So I took the book, read it myself, and then told my son not to read it,” Law rence said.

The book in question is “George,” by Alex Gino. It’s the story of a fourth-grad er who sees herself as a girl while the rest of the world sees her as a boy named George.

Lawrence said she met with Carlson Elementary School Principal Andy Mor gan and he told her that the book should not have been in their library.

During the Sept. 14 Chandler Unified School District Governing Board meet ing, Lawrence read some of passages that she found inappropriate for children her son’s age.

An 11-year-old Chandler Unified boy who check out this book at his school’s library didn’t think it was appropriate. (file photo)

“Page 47,” she began. “George read on the internet that he could take girl hor

mones to change his body and get sur geries if he wanted to. It’s called tran sitioning. He could even start before turning 18 by taking pills called andro gen blockers.”

She went on to describe a scene where George and his best friend were dressing in girls’ clothes and the best friend gave him some girls’ undies to wear.

Lawrence read a half dozen passages from the book that she found inappro priate.

“If I were to hand this book to a child on the street, I’d be arrested,” Law rence said. “So this should not be in our schools. Parents in this community do not want this.”

Superintendent Frank Narducci said an investigation is underway.

“We have already been on that and have been addressing that as well,” Nar ducci said to a question about the book from board member Jason Olive. “Our staff is on top of it.”

In another section of the book Law

rence read, the lead character’s brother asks if he will go all the way and have the surgery to become a girl.

Lawrence was not the only speaker to object to “George.”

“I’m just going to piggyback on Charlotte’s points about the book that her son has discovered,” said Sean Smith. “I am really concerned about the direc tion of what is being taught in some of the schools.

“I am anxious when I drop my daugh ter off at school. I am continuously ask ing her if she feels safe, if she’s being taught anything that is inappropriate. That is not what I should be worried about when I drop my daughter off at school every day.”

Lawrence said she is happy with how the district has handled the book since she complained.

“Obviously, the district is reviewing the book,” she said. “But it shouldn’t have

responded.

Fontes said if Finchem got his way, the only way to vote would be on Election Day, standing in line at an assigned poll ing place.

“What if you’re one of Arizona’s hun dreds of thousands older voters, or a disabled veteran?’’ Fontes asked.

Finchem called that a “false choice,’’ saying he supports “absentee votes,’’ like in Tennessee. That state allows ballots to be mailed, but only to people who meet certain conditions like being 60 or older, being outside the county on Election Day, or being hospitalized or physically disabled.

That is similar to the system Arizona had prior to 1991 when the Republi can-controlled legislature enacted the current “no excuse’’ early voting. A law suit by the Arizona Republican Party to scrap that law was dismissed earlier this year. 

CUSD LAWS from page 10

sensitive issues.

 The district must add a 9/11 educa tion day, where it gives age-appropri ate lessons about the terrorist attacks in 2001.

 Outside contractors who work as school psychologists no longer need to be licensed if their work is in the educa tional institution setting.

 Both parents of current and prospec tive students have the right to visit a

The remaining seven requests include three proposals to clean up perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substance contamina tion – PFAS, so-called “forever chemicals” that the EPA last month proposed desig nating as hazardous substances. The chem ical has been detected in wells around Luke and Davis-Monthan Air Force bases.

The bulk of the state’s money is targeted to the remaining four projects, to inven tory lead service lines in drinking water systems for possible replacement later in Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tucson and Payson. Those will cost an estimated $31.9 million total, far less than the $50.9 million the state is set to receive.

But that’s just the first year. Lindsey Jones, senior program administrator at WIFA, said in an email that the agency expects to use the entire $50.9 million in federal funding for lead-pipe projects as more communities submit proposals for the remainder of this fiscal year.

school and tour the campus or monitor a classroom.

 Increases the number of questions students must answer correctly on a civ ics test to graduate from 60 to 70.

 Schools must set aside one to two minutes each day for a moment of si lence. Teachers cannot direct the stu dents on what to meditate on. Students should consult with their parents on how best to use that time.

 Districts are modifying eligibility for waivers that allow a student to attend a

Arizona has an estimated 12,000 lead pipes currently in service. But critics of the EPA funding formula note that Arizona’s need is low when compared to states like Illinois, which has an estimated 679,292 lead service lines, and Ohio, which has about 650,000.

Arizona is 10th-lowest among states for the number of pipes, according to a report by the Natural Resources Defense Council. But the NRDC notes that Illinois is sched uled to get $106.6 million for lead service line projects, a little more twice the allot ment to Arizona, despite having 50 times as many problem pipes.

NRDC senior policy advocate Cyndi Roper blamed the disparity on the use of a 2015 survey by the EPA that determined what each state needed to improve its wa ter infrastructure. The survey is supposed to be updated every four years, but that update was delayed in 2019 and again in 2020 by the pandemic.

Roper said the next round of distribu tion could be made more equitable if the

school in another district than where he lives if there are logistical reasons (dis tance, transportation, etc.) why they can not go to a school in their district.

EPA were to update the survey to better reflect the needs of each state.

“We want them to move as quickly as possible because we don’t want to have any chance that they might miss the dead line for getting the formula right for the next allocation,” Roper said. That next round of funding would be for fiscal 2024, starting next July.

The EPA did not respond to requests for comment on the NRDC report on the fund ing formula.

Oppleman said ADEQ agrees that using the EPA survey to “distribute funds to the states in the defined categories misses the mark.” She suggested that funding be made more flexible for states to use as they need rather than directly linking it to spe cific projects, like lead-pipe replacement.

She highlighted the fact that the $13.6 million designated for PFAS cleanup projects is nowhere near the $80.5 mil lion requested. Oppleman said PFAS is “a far larger-scale concern in terms of a re source need for Arizona.” 

 Hazing is now a Class 1 misdemeanor. If the victim dies, then it becomes a Class 4 felony. The major change is the defini tion of hazing. 

Student Choice. Student Voice.

$80M farm sale heralds new epicenter of growth

BY SCOTT SHUMAKER Tribune Staff Writer

The Arizona Dairy Co. earlier this month sold its last 270 acres in Mesa on the southwest corner of Sossaman and Elliot roads for $80 mil lion, paving the way for a mammoth man ufacturing campus projected by the new owner.

Shopoff Realty Investments said in a news release after the sale that it is plan ning 12 to 15 buildings comprising 4.1 million square feet of leasable space.

The parcel is an island of county land within city limits and Shopoff said it plans to apply for annexation by the City of Mesa.

It’s a big deal both figuratively and lit erally, as blocks of vacant land of this size are becoming increasingly scarce in southeast Mesa.

The new deal may herald the beginning of a major boom at this intersection.

Arizona Dairy Co. has been selling off parts of its Mesa agricultural land for years, including 186 acres to Google for a mega data center on the northwest corner of Elliot and Sossaman in 2019.

The Google center, code-named Proj ect Red Hawk before it was announced, generated a lot of excitement and helped stoke the Elliot Road Tech Corridor’s cur rent development explosion.

But much of Elliot Road’s development has been happening farther to the east on the other side of the 202, with Elliot and Sossaman roads maintaining a rural ap pearance.

With this last Arizona Dairy Co. deal and other projects nearby making their way through Mesa’s planning department, the intersection may soon undergo a major transformation soon.

Earlier this month, Google submitted site plans for Project Red Hawk to the Mesa Planning Department.

Plans for an eight-building industrial park on 60 acres nearby, called Went worth 80th, received the green light from the Planning and Zoning Board.

Mesa Economic Development Director

Bill Jabjiniak said the city’s vision for the intersection is high-quality technology and manufacturing jobs.

“With the success we’ve had in the for mal part of the Elliot Road Technology Corridor, it sort of makes sense with Goo gle on the northwest corner to continue the theme and focus of technology all along Elliot Road,” Jabjiniak said.

Jabjiniak said the city’s talks with Shopoff have focused on development that can attract manufacturing, rather than only logistics warehouses.

“As that gets finalized, it will focus on quality development for quality employ ers,” he said. “It really comes down to jobs, jobs and more jobs.”

Cows have come home

The Arizona Dairy Co. is no longer in Mesa, but 3,250 of its 6,500 cows continue to produce fresh milk three times a day for the local market as well as dried milk and other products for parts beyond.

Earlier this year, Arizona Dairy began moving the herd via semi trucks to its new location in Gila Bend, 75 miles southwest of Mesa.

The new facility could only accom

modate half the number of its Mesa operation. In the spring, the last of the cows were transported west, and over the summer, the last of the company’s dairy equipment was removed from the Mesa parcel.

Based on social media posts, Arizona Dairy’s pedigree Holsteins look pretty content in their new digs.

“There’s extreme emotion” in parting from Mesa, Arizona Dairy owner and gen eral manager Justin Stewart said. “If my wife was on the phone right now she’d be in tears talking about it.”

The Morrison family had been farming in Mesa and Gilbert since the end of World War II and started Arizona Dairy Co. at Sossaman and Elliot in 1973, when they decided to start feeding their own cows af ter selling produce to dairymen for years.

‘You can’t stop growth’

Stewart married into the Morrison fami ly and joined the dairy business after serv ing in the Navy.

Stewart said the company had been contemplating its move from Mesa for 10 years as development encroached on Mesa and Gilbert’s agricultural land, mak

ing it harder to source corn and alfalfa for the cows and off load manure to fertilize fields.

“You can’t stop growth, I’m here to tell you,” Stewart said.

Cows consume up to 100 pounds of food a day, so access to affordable feed is crit ical, and losing nearby fields of corn and other crops raises the price of feed as it has to be trucked in from further away.

Demand for the land also reached a new level after the Google deal, he said.

“When you have such a worldwide com pany want to move into your neighbor hood, that kind of puts you on the map,” Stewart said.

Over the years, the company received many inquiries and “tire kickers” interest ed in the land underneath the cows’ feet.

At the same time in recent years, five dairy farms in another part of east Mesa sold their land to make way for the mas sive Hawes Crossing, which will be a com bination of housing developments and commercial operations.

Stewart said he respects Shopoff’s CEO William Shopoff because the company was able to cross the finish line on the deal with lots of patience and financial wherewithal.

“Money talks and bull– walks,” Stewart said.

Shopoff will probably need some pa tience to work with the city to get plans approved as the land needs to be annexed and rezoned.

And the city will probably have priori ties for developing the area.

“They have a wonderful piece of proper ty,” Stewart said. “They will do some really interesting things there.”

After landing an $80 million deal, some might be tempted to retire, but Stewart said the family is sticking with dairy farming.

“It’s what we know, it’s what we do, it’s what we love,” Stewart said.

He said the family has a lot of respect and appreciation for Holstein cows, which they breed on site, and “we love being a part of the Arizona agricultural communi ty that feeds the world.” 

Arizona Dairy owner and general manager Justin Stewart this month inked an $80 million sale of the last piece of Mesa land from his Arizona Dairy Company, which he relocated to Gila Bend. (Facebook)

been there in the first place. The prin cipal did admit that it should not have been in the library.”

Andi Young, who is co-chair of the Ar izona Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network (GLSEN), said studies show it is better overall for students if books like “George” are included in libraries.

“About 80% of transgender students experience harassment and bullying in school,” Young said. “Being able to see themselves in a positive way, reflected back at them, is really important.”

Young said it’s not only important for transgender youth, but also helps the rest of the student body become more accepting and lessens the hostility that trans youth experience.

As for the age, if this is something

sixth-graders should be reading, Young said, yes.

“I’m a parent of a transgender youth, and I’ve been involved with many trans groups,” she said. “We see kids who come out as early as they can talk. Other kids, they don’t come out until much older, and that’s usually because of the hostility they experience.”

As of Jan. 1, school districts will be required by a new state law to provide parents greater access to their children’s school libraries and provide them on de mand with a list of books their children take out.

Districts also will be required to hold a 60-day review period for any new ad ditions to school libraries and media centers and give parents a seven-day advance notice when that review period begins. 

WARNING!

PERIPHERAL NEUROPATHY AND CHRONIC PAIN TREATMENTS NOT WORKING!!

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

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

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.

1. Finding the underlying cause

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

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

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

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

1. Increases blood flow

2. Stimulates and strengthens small fiber nerves

3. Improves brain-based pain

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

It’s completely painless!

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

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

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

Aspen Medical will be offering this free chronic pain and neuropathy severity evaluation will be available until October 31st, 2022. Call (480) 274 3157 to make an appointment

Due to our very busy office schedule, we are limiting this offer to the first 10 c allers Y OU DO NOT HAVE TO SUFFER ANOTHER MINUTE, CALL (480) 274 3157 NOW!!

We are extremely busy, so we are unavailable, please leave a voice message and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

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

Effective neuropathy treatment relies on the following three factors:

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

Aspen Medical 4540 E Baseline Rd., Suite 119 Mesa, AZ, 85206 274-3157* E Baseline Rd., Suite 119 Mesa Az 85206

Gilbert animal rescue slates 2 big events

TRIBUNE NEWS STAFF

Friends for Life, a registered nonprofit, no-kill shelter in Gilbert, has two big events on the calendar for next month.

From 9 a.m.-noon Saturday, Oct. 1, the rescue will hold its Fall Mi crochip-a-thon noon at the Subaru Superstore, 1050 S. Gilbert Road, Chandler, while on Oct. 29, it will host its 24th annual Barktoberfest 8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at its shelter at 952 W. Melody Ave., Gilbert.

The microchipping event – spon sored by Subaru, Subaru Loves Pets and the ASPCA. – is open to both dogs and cats and will include free DHPP vaccines on a first-come, first-served basis.

DHPP is the vaccine for canine dis temper, which is highly contagious and causes death in 50% of adult

dogs and 80% of puppies. Accord ing to Friends for Life, those who do survive often have neurological conditions. The event is Barktober fest is one of Friends for Life’s major fundraisers that promises food, fun and lots of activities for parents and their pooches. Admission is free but some activities may require a dona tion to participate

Festivities will include food trucks, shopping from local ven dors and purveyors, a dog wash, lure course, agility obstacle course, DogVinci – where pups step in safe paints and walk onto canvas – dog adoptions, raffle, costume contest, best trick contest, alumni parade and other activities.

The presenting sponsor is Dogs 24/7 of Chandler, Glendale, Mesa, Phoenix and Tempe. To join as a sponsor, merchant, or donate an

item for the raffle, contact bark@ azfriends.org.

For up-to-date information on Barktoberfest visit Friends for Life Facebook page at facebook.com/ AZfriendsforLife and click on the Events tab, or call 480-497-8296.

Friends for Life focuses on res cuing stray animals from off the streets and the rural desert areas of Arizona communities. It pro vides medical attention and care for the animals and actively seeks adoptive families.

Information: info@azfriends. org. 

Possum and Boat are two recent addi tions available for adoption at Friends for Life Rescue in Gilbert. (Courtesy Friends for Life)

Environmentalists aim to block I-11 project

BY HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services

Federal and state officials are asking a judge to toss a lawsuit seeking to stop development of the proposed 280-mile Interstate 11 project from No gales to Wickenburg.

State Transportation Director John Hai kowski is telling U.S. District Court Judge John Hinderaker that without an alterna tive to I-10 traffic will become so congest ed by 2035 that it will interfere with the ability of the region to function.

“Further, the success of the state eco nomic development interests will depend on continuing transportation investments, like I-11, to maintain competitiveness,’’ he said in a statement filed with the court.

“Worsened congestion and poor travel time reliability on the interstate freeway system would adversely affect economic competitiveness.’’

But attorneys for the Federal Highway Administration are taking a much more basic approach in their effort to quash the lawsuit filed earlier this year by the Coali tion for Sonoran Desert Protection, the Cen ter for Biological Diversity, the Friends of Ironwood Forest and the Audubon Society.

They are telling Hinderaker the whole case is premature.

At this point, they said, no decisions have been made what route to choose through Pima County-- or even whether the project will ever go forward, calling I-11 “a largely unfunded freeway con struction project.’’

“Should funding become available, iden tification of a precise alignment, design, and additional environmental review of the proposed facility will occur in a sec ond phase,’’ the federal lawyers argued.

“Moreover, there is no specific timing for the Tier 2 process,’’ they said. “And the state legislature only recently authorized $25 million in funding for further Tier 2 study in Maricopa County, which does not include funding for final design, right-ofway acquisition, or construction.’’

Wendy Park, representing the challeng ers, said that misrepresents the situation.

“The Record of Decision committed FHWA to development of the I-11 corridor over the ‘no build’ alternative, selected the vast majority of its route, and narrowed the potential routes through Pima County to either the ‘West’ or ‘East Option’,’’ she said in her legal filings.

And all that, Park said, has occurred

without the federal agency properly com pleting legally necessary evaluations of impacts on public lands.

At the heart of the legal fight is the Na tional Environmental Policy Act. It re quires federal officials to prepare an envi ronmental impact statement considering the effects of each major project, and in cludes considering alternatives.

Park said the route around Tucson would put the road through and near sen sitive areas including Saguaro National Park, Ironwood Forest National Monu ment and Tohono O’odham Nation lands.

By contrast, she said, co-locating I-11 with the I-10 and I-19 “would not create the massive impacts to wildlife that the West Option would.’’ Park said, though, there would need to be new and upgraded wildlife crossings.

It isn’t just the options in Southern Ari zona that are at issue.

Park said a stretch between Casa Grande and Buckeye also would affect recreation areas as well as habitats for various en dangered species. And she said there also would be environmental effects from the final stretch from Buckeye to Wickenburg.

Halikowski, however, has a different focus.

“Population and employment growth is

a key issue driving the need for the I-11 corridor,’’ he said.

Halikowski said population within the Maricopa County portion of the study area is expected to increase by 284% between 2015 and 2025, with a 320% increase in employment.

“During that same time period, similar high growth rates are forecasted for em ployment within the Pinal County portion of the study area,’’ he continued.

“Pima County would have the greatest growth in both population and employ ment,’’ Halikowski said. “The rate and lo cation of this population and employment growth contributes to increasing conges tion and travel time reliability issues.’’

It’s not just about jobs, he said, saying there are many tourist destinations with in the corridor, including parks, outdoor recreation areas and cultural destinations.

“The interstate freeway system plays a critical role in providing access to these at tractions and supporting tourism, which is one of the most important industries driv ing Arizona’s economy,’’ Halikowski said.

The transportation director said envi ronmental issues have been considered,

saying his agency spent about $17 million on such studies which determined the lo cation of the corridor. But he said that’s not the end of it.

“Several additional steps are required for I-11 to advance to detailed engineer ing and construction, including additional environmental studies of potential align ments of I-11 within segments of the I-11 corridor,’’ Halikowski said.

That corridor includes two options in Pima County, one essentially co-locating the road with I-19 and I-10, and the other an entirely new highway going around the San Xavier reservation and the Saguaro National Monument through Avra Valley into Pinal County. And Halikowski said ADOT will prepare a “Tier 2 Environmen tal Impact Statement’’ to evaluate specific alignments.

Park, however, said the project should not have even gotten to this point.

She said federal highway officials deter mined that certain public lands, including the Sonoran Desert and Ironwood Forest national monuments, Saguaro National Park and Tucson Mountain Park are not public parks, recreation areas or wildlife

refuges of “national, state or local signif icance’’ that fell within the scope of what environmental laws require to be consid ered.

The project, which eventually would run through Kingman and into Nevada, has generated concerns beyond the environ mental issues.

State Rep. Mark Finchem, R-Oro Valley, raised questions as far back as 2019 about the wisdom of constructing hundreds of miles of new freeway when the state can’t take care of the roads it already has.

He said there are far better alternatives for moving freight from Mexico to Canada, especially rail.

And the Sahuarita Town Council voted last year to oppose what has been called the “West option’’ that would build a new road from that community, around Tuc son, to Marana.

But the project, which could cost anywhere from $3.1 billion to $7.3 billion, depending on the final path, is support ed by local officials in Casa Grande and Maricopa who see it as aiding economic development.

It also has the backing of Gov. Doug Du cey, who told Capitol Media Services years ago that the highway would “really bene fit our state and allow us to be the player that we’re going to be in terms of econom ic growth and development and trade.’’

Navigating the home market involves several steps

BY MELANIE NEMETZ Tribune Guest Writer

Thereis a plethora of headlines about our real estate market.

How many are addressing what to actually do?

It’s most important to focus on what is hap pening in your hyperlocal area where you plan to sell and/or buy. Each city within the greater Phoenix area has its own market happening and even within each community.

One community may have numerous homes listed for sale or may have new builds within close proximity of the home they want to sell.

This can have a strong impact on the saturation of the immediate area which means it could be harder to get a home sold than a home with fewer for sale within the community and if

there aren’t competing new builds nearby.

Queen Creek in particular has new builds within existing communities as well as close by others. This has played into longer days on market as well as price reductions for sellers facing these circumstances.

Builders are eager to move product and therefore have high incentives enticing buyers to purchase their product rather than a resale home. Most buyers feel that if they can get a new build for just a little more than the price of a resale home, that gives them peace of mind as everything in the home is new and warranted.

How does a seller navigate this? Simply knowing these are factors in the saleability of their home is step one. Factoring that informa tion into the list price as well as planning for longer days on the market is step two.

Step three is knowing and preparing for

JUSTLISTED

price adjustments along the way. This is a tough one for sellers to embrace, however: pricing to where the market is headed rather than where the market is will help set a seller apart from the competition.

Step four is the preparation of the home go ing on the market. Clean, declutter, and stage. These are a must in this market. Home staging helps physically place furnishings so buyers know what size will fit in the space. Staging also pulls emotion when done well. Buyers purchase on emotion more than facts.

Buyers also need to know the statistics of the city as well as the neighborhood of the home they want to offer. They should explore new builds even if they weren’t planning on one.

The reason for this is there may be a spec home mostly completed that could still fit their time frame. These are the homes that tend to

have the highest incentives as well.

Step one for a buyer is to contact a lender to prequalify. This is also a good time for step two which is to learn what loan products and tools the lender has that could benefit the buyer.

Do they have a lock product where the rate can be locked ahead of time? They should defi nitely know about rate buydowns. There is a 2-1 buy down where the seller provides con cessions on the buyer’s behalf to buy down the rate for two years. There is also a permanent buydown with the same concept.

Step three, know stats for the neighborhood. This will save you money. Be discerning and enjoy the process.

Melanie Nemetz, owner-founder of The Melanie Nemetz Team with Keller Williams

Integrity First can be reached at 480- 2213034, or fosteringre.com

Own one home offering two separate homes!

This NexGen home has its own primary home with a suite attached to it, offering its own separate entrance and exit, kitchen, family room and bedroom and bath.

NEXTGENSUITE MAINHOUSE

Welcome to the NEXTGEN home in San Tan Heights. The NEXTGEN suite has its own front door and its own door to the backyard. The kitchenette includes a full size fridge, a dishwasher, and a microwave and lots of cabinetry. Relax in the spacious family room. The bedroom is private with a door to the bedroom and includes a walk in closet. The main house includes 3 bedrooms, all with walk in closets, & 2 bath rooms. You’ll enjoy cooking in this kitchen which includes maple cabinets and granite counters. Low maintenance front & backyards with desert landscaping. Come see this home that offers so many possibilities with the NEXTGEN suite. Use it as an office, for inlaws, or simply additional living space. Situated in San Tan Heights which has its own community pool & close to hiking at San Tan Mountain Regional Park. (480) 221-3034.

4489 W Maggie Drive, Queen Creek NEXTGEN home in San Tan Heights

EV author, 98, shows no sign of slowing down

BY KEN SAIN Tribune Staff Writer

MelWeiser was miserable, roam ing the deck of his aircraft carrier with dried vomit on the corners of his mouth, hoping to find one spot where the ocean didn’t roll as much.

The 17-year-old was beginning to think he might have made a mistake begging his father to let him join the Navy and fight in World War II.

“I couldn’t find a place for myself,” Weis er said. “One of my friends said to me, ‘Get up in your bunk. I’ll get you a book from the ship library, and maybe that’ll take your mind off this.’

“So he got me a book and it was about the conquest of Mexico, it was called ‘Don Pedro.’ And it just captured me. I put it down on my chest, and I remember I said, ‘If I could ever write like this, I would have a happy life.’”

That moment gave Weiser the answer for what he wanted to do with his life.

And he’s still doing it, even as a 98-yearold author living in Sun Lakes.

He just published his sixth book, “The Crown of Sammuramat.” It’s an adventure novel that seems like it would make a good action film. The good and bad guys believe the crown has special powers and they are all trying to get it before the others.

After conquering seasickness and leav ing the Navy, Weiser returned to New York and pursued becoming a teacher.

He spent most of his life teaching, and working in theater. He headed his own theater company and even directed a production on Broadway.

Eventually, he got tired of snow and moved to Arizona.

He kept working his way up the teach ing ranks until he retired as a professor at Glendale Community College, where he spent 17 years.

“The Crown of Sammuramat” may be his latest published novel, but it’s not a new story. It was sitting on Weiser’s shelves collecting dusts for years.

“After I finished it, I was still really ..., I was finished with it, I put it away and that was the end of it,” Weiser said. Years later he came across it and said he took a second look.

“‘What is that thing all about? What was it? I forget my own book. Let me look at it.’ So I looked at it, and I said, ‘it has potential, but it’s much too long.’ I wound up chop ping out between 10 and 15,000 words.

“I just kept chopping and chopping, and got it tighter and tighter and tighter. And I kept working on it and I said to myself, ‘this is a special one. I’ve got it.’”

One of Weiser’s other books is a biog raphy of actor Nick Nolte, called “Caught in the Act.” Nolte was a member of Weis er’s theater company before he became famous in the TV miniseries, “Rich Man, Poor Man,” and a host of box office hits such as “Prince of Tides” and “The Hulk.”

Theater companies have played an im portant role in Weiser’s life, including in helping him meet his second wife. Joni Brown-Walders. had her own theater company and they kept running into each other at productions.

“Eventually, we took the hint,” Weiser said.

The two worked together on a play, ‘A Tiny Piece of Land.’ After staging the play in Oregon, Los Angeles and Toronto, it was scheduled to open Off-Broadway.

However, the producer died before it opened. And Weiser and Browne-Walder were unable to raise the funds needed themselves for the show to go on.

“It was absolutely heartbreaking,” Browne-Walder said. “I felt like ..., it was like a death.”

Turns out the rolling seas of his youth helped Weiser find the direction he want ed to take his life. And even at 98, he’s not slowing down: He’s currently working on his next novel, ‘The Great Man.’

Mel Weiser books

The Trespasser; Within the Web; Nick Nolte: Caught in the Act; On 174th Street: The World of Willie Mit tleman; Viva Pucini!; and The Crown of Sammuramat are available on Amazon.

QC DAR announces national parent’s scholarships

niors, and college, graduate and medi cal students.

The Queen Creek Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution has an nounced that the national organization is offering over 26 different scholar ships for graduating high school se

The scho;arships are awarded and judged without regard to gender, race, color, religion, national origin, or disabil ity and applicants can apply between Nov. 1 and Jan. 31 at dar.org/national-society/ scholarships .

Applicants must be U.S. citizens, at tending or planning to attend an ac credited college or university in the U.S., demonstrate academic excellence, com mitment to the field of study, and/or fi nancial need.

Scholarships range from political sci ence, history, government, medical and

nursing, and many other specific areas of study. Two scholarships are open to the children of a NSDAR member. Three ad ditional scholarships are available only to Native American students.

Questions can be emailed to Scholarships@nsdar.org. 

East Valley author Mel Weiser, pictured with his wife, Joni Brown-Walders, has just pub lished his sixth novel. (David Minton/Tribune Staff Photographer)

Small-town values, experience guide QC Banner CEO

BY MARK MORAN Tribune Staff Writer

ForBrian Kellar, health care has al ways been about small towns and the personal patient care.

Kellar, the new CEO of Banner Iron wood Medical Center in Queen Creek, grew up in South Dakota, went to college and graduate school there, and where found and fell in love with taking care of people in small towns.

“I always said the best part of being in a small community is you go to a grocery store and you see 10 people you know. The worst part of a small community is you go to the grocery store and you see 10 people you know,” said Kellar, who has been with Banner Health Care for eight years and earned his current position in June.

“I am very much from the rural end of health care – where you’re a lot more geo

graphically and resource constricted,” he said. “So, it forces you to be a jack of many, many more trades. It’s a great way to pre

pare and align your understanding with some of the minutiae, some of the detail and really get into the why we do what we do and how we do it.”

Kellar said you learn those details much more quickly in a small town than in a large market - the ins and outs of hospi tal administration, bookkeeping, even pa tient care.

Kellar went on to become a nursing home administrator after a mentor talked him into taking some health care adminis tration classes in grad school.

“I had people give me projects mainly because they didn’t want to do them,” he joked. “But I saw so much more innovative potential in that space so I just gravitated that way and that’s what drew me into the hospital end of the equation.

“It didn’t take long to discover that health care is a constantly changing, ripe for innovation and reimagination environ

ment. It’s really as much a calling as it is a pursuit,” he said.

Though he remains a true Midwestern er at heart, that calling brought Kellar to Queen Creek – which is by no means a small town anymore – and led him into hospital administration and away from nursing homes.

He is confronted head on every day with the break-neck pace of growth in Queen Creek, and that is reflected in hos pital expansion.

Banner Ironwood is one of only four hospitals in the Valley with an emergency air ambulance, which allows Ironwood to help outlying communities during critical situations.

“We are a transfer base station with a helicopter onsite. We are transferring peo ple to places for services that maybe don’t

Copenhagen enjoys a success in first year in Gilbert

BY ALISON STANTON Tribune Contributor

When Copenhagen closed its Tempe location last Oc tober and moved to a new location in SanTan Village, CEO and President Jens Hansen was under standably a bit nervous.

The family-owned, full service fur niture business had called Tempe home for four decades, and Hansen hoped Copenhagen’s many loyal customers would continue to shop at the Gilbert showroom.

As it turns out, Hansen had noth ing to worry about.

“Moving from the Tempe location to Gilbert after 40 years is one of the best things we have ever done,” Han sen said.

“The community has really em braced us.”

While people who used to shop

at the Tempe location are definitely coming to the Gilbert store, Hansen said he has been pleasantly sur prised at the number of new cus tomers who come in to check out the selection of modern European contemporary furniture.

“During the first grand opening month, 70 percent of sales were to new customers,” Hansen said. “The Gilbert community was definitely ready for Copenhagen.”

Although Copenhagen’s second location in Scottsdale remains pop ular with customers, Hansen says they are also making their way into the new showroom.

“Our Gilbert location really feels like it could be the flagship store. The Scottsdale store is a beauti ful building, but Gilbert is right up there with it. It’s the same size as the Scottsdale store but it feels bigger and we have added some new sales

people,” he said.

Speaking of his staff, Hansen said the team at the Gilbert location has had “nothing but smiles” since the store opened.

“I am very satisfied with the group we have working there. They are all Copenhagen-minded.”

Like many stores, Copenhagen was impacted by supply chain is sues; fortunately, Hansen noted, this situation seems to be mostly resolved.

“We were able to get through it by keeping in touch with our custom ers and letting them know about these unfortunate and unforesee able delays,” he said, adding that thankfully, they are now fulfilling orders as normal.

Looking ahead, Hansen said Co penhagen is preparing to add some

BRIAN KELLAR

Copenhagen’s SanTan Village location offers curated sets or mix and match from an extensive collection of living room furniture. (Courtesy of Copenhagen)

exist in Queen Creek yet,” he said.

In the last year alone, Banner has added a pediatrics unit and expanded its robotic surgery wing at Ironwood, opened a sur gery center and hired additional special ists and physicians to provide more ro bust services to the booming population.

Kellar has also focused on building good working relationships with area employ ers, consulting with them on their well ness programs and setting company pol icies in their businesses.

“As they have healthier populations of people and they can help people be healthier, I’m sure their premiums go down,” Kellar said. “Everybody wins. Absolutely everybody wins. We’d love to keep you from needing to be in the Emer gency Department.”

In the almost two decades that Kellar has been involved in healthcare admin istration, workforce development has moved front and center on the priority list, especially when it comes to people working in some of the most critical areas of patient care.

“A lot of people have exited the work force and we have known that there was

shortage coming for nursing predomi nantly for many, many years and the pre vious viral pandemic massively accelerat ed that,” Kellar said.

“We’ve maybe not felt the pains others have felt in some areas, but we’re always recruiting because we’re always growing.”

Banner Ironwood started a new pro gram this summer called Camp Scrubs; a week-long deep dive designed to get mid dle school kids interested in health care as a career.

“It’s not just doctors and nurses,” Kellar said. “There are outstanding and very ful filling callings in how to serve others right here in their backyard.”

Kellar’s number one focus will be to continue trying to educate and take care of people in Ironwood’s service area, but with a shift in focus from what medicine has traditionally been.

“We need to shift from sick care to health care. So instead of caring for people when they have an illness or acute episode to how do we prevent people from ever get ting sick? Caring for their health instead of caring for their illness,” he said.

“I think for a long time, health care was just about trying to continuously increase the technological opportunities and in

novations to be able to address health is sues,” Kellar said.

Married with three children and an ac tive volunteer in church and civic orga nizations, Kellar vows to bring a “people first” approach to the position, with a fo cus on keeping them out of the hospital in the first place.

“That’s become more of a true north so that we can innovate and help people live better lives, not waiting for them to get sick,” he said.

Banner Ironwood Medical Center, near the intersection of Rittenhouse and Combs roads in Queen Creek, currently has 47 private rooms but enough land that it could expand the hospital to include more than 500 beds and the supporting health care services to go with them.

The hospital’s website lists emergency services, obstetrics, surgery, pediatrics and general medical care among its areas of focus.

“First and foremost, we are in the peo ple business and we are exploding in pop ulation, which is diversifying the needs,” Kellar said. “How do we keep up with that without overextending ourselves? That’s our calling and that’s what we’re excited

COPENHAGEN from page 19

new products to their inventory, just in time for fall and winter.

“Our collection is ever evolving and there is always something new going on in our showrooms,” he said.

“Customers who visit us this month will find things are different next month, but the items I call our ‘bread and butter’ products we will always carry.”

Hansen said he is definitely pleased with the decision to relocate to Gilbert from Tem pe, and looks forward to serving his val ued customers for many decades to come.

“The last year went off like gangbusters. It has been really, really super,” he said. “We truly appreciate our customers very much, as well as all of the support that the Gilbert community has given us.” 

Copenhagen

2000 S. Santan Village Pkwy, Gilbert (480) 828-3080 copenhagenliving.com.

CBS closed its ubiquitous eye with Biden interview

BY JD HAYWORTH Tribune Columnist

corporate logos have proven as icon ic or enduring as the “CBS Eye,” which will turn 71 this October.

From its genesis in TV’s monochromatic age, the “Eye” has remained. It was “col orized,” as was most of television by the mid-to-late 1960’s, and eventually “uni versalized” – adopted by all the corporate divisions of CBS, though well-modulated grumbling was heard from the studios of CBS Radio.

But the real static came as CBS contin ued to grow in the 1970s, commensurate with the growth of television’s influence.

Author Robert Metz wrote “CBS: Re flections in a Bloodshot Eye,” a no-holdsbarred “unofficial” history of the commu

nications colossus in 1975. He described CBS “a restless 24-hour-a-day mover and shaker of the national consciousness, irri tating and pleasing, enlightening and vul garizing by turns.”

FewWhile most Americans feel right at home with both computer screens and TV screens in residence, estimates for this year put the number of “television house holds” in excess of 122 million. Any way you look at it, that adds up to a lot of eyes still gazing at the familiar “one-eyed mon ster.”

But as channel choices have expanded well beyond the three major commercial networks, ratings have contracted for those “legacy telecasters.”

Gone are the astronomical numbers and the high regard Cronkite enjoyed during his nearly two decades as anchor of “The CBS Evening News.” Like Johnny Carson, his contemporary counterpart in anoth

er type of TV on another network, “Uncle Walter’s” instincts to foster a perception of fairness were comparable to the “King of Late Night’s” efforts to ensure that he was an “equal opportunity comic,” making politicians of both parties the target of his topical humor.

Both Cronkite and Carson leaned left po litically, but only after leaving their highly rated, highly compensated positions as “television stars” did they champion polit ical causes and advocate for their favorite candidates.

Four decades have passed since Cronkite said “That’s the way it is,” for the last time, and six men and three women have ascended to the role of anchor (or co-anchor) of “The CBS Evening News.”

While the job is still considered as one of the most prestigious in television news, Scott Pelley, who manned the anchor desk for six years, returned full-time to his role

as a reporter on “60 Minutes,” and it is Pelley who embodies the new trend of socalled “advocacy journalism.”

Perhaps that’s why Pelley was picked to interview Joe Biden—appearing on “60 Minutes” for the first time since he moved into the White House—as the broadcast began its 55th season.

Pelley said the interview would “ignite a few controversies,” and that’s true – but not the portions Scott intended. Certainly, Pelley asked about important subjects— inflation, Ukraine, China, and COVID among them—and did so with a “gentle touch.” His follow-ups were perfunctory; no real challenge was offered to any of Joe’s more “factually challenged” utter ances.

Remarkably, but not unexpectedly, Pel ley proffered a defense and endorsement

2 Tempe incidents illustrate anti-police bias

BY DAVID LEIBOWITZ Tribune Columnist

Two recent news sto ries illustrate how wretched it is to serve as a police officer in the 21st century, a time of rampant nega tivity, social media virality and naked hos tility toward law enforcement.

Both stories occurred in Tempe, along Town Lake. Both involve men who entered that lake of their own accord.

One story ended in tragedy. The other ended in a save. You can guess which one you likely never heard about.

First, a disclaimer. By day, I am a public relations consultant. Among my clients: The Tempe Officers Association. I repre sent a number of other public safety or ganizations, so I am absolutely biased in favor of the cops.

With that said, my clients have not paid

me to write this. I’m doing so because I be lieve it needs to be said.

The tragedy centers on Sean Bickings, 34, a longtime presence in Tempe nick named “Madrox.” Bickings by all accounts was a “big teddy bear,” joking, friendly, even as he and his wife struggled to find shelter on a consistent basis.

On May 28, Tempe police received a 911 call reporting a disturbance between the couple. Body camera footage shows a long conversation between Bickings, his wife and the officers. Then Bickings decides to climb over a four-foot fence and enter Town Lake.

One of the officers tells Bickings, “Okay, I’m not jumping in after you.” Bickings is encouraged to swim to safety, but he can’t. He disappears beneath the water, gone.

What I know in my heart is that no per son on earth wanted this story so awfully, including the officers on scene.

I also know that the cops followed

their training, which did not include wa ter rescue, and city policy, which was not to enter the lake, but instead to get the Tempe police boat (check) and summon Tempe Fire (check).

Even so, the story became a national sensation, covered by the networks and splashed across social media, with many commenters noting that Bickings was Black and accusing the cops of racism.

I’m a realist, a guy who has spent 30 years covering news professionally. I un derstand why this story got the coverage and commentary it did.

Still, I wish the hubbub had also includ ed some vital context – about police policy, training, and the fact that the officers had not been provided with equipment to save potential drowning victims. T he city has changed all of that in the past few weeks, providing training and throw bags to officers. That’s a good thing, as the events of Sept. 20 prove.

This story didn’t go national, nor did it make a ripple on Twitter or TikTok.

It began as an indecent exposure call. Police arrived and found a naked man in the lake. Officers threw him a water res cue device multiple times, but he refused to grab it.

“He was pulled into the police boat without incident and turned over to (Tem pe Fire),” KTAR radio reported. “He was transported to a hospital for evaluation.”

All told, three news outlets covered this story, a few hundred words total.

Again, I’m a realist. News involves con flict, mayhem and gotcha moments. Hap py endings aren’t the stuff of headlines and clicks.

But I wonder how the rest of us would feel working in a job where to do good is to be invisible while to make a mistake is to be damned? A job where you’re expect

of Biden, described as a theory: “Joe Biden is among the longest-serving politicians in Washington. If there is less bounce in the step than there once was, if the words don’t flow like they used to, maybe there’s something to be said for knowhow—five decades on the Hill and in the Oval.”

Oh. So being a senile Washington “lifer” is an asset for leadership?

Pelley’s voice quivered with emotion and affection, as he said to Biden, “You were elected to the Senate in 1972. You were 29 years old. And in those days, it seemed the parties worked together to move the country forward.

And I think many Americans feel that that no longer happens, and in fact, may be impossible now.”

Apparently, it was impossible to in clude any discussion of Joe’s Philadelphia speech, where Biden attacked “Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans” as “threats to our Republic.” Viewers had to seek that out online at “60 Minutes Over time.”

Those calling the shots at the “CBS Eye” wanted fewer eyes to see that.

Just one question: Why? 

ed to risk your life for people who despise you, and where you’d best be perfect, be cause keyboard warriors are lying in wait to pass judgment.

That’s policing in 2022. I mourn that fact just as I feel for the loved ones of Sean Bick ings. Everyone loses in stories like this. 

Ex Chandler football coach takes ASU helm

BY ZACH ALVIRA Tribune Sports Editor

ShaunAguano was a coaching legend at Chandler High School.

He built the Wolves into a power house football program that was national ly ranked on several occasions and became a dynasty in 2016-18, when it won the 6A state championship under his leadership.

In 2019, he was hired by Arizona State to lead the running backs.

Now four short years later, Aguano is taking yet another step in his coaching ca reer, albeit in circumstances he is not too keen on.

On Sept. 18, less than 24 hours after the Sun Devils’ loss to Eastern Michigan at home, the university announced that Herm Edwards had relinquished his position as head coach, opening the door for an inter im coach from the current staff to step in. Aguano was selected.

“It’s been a crazy couple of days,” Agua no said Sept. 18 during his first press con ference as interim head coach.

“This opportunity, in the grand scheme of things, is a dream for me. All I can ask is for opportunity. So, what do I do with that opportunity in the next nine games? Try to put a product on the field that Sun Devil nation is proud of.”

The running-backs room under Agua no has been one of the strongest position groups in recent years for the Sun Devils.

Aguano coached Eno Benjamin in his first season with the Sun Devils; he was drafted in 2020 by the Arizona Cardinals and is now the team’s No. 2 back behind starter James Conner.

After Benjamin, Aguano helped develop Rachaad White, who is now with the Tam pa Bay Buccaneers, Chip Trayanum – who recently transferred to Ohio State to play linebacker – and Daniyel Ngata, who is currently part of a two-back system that includes Wyoming transfer X Valladay. Aguano is passionate about the work he has done at Arizona State so far.

And he’s eager to begin a new chapter while upholding the same values he’s al ways had with coaching, which include his Hawaiian culture.

“Football is my life,” Aguano said. “In spiring kids are my life. My kids sacrificed 20 years so I could do what I love. I want to make sure that I teach not only my kids, but I want to teach our kids that being a successful father, being a successful citi zen of society, that’s the most important.

“That Ohana is a huge meaning for me because it’s all about family.”

Aguano’s interim status was met with positive reaction from the Chandler com munity and those who are faithful to the Sun Devils. While college football is a dif ferent animal, Aguano’s track record before his arrival to Arizona State speaks for itself.

He led Chandler to an 88-19 record in his eight seasons. He developed several high-level college football players, in cluding Arizona State standouts Chase Lucas and N’Keal Harry, who are both now in the NFL.

Arizona State kept those two players for their college careers. But in recent years, keeping good players has been a struggle for the university.

Aguano hopes to change that.

“I will personally recruit Arizona kids,” Aguano said. “I’m an Arizona guy, I’ve been here for 20 years. I understand the land scape and what it means. My kids were born in Arizona. There’s not one coach, that I think, in the nation that loves Arizo na and is in place at Arizona State that I think can do a better job than I can. That’s just the way I always bet on myself.”

Aguano became emotional during the press conference on a few occasions. He explained in detail how much this opportunity means to him and his family. He described his house as loud and boisterous when they received the news. He also estimated 27 notes he had writ ten down on the notepad on his bedside table throughout a sleepless night head ing into his first full day as interim head coach on Monday.

Aguano knows taking over the program won’t be an easy task.

It still has an NCAA investigation hang ing over its head and just suffered one of its worst losses in program history heading into matchups with three nationally ranked opponents in Utah, USC and Washington.

But while at Chandler he prided himself on believing in his players to play the best teams in the nation. He has the same con fidence in Arizona State.

“I think we have the talent to challenge anybody,” Aguano said. “I feel I have the ex pertise from a game management situation – and I’ll fall a little bit on Marvin Lewis as well – but that hasn’t changed. I think we can compete with anybody in the country.”

Before Aguano took over as the Chan dler head coach, he recalled sitting at the Arizona coaching conventions where he heard successful high school coaches and Division I college coaches speak. Year after year, he would move up until he sat in the first row.

He told his wife he would be a head foot ball coach one day.

It happened at Chandler and now just four years later, at Arizona State.

It’s been his dream to become a college head coach, and he hopes to be able to drop the interim tag after this year and get a shot at doing it full-time for the Sun Devils.

“It’s the opportunity I had been asking for,” Aguano said. “Now with that oppor tunity, you have to go make sure you can keep that opportunity. I’m going to ask for (fans) support.

“You’ve got an Arizona coach who loves Arizona in this spot. Now let’s go and help an Arizona guy stay here.” 

Have an interesting sports story?

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

Former Chandler High School football head coach Shaun Aguano is introduced as the new interim head coach at Arizona State University during a press conference. (David Minton/Staff Photographer)

A roundup of area Oktoberfest events next month

BY ALLISON BROWN GetOut Staff Writer

It’s time to pull on the lederhosen, lace up the dirndl and throw back a pint be cause Oktoberfest season is just around the corner.

According to census data, more than 40 million Americans claim German ancestry — that’s roughly 16% of the U.S. popula tion. And, while there aren’t any hard sta tistics on the subject, it’s safe to bet that at least a few million Americans also just love a good beer. Maybe that’s why the United States is the country ranked fourth for the most Oktoberfest celebrations, with Germany obviously taking first place.

Here are a few of the Oktoberfest events happening across the state this year.

Downtown Chandler Oktoberfest

Oct. 1

For the first time, Pedal Haus Brewery and SanTan Brewing Company are joining together to host an epic Oktoberfest event in downtown Chandler Saturday, Oct. 1. Julian Wright, CEO and founder of Pedal Haus Brewery, said both of the Downtown Chandler companies decided to collabo rate instead of competing.

The Downtown Chandler Oktoberfest will feature beer and food from both San Tan and Pedal Haus breweries plus canned craft cocktails. The breweries will serve a range of beers including German-style Ok toberfests. German fare, including Bavar ian-style soft pretzels and brats, will be served.

In addition to the food and drinks, there will be a variety of classic Oktober fest games and contests, including stein holding, wiener toss and sausage-eating contests. And, in keeping with the theme, a full lineup of live music is scheduled, in cluding a German polka band.

“We are stoked to be joining forces with our friends at SanTan to throw one of the best Oktoberfest events in the Valley this

year,” Wright said. “I’ll be emceeing the stein holding and sausage-eating compe titions, so grab your friends and lederho sen, this is going to be a fun event.”

Dr. A.J. Chandler Park, 3 S. Arizona Ave., Chandler, 480-656-1639, pedalhausbrew ery.com, 3-11 p.m., $15-$25

Litchfield Park Oktoberfest at The Wigwam Oct. 1

In partnership with the city of Litch field Park, The Wigwam is celebrating Oktoberfest with live music, lawn games, German-inspired cuisine and, of course, beer. Those who preorder tickets through Eventbrite will receive a commemorative Oktoberfest glass. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. This event is for ages 21 and older.

The Wigwam Front Lawn, 300 E. Wig wam Blvd., Litchfield Park, 866-976-6894,

wigwamarizona.com/events, 6-9 p.m., ticket price TBD

Flagstaff Oktoberfest

Oct 1

Flagstaff will host its 13th annual Ok toberfest this year, complete with drinks, food, live music, contests and even bounce houses for the kids. Beer will be aplenty, as will other typical Oktoberfest eats such as pretzels and bratwurst.

Beer may take the center stage, but Jen nifer Grogan, event producer, said the con tests are “hilarious,” which is why a side stage is set up for five events throughout the day.

First up is the wiener man race, where people put on hot dog costumes and race to navigate through an obstacle course. New this year is the chicken dance con test. There is also a brat-eating contest,

which Grogan said is both a “fan favorite and absolutely disgusting.” Then there is the traditional Bavarian stein contest for men and women, separately. In this con test, participants hold a liter of beer in a heavy-duty glass with their arms in front of them.

The last competition of the day is the frozen T-shirt contest. Grogan said T-shirts are folded, tied and frozen, and teams of two compete to try to be the first to get the shirt undone and on a body. She adds that, because this is the last competition of the day, participants are usually “feeling the alcohol… so it’s pretty funny.”

Wheeler Park, 212 W. Aspen Ave., Flagstaff, 928-606-7600, flagstaffoktober fest.com, 11 a.m.-8 p.m., $5-$7, kids under 12 free.

For the first time, Pedal Haus Brewery and SanTan Brewing Company are joining together to host an epic Oktoberfest event in downtown Chandler Saturday, Oct. 1. (Special to GetOut)

Haus Murphy’s

All October

Haus Murphy is a German restau rant that offers beer, brats, pretzels and Polka year-round. But during October, it ramps up.

The restaurant has been serving Ger man food for 26 years, so while the Okto berfest fan favorites of soft pretzels and bratwursts are available, there is a whole menu of authentic German cuisine to try.

Limited seating is available, and spots tend to fill up fast, so advance reservations are strongly recommended.

Haus Murphy’s, 5739 W. Glendale Ave., Glendale, 623-939-2480, hausmurphys. com, 5-9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays throughout October

Four Peaks Oktoberfest

Oct. 7-9

The Four Peak Oktoberfest in Tempe is the largest in the state, drawing 75,000 to 100,000 people over the three-day period.

Food is provided by Denmark Foods, with the featured menu item being a Kilt Lifter Brat in partnership with Four Peaks.

New this year, there will also be vegetari an empanadas.

The festival has a carnival with 15 to 20 rides and games. Live music will be played each night, including a performance from a German polka band. There will also be classic Oktoberfest competitions, such as stein holding, brat eating, a wiener dog race and a wiener dog fashion show — which features dog and owner in costume.

Tempe Beach Park, 80 W. Rio Salado Pkwy., Tempe, 60-.625-3493, fourpeak soktoberfest.com, various times Oct.7-9, $20, Sunday free

Gilbert Oktoberfest

Oct. 15

In its third year, the Gilbert Oktoberfest is ramping things up “100%,” according to event director Mike O’Donnell. He said there will be more beer, more food and more entertainment.

The event is teaming with breweries in the East Valley, which will create some thing completely new.

“They’re creating a collaborative beer for this event, where each one of the brew masters has been sitting together and they all come up with their own recipe,” O’Don

nell said. “We will have that available at every outlet at the event and it will only be available there at the event.”

The event also features the selfproclaimed “Queen of Oktoberfest,” and her band “The Oktoburlesques.” They perform traditional polka blended with today’s hits.

In true Oktoberfest spirit, there will also be a brat-eating contest and stein holding contest. There’s also a kid’s zone and chil dren can enter for free.

Gilbert Regional Park, 3005 E. Queen Creek Road, Gilbert, gilbertoktoberfest. com, 2-9 p.m., ticket price TBD 

With JAN D’ATRI GetOut Columnist

Wehave visited this subject many, many times during the life of this column: What can we do with chicken?

By now you know that I do prefer chicken thighs to breasts in just about every chicken recipe I make. I’m not sure how chicken thighs got sideways with American consumers. Too many calories? Not as healthy as breasts?

All I know is that the thighs have it when it comes to flavor, and that’s what’s most important to me. (By the way, do you know why dark meat is dark and white meat is white? Well, the main difference between the two is that red muscle fibers contain more capillaries for increased blood flow and oxy gen to the area because those are the parts that move the most; the neck, wings and thighs. The darker, more reddish tint is primarily due to a richly pigmented protein called myoglobin which helps to store oxygen in the muscle for quick use. The more myoglobin, the darker the meat.)

I may have gotten off on a tangent here, so let me bring it back to this amazing dish. This curried

Ingredients:

• 6 chicken thighs, cooked and diced into cubes

• tsp salt

• pepper

• TBSP oil

• unpeeled crisp red apples, finely diced

• 1 ½ cup dried cranberries, soaked in hot water

Directions:

Sprinkle salt and pepper over both sides of chicken thighs. In a skillet over medium high heat, add the olive oil and cook chicken until in ternal temperature reaches 165 degrees.

Remove to a plate. When cool, cut into small cubes. Soak the cranberries in very hot water for 20 minutes, then drain and chop fine. In a bowl, combine chicken, apple, cranberries, celery, pecans, and green onions in a bowl. In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, lime juice,

chicken salad is wonderful as a salad or a sand wich. With very few ingredients, this salad is burst ing with flavor.

I love the combination of lime juice and maple syrup or honey. The curry gives it just enough of a twist to set it apart from your ordinary chicken sal ad. Got left-over chicken in the frig? Give it a new life with this sweet & savory salad!

• 1 cup thinly sliced celery

• ½ cup chopped pecans

• TBSP thinly sliced green onions

• 1 ½ cup mayonnaise (or less if preferred)

• 4 tsp lime juice

• 1 tsp curry powder

• 8 slices whole wheat bread, crust re moved

• 12 butter lettuce leaves

and curry powder. Fold mayonnaise mixture into chicken mixture; stir to coat. Cover and refriger ate until ready to serve.

Slice crusts off the bread. Spread chicken mix ture and one piece of lettuce over one slice of bread and top with a second slice. Gently press down.

Cut sandwiches into quarters or cut out shapes with approximately 3-inch cookie cutters. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve. Makes 4 salads or sandwiches.

When it comes to this chicken salad, the thighs have it