QUEEN CREEK TRIBUNE, OCTOBER 16, 2022

Apartments a miniscule part of QC housing, report says

BY MARK MORAN Tribune Staff Writer

Anew report to the Town Council shows that apartment rental prices are up dramatically in Queen Creek com pared to neighboring suburbs at the same time that available multifamily housing is at a premium.

The memo says rental costs have risen 76% in the last two years to a current average of $2,311 for a 2-bedroom apartment in Queen Creek, compared to $1,673 in Mesa, $1,914 in Gilbert and $1,916 in Chandler.

nearly all of the inventory is

average rental

Queen

A town-generated re port shows that multi family units have com prised a tiny percentage of Queen Creek’s hous ing inventory compare to its neighbors. (Town of Queen Creek)

QC Fire trying to keep up with town’s growth

BY MARK MORAN Tribune Staff Writer

As Queen Creek’s growing population increases the demand for more town services, the Fire and Medical Depart ment is adding medically trained firefighters to its ranks.

The additions will bring to 76 the total num ber of operational staff – which Fire Chief Vance Gray explained are “the firefighters in the fire stations, the battalion chiefs, they’re all part of fire operations.”

Gray, who has been with department since 2014 and chief since 2018, said the staff is

spread across Queen Creek’s five fire stations, the latest of which opened in December 2020.

But that fire station is not likely to be the last, based on population growth and the number of calls the department has been re ceiving year over year.

Queen Creek firefighters responded to 5,439 incidents last year, which was a 16% in crease over 2020. So far this year, the QCFMD is projected to respond to 6,050 incidents, an 11.23% increase over 2021.

“I wouldn’t say that we are racing to keep up any longer,” Gray said. “We’re providing a good quality of service in the developed areas that Queen Creek has.”

The service areas are predicted to grow as those developed areas proliferate seemingly overnight, according to Vance.

That’s especially true as growth continues in the northeast, southwest and south parts of town. Gray said the department determines when the need for a new station based on cer tain measurable criteria.

“Right now, our goal would be to match growth,” Gray said. “We know what it takes to service a particular area with a fire station and so once we get to a certain point where we identify that a certain geographic area needs a

QC Police get state help for traffic safety crackdown

BY MARK MORAN Tribune Staff Writer

TheQueen Creek Police Department is getting help in cracking down on impaired and other dangerous drivers.

The department received two grants from the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety to address speeding and drugand alcohol-related infractions in town, where dangerous traffic conditions are increasing along with double-digit pop ulation growth.

“Our DUI enforcement continues to be one of our top five arrests in the town so we are very active in DUI enforcement,” said Queen Creek Police department Chief Randy Brice.

The grants, totaling $132,377, have al ready been used to buy equipment to tar get drunken driving, Brice said.

But the gear is also being used by the de partment, barely more than half a year old, to focus on reducing the overall number of accidents in town, no matter the cause.

“We started tracking our collisions

or crashes early on,” Brice said. “After we were able to deploy some of this equipment and get our staffing out there to be able to do some directed or target ed patrols, we did see a decrease overall in crashes.

“We are really looking to try to eliminate fatals, obviously, but reducing any type of injury. That’s always been our focus is re ducing any injuries.”

A specially equipped police vehicle to target drivers who may driving while in toxicated or drug-impaired is still being readied for patrol.

The department also used the grant money to buy handheld radar guns and portable breath testing equipment, in cluding one high-tech unit called the In toxilyzer 9000.

“That is the one that is admissible in court,” Brice said.

According to its website, the Intoxilyz er 9000 works by detecting alcohol in the human body using infrared spectros copy rather than a Breathalyzer brand blood-alcohol analyzer, which works by detecting a chemical reaction in a

DUI suspect who blows into a tube and resulting in a color change if the person is intoxicated.

QCPD also bought what the chief says is critical equipment needed for field in vestigations, DUI, “drug-related driving investigations and general traffic safety,” Brice said.

“The tools that we have are terribly im portant in order to provide a fair and bal anced way of doing patrols and enforcing the laws,” he added.

“We don’t want to guess at things. We want to make sure we have precision tools to properly investigate whether it’s a speeding incident or DUI, that we have the best equipment to give a fair analysis to the people we’re dealing with.”

Though it is too soon to tell if the de partment has reduced the number of DUI arrests made, Brice said the data do show that the department is making headway in reducing the number of total accidents on Queen Creek’s roads.

“For us, when we see the numbers go down on injuries,” Brice said, “and people reduce the number of crashes, that’s a re

ally big deal to us.

“We’re looking at high speeds. Left turns. Intersection related incidents. Those are all the ones we really focus on, but we fol low the trends. We look at what the data tells us and we respond in that way.”

A recent spate of serious accidents in and around Queen Creek has put the traffic problems in town more sharply in focus.

An unidentified driver of a cross-over SUV was killed in an accident Oct. 7 when it collided with a crane truck parked along State Route 24 near Williams Field Road. Three passengers in the SUV had to be extricated.

According to the latest data from the governor’s Office of Highway Safety, Arizo na saw an increase in the number of DUI arrests statewide in the period for which the latest data are available.

Police statewide made 1,963 DUI arrests between Dec. 1 and Dec. 31, 2021, a 13% increase over the same period in 2020.

“Statewide, the numbers are concern ing,” Brice said. “Drugs and alcohol con

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Fight likely over new QC link to the west

BY CECILIA CHAN Tribune Staff Writer

After months of looking for a com promise that will satisfy resi dents, Gilbert officials are back to their original plan to take land from 46 property owners for the widening of Ocotillo Road from 148th Street to Greenfield Road.

But they’ll have a fight on their hands.

Gilbert staff sat down last week with the affected homeowners to explain why it needed 130 feet of right-of-way – 65 feet on each side of Ocotillo Road from its center. This will allow the town to upgrade the two-lane roadway into four travel lanes and a center-turn lane.

Although Ocotillo Road currently dead -ends at Greenfield and at Higley roads, Gil bert plans to rectify that with a 545-footlong bridge with four travel lanes.

The “signature bridge” over the future phase of Gilbert Regional Park will not only provide direct access to the public amenity but a straight east-west trav el corridor between Queen Creek and Chandler.

About 4,200 cars per day now travel on Ocotillo but the Maricopa Association of Governments has projected that to in crease to 22,000 cars per day by 2050, ac cording to Fabiano.

of a road.

Fabiano explained that SRP on the south side of Ocotillo required a 10-foot ease ment, which would have increased the right-of-way to 75 feet and the water dis trict on the north side needed a 20-foot easement, which would have meant an 85-foot right-of-way.

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“The Town of Gilbert is following all the rules and we’re doing it by the books,” said Town Engineer David Fabiano. “We’re not here to hurt or harm anybody.”

Nine of the properties are in Gilbert’s ju risdiction and 37 are in Maricopa County.

Fabiano said Ocotillo Road has been planned as a minor arterial for a couple of decades and without the improvement, congestion will only get worse.

What’s driving the design is not the trees and sidewalks but everything under the roadway, such as public utilities and water pipelines, according to Assistant Town Manager Leah Rhineheimer. She said staff explored in depth, try ing to keep the rights-of-way to 55 feet on both sides of the road as residents wanted but it was not possible due to the easements the public utilities required. According to Fabiano, the town’s threedecade-old standards for a minor arteri al is a 65-foot right-of-way for each half

The water district, however, has agreed to reduce its easement to 14 feet and have it inside the 65-foot rightof way. SRP agreed to keep its 10-foot easement also inside the 65-foot rightof-way, leaving the town with 51 feet on the north side and 55 feet on the south, Fabiano said.

“It’s not ideal but it’s something we can work with,” he said, adding that both util ities indicated that if the rights-of-way ar en’t kept at 65 feet than they would not be interested.

“They didn’t have to do it,” Rhineheimer noted. “They did it at the Town of Gilbert’s request.”

Fabiano and Rhineheimer also said that a right-of-way of less than 65 feet

A four-lane bridge spanning Gilbert Regional Park will connect Ocotillo Road under the town’s plan, giving emergency vehicles quicker access and Queen Creek residents a new route west through the Southeast Valley. (Town of Gilbert)

Teens

BY JOSH ORTEGA

Staff Writer

seventh annual Aspire Academy continued to give high school girls an opportunity to see what a career in public safety looks like.

The girls spent four days, three nights at the Mesa Public Safety Training Facility on N. 40th Street, experiencing some of what goes into a career as a first responder.

Mesa Fire & Medical Department Depu ty Chief Michelle Denton and Mesa Police Department Lt. Scott Kim started the pro gram seven years ago to give high school girls a glimpse into the field before they enter it.

Scott said the mission lies in the name of the program.

“We’re trying to inspire them,” Scott said. “So, ‘aspire’ to do whatever it is you want to do.”

More than 30 girls from around the East Valley received hands-on instruction and learned how to use the same equipment that police and fire use every day.

“If this is a career that they want to pur sue, we wanted to let them know that they can,” Scott said.

Some of that instruction included trying their hand at Mesa Police’s VirTra firearm training simulator and strapping on Mesa Fire’s Self-Contained Breathing Appara tus/turnout gear.

“I think they get a different perspective,” Scott said, “That it is very difficult.”

Denton has spent 18 years as a firefighter and said the “humbling” experience helps give the girls a new appreciation for what police officers and firefighters endure. But that experience also gives the girls a heaping dose of confidence in their ability

to work in a male-dominated profession – something Denton said she learned the hard way.

“It’s always going to be challenging be cause it is a very male-dominated career in general,” Denton said. “But I think you know, that getting into it.”

The girls got to sit in a Crown Victoria as a tactical driving instructor squealed the tires and whips the cruiser around the driving course and overcome any fear of heights as they rappelled down a sev en-story tower.

But Scott, Denton and the rest of the academy staff also want to instill in them social awareness, confidence, conduct, professionalism, and teamwork that it

takes to not only become a police officer or firefighter, but a good person.

Denton said the program encourag es the girls to have self-confidence and ignore the naysayers that try to detract them from their goals.

“They have to believe in themselves,” Denton said. “They can’t listen to what other people tell them they can or can not do.”

Scott said she also wants the girls to walk away with a sense of responsibility in their actions and that everything they do has consequences.

“The decisions that you make everyday matter,” Scott said. “Even if it seems like a small decision; all those decisions matter.”

Scott has spent more than 20 years in law enforcement and said she had men tors growing up but none in public safety.

“We offer ourselves as mentors for these girls as they move on,” Scott said. “It’s something I never had as a high schoolaged kid.”

Denton said the first couple years of the program they had to recruit participants.

But program has grown in popularity over the years for both participants and the staff on site, with many students want ing to return and become instructors the following year.

In March 2020, Denton said they almost didn’t have an academy with talks of busi nesses shutting down due to the pandemic.

“We actually got that camp in right be fore everything in the country shut down,” Denton said. “A week later, we would not have had it.”

With precautions in place including washing hands and wearing masks, Den ton said nobody got sick.

This year the academy had 53 applicants but only accepted 40 and only 33 arrived on the first day. That’s something Denton said she’s come expect with the timing of the event.

The academy brought in personnel from 25 departments across the Valley as well as the FBI, ATF and Border Patrol on a va riety of topics including wellness and nu trition, fire prevention, drug safety, social media, and human trafficking.

For Tempe Police Det. Natalie Barela, this year’s academy served as “validation” for why she chose this profession.

Barela has served with Tempe PD for more than seven years, including as the

Quincy Webb and Hannah Kerber look to Mesa Police Department instructor Garrett Wig gins as they run a scenario in the VirTra firearm training simulator during Aspire Academy, a hands-on resident camp for high school girls that provides an opportunity for them to experience firefighting, emergency operations techniques and law enforcement operations at the Mesa Public Safety Training Facility. (David Minton/Tribune Staff Photographer)

among the highest in the Phoenix metro politan area,” the report said.

The report is an update to Queen Creek’s 2020 Land Use Balance report by econo mist Elliot D. Pollack.

It was commissioned to evaluate the current prices of single and multifamily housing and analyze land use balance in Queen Creek compared to adjacent mu nicipalities.

There are currently 3,669 multifamily units existing, under construction or in an approved site plan in Queen Creek.

All told, that accounts for just 5% of all residences Queen Creek – dramatically lower that neighboring Chandler (30%), Gilbert (17%), and Mesa (28%).

That percentage may not change soon.

A proposed project by developer and longtime Queen Creek resident Jason Barney would have added 665 newly constructed townhomes to the multifam ily housing mix on 36 acres at the corner of Ryan and Signal Butte Roads, across the street from the new 861-acre Fron tier Park.

But Barney’s request to have the land rezoned from light industrial to neighbor hood was turned away by the Planning and Zoning Commission prior to a meet ing earlier this month.

“Staff is not supportive of the proposed density of the proposed HDR (high densi ty residential) and MDR (medium density residential) zoning requests,” wrote Sarah Clark, town senior planner and project manager in a memo to consultant Greg Davis of Iplan Consulting.

He would have developed the town houses land across from the park.

After withdrawing his application, Bar ney said he would develop the land as it is currently zoned, with light industrial operations, replete with 18-wheel truck traffic and warehouses that light industry is likely to draw.

Those buildings will be right across the street from the park and less appealing than townhouses, Barney said.

“I got a good enough read on the mind set of the town on the politics of the town and they’re not ready to support that at this point,” Barney told the Queen Creek Tribune shortly after withdrawing his re zoning application. “There’s plenty of con cern in a lot of communities about getting too much multifamily.”

Barney was critical of the decision to re

ject the townhouses, pointing to the lack of available rental housing in the area and the town’s opposition to multifamily hous ing options at the same time that the jobs economy is booming – which this latest report verifies.

Less than two weeks prior to rejecting Barney’s rezoning request, the town re zoned 1,600 acres of nearby State Trust Land to Commercial.

“Multifamily housing is an important component of the overall housing inven tory in any community,” the report states.

“Increasing housing density is part of the normal evolutionary cycle for subur ban communities as their employer base

grows, suitable housing is needed to sup port the labor force.”

Brett Burningham, Queen Creek Devel opment Services director, said earlier this month that the town is “open to further discussions” about multifamily housing.

But he stressed that the town will take a methodical and well-studied approach.

“That hesitation is understandable,” Barney acknowledges. “But, with the imbalance realities, especially in Queen Creek, it is certainly an important conver sation to have – even if it is a tough con versation.”

According to the report, the town will not be able to drag its feet on multifamily

housing for much longer, especially given the superheated growth the town is expe riencing.

Until recently, Queen Creek has been under a self-imposed moratorium on new multifamily housing.

Between 2008 and 2020, the town pro hibited the construction of any new multi family housing units. Since that restriction was lifted, 714 new multifamily units have been built with 1,804 more are under con struction.

“Given the increase in housing prices over the past 12 to 18 months,” the report said, “and more recently the increase in in terest rates, there will be increased pres sure for local governments to enable the construction of more affordable housing.

“This may include requests to increase the density and may also entail zoning and land use changes.”

The report also points out that high-den sity, multifamily housing results in more revenue per acre and that there are “econ omies of scale” in providing some types of municipal services for higher density de velopment.

While the rental numbers were stark, the report did not stop with the high cost and limited availability of multifamily housing.

It pointed out that, according to Redfin. com, median home prices in Queen Creek have jumped by 65% over a two-year pe riod to $625,000 as of May 2022.

“The rate increase is very similar to oth er East Valley communities like Chandler and Gilbert,” the report said. “But well above the US average of 44%, and unprec edented over such a short period of time.”

The Town Council is scheduled to discuss the report at its meeting Wednesday. 

QC Marketplace hosts Halloween party today

High School.

In 2017, Barela helped student Ange liese Khoury attend the course to show

her own true potential.

Five years later, Khoury returned to the academy as a Uniform Crime Report cod ing specialist with Phoenix Police.

Khoury said the academy challenged her physically and mentally as well as opened her eyes to what she’s truly pas sionate about: helping the community.

“The only reason I found my love for data research and things like that was through this academy,” Khoury said.

Now, Khoury attends Arizona State University, where she’s studying to earn her bachelor’s in criminology and crim inal justice.

Khoury said she realized that police work means more than just the physical when she realized the critical work be hind the scenes.

Though the physical differences make police work male dominated, Khoury said mentally she can do the same work as the men and her only barrier remained her own mind.

“You’re only setting limits on your own mind,” Khoury said. “No one else is set ting them.”

Now, that realization looks to continue this year with the next group of girls.

Gizzelle Sells, a junior at McClintock High School in Tempe, said she originally wanted to be a real estate agent but will now consider a career in public safety.

“They look really cool and I want to be them,” Sells said.

Sells said she initially didn’t want to attend but recommends any girl who’s interested to do so, regardless of their peers.

“I didn’t want to do it unless someone else is going to do it,” Sells said. “So, I just took a leap of faith and did it.”

Jazz Kraus, a sophomore at American Leadership Academy Ironwood in Queen Creek, said she wanted to learn about becoming a firefighter and others should revel in opportunities like this, regard less of the fear.

“I would say if you had the opportunity for anything, even though you were scared to do it, I would still go because this has been a turnout,” Kraus said.

Quincy Webb, a sophomore at Casteel High School in Queen Creek, said she has learned some stuff about the career from her stepdad, who works at the Gilbert Fire Department, and she now sees the ladies as role models and forces to be reckoned with.

“You don’t want to mess with them,” Webb said. “They’re cool.”

Webb said she learned that teens shouldn’t let fear hold them back from their dreams

you want to do

she said.

school resource officer at McClintock

CUSD signs off on spending report for 2021-22

BY KEN SAIN Tribune Staff Writer

At first glance, it does not appear inflation added too much to the Chandler Unified School District budget for the current fiscal year as CUSD expects to spend $550 million – up $4 million from 2020-21.

District Chief Financial Officer Lana Berry said she did not immediately know how big a role inflation played in the higher total, but said it is significant.

“It definitely impacted us in the diesel fuel,” Berry said. “It impacted our sal aries. As you know, we gave a raise to classified staff in the second quarter last year, because we were not able to retain, or attract, especially in our classified are na and food service and crossing guards and paraprofessionals.

“It impacted us on the food service side. The federal government put some supplements out there for food costs, we saw food costs go up like crazy. And you started to see the increase … in custodial

supplies. We also started to see a big in crease in the technology cost.”

As required by state law, Berry pre sented the district’s annual financial report during a recent Governing Board meeting. CUSD is now the second largest school district in Arizona with an average daily membership of just under 42,300 students, behind Mesa Public Schools’ approximate 59,000 students.

CUSD’s per pupil cost is $12,981, but Berry said that number is skewed be cause part of the $84 million needed to build Arizona College Prep is included in this year’s budget. Berry said if you take out the special expenditures, CUSD is spending about $8,500 per pupil.

Berry said only 10.2% of the Mainte nance and Operations Fund pays for ad ministration. About 18.6% goes to sup plies, utilities, transportation and food service. The rest, 71.19%, goes directly to the classroom.

The district in 2021-22 made a record amount on selling food to its students, $26.6 million. CUSD upgraded many

of its high school kitchens so students would eat on campus instead of heading to nearby fast-food options.

Arizona College Prep High School stu dents stayed to eat on campus 85% of the time. District kitchens brought in $26.6 million in revenue. Of that, $3.5 million will be used to upgrade more kitchens, including at middle and ele mentary schools.

CUSD served 7.1 million meals last fis cal year.

The Governing Board approved the an nual financial report, which will be sued by the state Auditor General in its annual report early next year on all Arizona dis tricts’ spending. The report also will go to the federal government for computa tions on various forms of aid the district receives.

The Governing Board also heard a presentation on the metrics that will be used in evaluating CUSD’s performance.

District officials will bring back a cou ple of metrics it stopped using during the pandemic: chronic absences and student

service volunteer hours.

They also plan to release school-byschool metric breakdowns for the first time. This will help leaders at each school know how they are either helping, or hurting, the district’s overall numbers.

“I think that’s going to be a game chang er in terms of like how schools continue to use that data to kind of like target cer tain things,” board member Lindsay Love said.

GOT NEWS?

Maryniak

FIRE from page 1

fire station, then we make that recommen dation to Council.

“It is solely dependent on growth and we watch that growth and respond to it.”

The department’s expansion has mir rored the geographical growth of the town.

Station 1 now houses a state-of-the-art ladder truck used in the event of tall struc ture fires, other firefighting gear and a res cue vehicle. It is located downtown on E. Civic Parkway.

Station 2, with a brush-fire truck and a full-size fire engine, sits on Sossamon be tween Riggs and Cloud roads.

Station 3, near Sossamon and Queen Creek roads, houses a fire engine and an ambulance.

Station 5, at Combs Road near Sangria Lane, is equipped with a single fire engine.

Station 4, the newest, at Signal Butte and Queen Creek roads, houses a full-size pumper, a water tender and an ambulance.

“It was an area that wasn’t currently serviced by a fire station,” Gray said of the new facility. “So, once we opened that fire station, those residents began receiving services.”

Prior to Station 4’s opening, people in that part of Queen Creek were relying on Station 1 to respond – a 7-minute re

Calls for service to the Queen Creek Fire Department have steadily risen the last few years.

of Queen Creek)

sponse time that can be an eternity when a fire is burning.

Gray said all of Queen Creek’s fire sta tions have been built strategically as the population has grown in the respective ar eas and with an eye toward future devel opment. That helps to ensure crews can respond to an emergency quickly.

“It’s really once we start seeing our re sponse times impacted in an adverse way. That’s what we watch,” Gray said. “Once that starts happening that’s what triggers us to make these recommendations” to Council for a new fire station.

Population growth really picked up for the fire department coming out of the Great Recession, according to Gray, not long after he arrived at the depart ment. Back then, growth was especially dramatic in the northeast and southeast parts of town.

“So, there was this strong emphasis on growth for us because the town started re covering and responding,” Gray said.

“We began to see the population starting to increase and going into areas of town that previously didn’t see high growth or much growth at all so the demand for plac

ing fire stations in those areas became a strong focus for us so that we could main tain the service delivery that we wanted.”

Gray said the department is beginning to see a need for additional fire stations in the far northeast, the southwest and west ern parts of town.

“There is a master plan in place from an outside consultant that has put forth rec ommendations,”

Gray said. “But those rec ommendations are solely based on growth as these areas develop, we will have to put the same focus on those areas.”

As part of the just completed National Fire Prevention Week, the department has urged residents to establish and practice an escape plan should there ever be a fire in their home.

“So, what we are re-enforcing with our citizens and the public is to make sure they develop a fire escape plan for their home and that it ensures that everybody will have two ways out of every room and that they should practice this fire escape plan a couple of times a year to make sure everybody is proficient at what to do,” Gray said.

“Fire won’t wait. Plan your escape.” 

DUI from page 3

tinue to be a problem in every community. And so, we are really trying to make sure we are addressing those things early. We want to make sure that when people are traveling the roads, they are safe.”

Arizona has among the most stringent DUI laws in the nation.

A person is considered legally intox

icated with a blood alcohol content of .08%, and is charged with Extreme DUI if they are caught driving with a BAC of .20 or higher.

It is also state law that anyone convicted of a DUI offense have their car equipped with a Mandatory Ignition Interlock De vice (that tests a driver’s BAC before they can start their car.

“The penalties for impaired driving in

Arizona are severe and include mandatory jail time, thousands of dollars in fines and court fees, suspension of driving license or privilege to drive, vehicle impoundment and other expenses,” the governor’s high way office says on its website.

Brice said that QCPD will continue to be aggressive in DUI and other impaired driving enforcement cases, and the de partment has made additional grant re

quests to the Office of Highway Safety.

Brice hopes resources from those grants will be put to use in the coming cal endar year.

“When it comes to traffic in Queen Creek, it’s a high priority. It’s been our number one since the beginning,” Brice said. “We are responsive. We are listening and we are using the tools that have been provid ed to really make a big difference.”

Queen

Mesa Cemetery tour tickets available now

The Mesa Historical Museum is offer ing folks a chance to mix Halloween and history.

The annual tour of the city’s historic cemetery will be held 8-10 a.m. next Sat urday, Oct. 22, and tickets are on sale at the museum’s website, mesahistoricalmu seum.com or by emailing info@mesamu seum.org.

Mayor John Giles and Councilman Mark Freeman will be among the guests narra tors at a selection of grave sites during the self-guided walking tour.

“This year we are featuring Waylon Jen nings and Vans Auditorium founder John Vance as a complement to our Early Enter tainment in Mesa exhibit we just opened

in August,” museum Executive Director Susan Ricci said. “We are also honoring the first African-American councilman Jerry Boyd, Pedro Guerrero and Susie Sato to name a few.”

Established in 1891, the cemetery at 1212 N. Center St. is the final resting place for a number of well-known Mesa and Valley celebrities and historical figures among the 38,000 interments.

Among the most visited gravesites is that of Waylon Jennings, the legend ary musician who pioneered the outlaw movement in country music.

Jennings’ black stone grave marker, with a picture of his smiling face, stands out from the others in its row. It’s larger, and one of the more decorated ones in the row. 

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:

Aspen Medical 4540 E Baseline Rd., Suite 119 Mesa, AZ, 85206

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

Model aviators club hosts national competition here

BY JOSH ORTEGA Tribune Staff Writer

Inthe far reaches of East Mesa, planes buzz overhead but on a smaller scale.

The Arizona Model Aviators flies out of the Superstition Air Park located at Levee Drive in Mesa. Tim Dickey, board member for the Arizona Model Aviators, said the club represents a lifelong interest for ev eryone involved in building and flying into the wild, blue yonder.

“It’s been an evolution for me since childhood off and on,” Dickey said. “I got back into it approximately 12 years ago, and I really liked the modeling aspect of it in the shop.”

From Oct. 20-23, the club will host the 41st annual U.S. Scale Masters Association National Championships that will draw more than 50 pilots from around the coun try and more than 400 spectators per day.

The Scale Masters competition venue changes every year and last came to Mesa in 2002.

“It’s actually the largest event that we’ll be having this year,” Dickey said. “It’s a very big event for us.”

Model aviation has several disciplines, with this event focusing on scale flying and each aircraft’s resemblance to an existing full-scale plane, including World War I bi planes, World War II P-51 Mustangs and fighter jets flown in Korea and Vietnam.

Judges review aircraft based on scale documentation, as well as how well it flies compared to the real thing.

Pilots also stage aircraft on the tarmac so planes can be judged for craftsmanship, color, markings and outline.

Criteria for the flight portion is based on 10 different maneuvers.

It can take at least two years to build an “accurate, high-quality scale model,” Dick ey said.

“I came into it more from the standpoint

of enjoying modeling things in general,” Dickey said. “And that really comes from my desire to be in the shop and to build things with my hands from scratch.”

Dickey said “scratch-building” – build ing the models by hand – has dwindled with the advent of ready-to-fly kits.

“It’s becoming a lost art because now you’re able to purchase these models that have been fully built, and just need to be assembled,” Dickey said.

Most models’ parts consist of a light

wood such as balsa or composite plastic and the planes go down to the smallest detail, including decals and rivets.

Starter kits can begin at $400 for a foam battery-operated plane and remote con trol and go as high as $20,000 for a quar ter-scale, gas-powered Beechcraft King Air utility aircraft.

The club has existed for more than 40 years and counts has more than 260 mem bers ranging in age from 8 to 80.

The club uses the Superstition Air Park because it offers an 850-foot-long paved runway and bays for staging aircraft.

“It’s one of the nicest, if not the nicest runway facility, certainly in Arizona, and maybe even in the west,” Dickey said.

Lt. Col. (Ret) Larry Wagy enjoys teach ing flight instruction to other members, something he did while serving in the U.S. Air Force for 24 years.

Wagy said interest in the hobby has waned and fears the hobby he’s enjoyed since he was 7 will eventually crash and burn because “the health of the club de pends on bringing in younger people.”

Rodger Hoover, who will compete in the national championship and spent more than 35 years working for Douglas Air craft in the manufacturing and repair sec tor, agreed.

Hoover said younger generations are always welcome, adding, “There’s always someone to teach you how to fly.” 

‘Dark money’ initiative draws conservatives’ ire

BY HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services

Back in 2014, the state’s largest elec tric company put $10.7 million into successful efforts to elect Repub licans Tom Forese and Doug Little to the panel that has life-or-death control of how much it can charge its customers.

Three years later, the Arizona Corpora tion Commission approved a 4.5% rate hike for Arizona Public Service.

The company didn’t disclose the fund ing until 2019. And it was able to do that because state laws allows donations to be funneled through other entities to run in dependent expenditure campaigns for or against candidates, with no requirement for disclosure.

All that would come to an end if voters

approve Proposition 211, which is de signed to unearth the ultimate source of all campaign dollars.

The measure is drawing fire from the business-oriented Arizona Free Enter prise Club which contends that this kind of disclosure would lead to harassment of donors.

“They want the names of private citi zens so that they can dox, harass and can cel them in their communities,’’ said club President Scot Mussi. “And they intend to use their friends in Big Tech and the Cor porate Media (which are exempt from this initiative) to aid them in their quest.

That’s also the conclusion of Cathi Her rod, president of the Center for Arizona Policy.

“This initiative is about bullying some citizens out of campaign involvement,’’ she

said. “The desired effect is to scare con tributors out of donating to campaigns, while their own donors’ virtue signal by touting their donations to woke causes.’’

But former Attorney General Terry God dard, who crafted what is known as the Voters’ Right to Know Act, said that ig nores existing Arizona law.

“Everybody in Arizona who gives $50 or more has to give a full disclosure,’’ he said, citing statutes which require public disclosure of anyone who makes direct donations to candidates or ballot mea sures. Goddard said if harassment is an issue, there already would be evidence of a problem.

“What our friends from the Free Enter prise Club are saying is, ‘Well, our friends are special and shouldn’t have to do that,’” he said.

Mussi, however, insists this is different.

“You’re talking about private citizens giving to private organizations,’’ he said. And if that organization does give money to a cause or candidate, that fact is dis closed -- though its original donors or not.

Mussi insisted it’s no different if the “private citizen’’ giving to an organization is a regulated utility which intends for the “private organization’’ to use the funds to affect an election.

Goddard also dismissed the possibility that public disclosure could be used to ha rass people over their small donations.

“We set the disclosure limit at $5,000,’’ he said.

“People who give $5,000 can take care of themselves,’’ Goddard continued. “I’m

Tim Dickey walks his 1/4 scale Boeing-Stearman N2S-5 back to the workbench as members of the Arizona Model Aviators radio control model club fly at Superstition Airpark in Mesa. (David Minton/Staff Photographer).

sorry, that’s just the way it is.’’

The law applies only to organizations that spend at least $50,000 on statewide campaigns or $25,000 on other campaigns.

He also said there’s a provision in the initiative that allows those who believe they or their family will be physically harmed if a donation becomes public to petition the Citizens Clean Elections Com mission to request a waiver.

Then there’s the legal question.

Goddard acknowledged that the U.S. Supreme Court, in the landmark 2010 case of Citizens United, prohibits the gov ernment from restricting independent expenditures for political campaigns by corporations, labor unions and other or ganizations. But he said the justices did not bar disclosure requirements.

Mussi, however, cited a 2021 ruling by the nation’s high court that voided a Cali fornia requirement that charities and non profit organizations operating in the state provide the attorney general’s office with the names and addresses of their largest donors. He said that precedent applies to groups who are formed to influence elec tions, suggesting that if Proposition 211 is approved it will lead to litigation,

The initiative has gained its share of supporters.

One of them is Democrat Sandra Kenne dy, who was on the losing end of that 2014 vote for the Corporation Commission.

She finally got elected to the panel in 2018. By that time, Little had resigned to

OCOTILLO from page 4

would compromise the ability of resi dents to see the road as they back out of their driveways.

As it is, there are already way too many conflict points on Ocotillo Road with sev en intersections and 21 driveways, which “creates and causes a lot of challenges,” Fabiano said.

Fabiano said appraisals on the remain ing 36 properties are expected to resume shortly.

Ten properties were appraised before Council in June directed staff to look for options with less impact. Two appraisals have closed and two are in the process, ac cording to Fabiano.

The Town anticipated it would take 2.5 years to complete the appraisals and wid en Ocotillo Road.

take a job in the Trump administration; Forese lost his reelection bid that year.

Kennedy then went on to get the com

But it may take longer as some of the residents are gearing up for a showdown in court.

“Yes, we have already retained an at torney,” said Stephanie Robertson, who stands to lose 20 feet across the front of her property.

“Initially, when we bought 20 years ago, we were told about the 10-foot easement and that the road would be widened to 55 feet,” she said. “Then Gilbert comes along six months ago and tells us it would be a 65-foot road.”

Fabiano said the 55-foot standard is Maricopa County’s. He blamed the coun ty for not informing county island resi dents that Ocotillo Road was in Gilbert’s planning area and would fall under the Town’s standards.

“We are losing six 50-year-old produc ing pecan trees that front our property as

missioner to issue a subpoena of both APS and Pinnacle West Capital Corp., its par ent, to disclose political spending.

well as a 40-foot-tall Aleppo pine,” Robert son said.

Robertson also said residents have been left in the dark about the project both by Gilbert and the county, which is taking the lead in acquiring the properties.

“We are the ones affected but we have no clue what, when or how,” she said. “We are beyond frustrated and angry. The town has not been transparent or honest about anything.”

Robertson said she won’t be able to sell her property because “sales fall out of es crow when people find out about the road widening.”

Terri Naddy, who’s been the spokes woman for her neighbors with town staff and at council meetings, said she is plan ning to retain a lawyer.

She advocated for a three-lane road way with a center-turn lane and disputed

“On the heels of their 2014 dark mon ey spending, there was an enormous rate increase and confusing rate plans for APS customers to choose from, providing that dark money takes money out of people’s pockets,’’ she said. And Kennedy noted that when APS went public with its fund ing on commission races the company also disclosed other spending that year.

That included $50,000 to the Republi can Governors Association, which helped Doug Ducey win his first election, and $425,000 to the Republican Attorney Gen erals Association which, in turn, bought commercials to help elect Mark Brnovich.

Company officials said in 2019 they would not fund future campaigns.

The measure also has other backers.

“The League of Women Voters of Ari zona believes democracy should be pro tected from distortion by undisclosed in dividuals and corporations buying media in election campaigns to persuade voters,’’ said organization president Pinny Sheo ran in a statement of support.

The merits of the proposal aside, Mussi called the measure “incredibly confusing.’’

As crafted, it requires campaigns to trace the cash back to the original donors, even if the money has been run through multiple organizations.

“Compliance with this thing is going to be almost impossible,’’ he said. “How do you comply, really, with that without ei ther forcing every organization into en tering into complicated agreements with each other, or forcing groups not to asso ciate with each other at all?’’ 

much of the town’s information on the project, including the need for a 65-foot right-of-way.

She said she’s provided a number of examples to the town where it deviated from its standard and went with a 55foot easement.

Although the Town will compensate property owners for their loss, Naddy said, “It’s not the point. It doesn’t matter. It’s not a monetary thing for me.”

She said many of her neighbors’ homes are on 1-acre lots and if Gilbert takes part of their land, they will have less than an acre, which will forever reduce their prop erty value.

“They cannot have my property,” said Naddy, who will lose over 4,000 square feet of land. “I will not sell it to them. They will have to take it from me via eminent domain.”

Former Attorney General Terry Goddard discusses an initiative to force public disclosure of cam paign donations earlier this year when backers filed an initiative measure. (Capitol Media Services)

Love for animals gave birth to high-end Mesa thrift store

BY JOSH ORTEGA Tribune Staff Writer

A

Mesa boutique has gone to the dogs – and cats – but that’s ex actly what it’s there for.

Paige Beville and Donna Geisinger opened Cause4Paws Resale Boutique at 9911 E. Baseline Road in July.

Geisinger said she’s loved animals her entire life and believes that more rescues could get adopted if they received the necessary medical care.

“This has been something that I lifelong wanted to do,” Geisinger said.

Two years ago, Geisinger reached out to the Apache Junction Animal Control Paws & Claws Care Center to find out how she could help and met Beville.

Beville has volunteered at Paws & Claws for several years and started a nonprofit called Saving Paws Rehabilita tion Fund to help raise money for urgent medical procedures at animal shelters, such as amputations and eye surgeries.

Beville also has some experience working for a similar thrift store for 13 years in Colorado that supported an an imal shelter.

“We decided opening a store, that we could send the proceeds to local shelter animals would be the best way to help them,” Geisinger said.

But Beville said “thrift store” conjures up certain expectations: a mishmash of junk in a dimly lit room. But that’s not what the pair wanted.

Geisinger started the work on Cause 4Paws in 2020 and said she and Beville started collecting donations, which she said “were just awesome.”

They have now filled the 1,100-squarefoot location to the brim with various clothing, houseware and other items.

The sweet aroma welcomes customers as they walk in with bright lights over head and a well-organized layout im

mediately makes customers realize that Geisinger and Beville put the “upscale” in upscale resale boutique.

The ladies use that term because they remain very selective about what they sell their customers, including fashion items by designers like Fiore and Chicos.

“We are pretty selective about what we’ll take,” Beville said “We get dona tions and, like every other boutique, will vet them.”

They can’t accept donations of men’s or children’s items, books, furniture or elec tronics due to space but the two women donate what they can’t sell to the Arizona Humane Society, Beville said.

Their selectiveness might mean a slightly higher price at checkout com pared with a traditional thrift store.

But every cent that doesn’t go to main taining the storefront benefits rescued animals at the Apache Junction Animal Control Paws & Claws Care Center, 725 E. Baseline Road in Apache Junction.

Lori Erlandson, shelter supervisor for

helped prolong the lives for many of the animals that come in and need urgent medical care.

“Previously, without having access to these funds, we may have to make eutha nasia decisions and decide that humane euthanasia is really our only option,” Er landson said.

With a small medical budget, Erland son said some of the surgeries can quick ly become very costly – starting at $500 for a six-month treatment of valley fever to more than $4,000 to amputate a pup py’s leg due to an accident.

Erlandson said these donations come at a good time for the animal shelter as Cause4Paws has become the angel donor East Valley rescue animals needed.

During the pandemic, Erlandson said adoptions increased as more people be gan working from home.

Now, Erlandson said the reverse has

Apache Junction Animal Control, said the donations from Cause4Paws have

Paige Beville, left, and Donna Geisinger own the Cause 4 Paws resale boutique in Mesa, which supports Paws & Claws Care Center in Apache Junction. (David Minton/Tribune Staff Photographer)

Clothing and home goods are among the items for sale at inside Cause 4 Paws resale boutique. (David Minton/Tribune Staff Photographer)

happened, with people downsizing from homes to apartments due to the econom ic downturn in recent months.

“Unfortunately, they weren’t able to take their pets with them,” Erlandson said. “So

we’ve seen a pretty big increase in animals being surrendered to the shelter.”

Erlandson said the shelter has the ca pacity to hold 38 animals, and reached that in May, a first in her seven years at the shelter. Last month, she said the ca pacity held at 32.

With a steady stream of medical funds coming in, Erlandson said they have continued to get animals the care they need and get them adopted out to forever homes.

That’s exactly what the ladies at Cause 4Paws want to continue to do if they can

get more customers in the store.

“Your angel donor that you know is going to always be there to contrib ute,” Beville said. “And that’s what this store does.”

Information: cause4pawsshop.com, 480- 306-4588.

The Collective Market in EV helps 46 small businesses

BY SRIANTHI PERERA Tribune Contributor

The idea caught on and soon she was selling to her friends and at farmer’s markets.

Chandler

resident Raina Dodge be gan honing her entrepreneurial skills when she ran a lemonade stand at age 5.

Now, as the owner of The Collective Market, a shop curated with local, arti sanal, and handmade products at Chan dler Fashion Center, Dodge helps 46 small businesses as well as her own get much needed exposure.

The Collective Market sells crochet and macrame with a modern twist; wood work creations such as flags and backyard games like cornhole and yard Yahtzee; seasonal decorative goods, soaps, candles, silk plants, blankets, heavy metals with a female flair fashioned into signs, keychains and bookends, and children’s items.

Dodge also sells her own products –quality baby blankets and lovies at an affordable price, also hair bows and headbands.

The inventory rotates every few weeks.

“The driving factor behind The Collec tive Market was the desire of my heart to help other small businesses (like mine) to amplify their small business presence (and sales) by offering them a venue to display and sell their goods,” said Dodge, a mother of three who graduated summa cum laude from Arizona State University with a Bach elor of Science Degree in Business.

A year ago, when she looked for a space to establish her store, the first place she looked to, and selected, was the Chandler Fashion Center.

She created the concept, drew up a busi ness plan, executed contracts and opened the doors as a pop-up market in November.

“We received such a tremendous pos itive response through the holidays that we decided to remain open,” she said.

“We recently doubled our space providing more opportunities for vendors.

At first, The Collective occupied 1,700-square-feet of retail floor space.

Now, after renovations, it spreads across nearly 4,000-square-feet.

The generous space has allowed the business to add do-it-yourself workshops and a roster of classes as well.

Dodge is buoyed by the progress of the last year.

“Everyone’s definition of success is dif ferent,” she said. “Some people say just opening a business is successful. I am so excited about how far we have come in a short amount of time.”

Dodge felt she had more to do to raise brand awareness.

“As soon as I walked into our space, I knew it could be better. After the renova

tion, my vision is now a reality. I’m work ing hard to make it an amazing space for both our customers and the small busi nesses community,” she said.

Amy Weber of San Tan Valley is one of the small businesses that displays and sells work at The Collective. Weber creates jewelry, one-of-a kind pieces with a defi nite flair, and has named her small busi ness Salt & Sass.

“My business came about when I was going through my mother’s jewelry, after she passed, looking for something that I could make into an everyday piece for myself. Something I could look at, and just feel her in that moment,” Weber said.

Weber likes selling at The Collective.

“It’s a fun and upbeat atmosphere, and it’s new every time I’m there,” she said. “The vendors are constantly bringing in new and special items. Interacting with the customers is a lot of fun.”

Dodge said that she has two main aims with the store.

The first is to create an environment for small businesses to connect with the local Chandler community by providing a space for them to sell their goods.

The second is to enable small business es to connect to each other.

“Sometimes, as a small business, you feel like you are off on an island. I want ed to bring people together so they could bounce ideas off each other, help each oth er out, genuinely create friendships that will last,” she said.

“Women seem to band together when they come together and work towards a common goal. There is strength in numbers. Yes, we do have that at The Collective.”

Asked if she felt the competition from the various art markets in the East Valley, Dodge replied in the negative.

“My goal has always been to support lo cal artisans. We provide a fun and creative environment where our partnering busi nesses can connect with our customers,” she said.

She is planning special events – an Ok toberfest and a Winter Wonderland – to give additional small businesses that are currently not vendors in the store an op portunity to connect with the community.

Dodge employs a couple of part-timers, but her main staff is the small business owners. All 46 – two men and 44 women – work a shift.

“I think it is important to work the store, not just sell there. I believe it helps keep

Raina Dodge founded The Collective Market at Chandler Fashion Center to highlight the work of local artisanal businesses. (Courtesy of The Collective Market)

them connect to the customers and our community. They can see why a custom er is purchasing something, what is their motivation and their desire,” she said.

What are the challenges in operating this store?

“I am never really “off”! People are my number one priority. I always make my self available for the small businesses in my store. Since we are at the mall, we are open seven days a week. If anyone gets sick, I absolutely must cover – regardless of what my plans are,” she said.

Also, it’s tricky to balance the store with her family. She has an understanding hus band, Jason, and three young children, and everyone’s needs must be met.

Weber said she is happy with her in volvement in the store. “The shop is super busy,” she said.

Customers are the best marketing tool.

“They tell their friends, or share on so cial media about the amazing artists we have in the shop, causing more wonderful people to visit us in the mall,” she said.

The best things about being a part of the group? “I love the connection to my fellow small business owners, and

the feeling of community that the shop brings,” Weber said.

The Collective Market is at 3111 W. Chandler Blvd., at the Chandler Fashion Center, across from Pottery Barn.

An Octoberfest, with 50 local small busi nesses participating, takes place from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. October 28 and 29 at Chan dler Fashion Center in the covered area.

How Will They

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Living life to the fullest is easier knowing your loved ones don’t

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to make

Coach firings might portend good news for Herm Edwards

BY JD HAYWORTH Tribune Columnist

The old joke is per haps more insulting than amusing – and certainly burns the ears of educators and athletic department per sonnel alike.

Maybe you’ve heard it: “Those who can’t do, teach … and those who can’t teach, teach gym.”

But now, it appears some “former gym teachers”—also known as coaches— are getting the last laugh in the form of huge deposits into their checking accounts.

The first high-profile “personnel casual ty” in the National Football League during the 2022 season took place in the after math of Week 5, when the Carolina Pan thers parted company with Head Coach Matt Rhule.

Good thing for Matt that an updated “Golden Rhule” was in effect because he signed a seven-year, $62 million contract that was fully guaranteed back in 2020,

He will have to make do with $834,000 per month over the next 48 months to just

“hang around the house” – or perhaps build several new ones.

Maybe Matt will “go back to school,” and return to coaching in the collegiate ranks.

That would certainly please the Pan thers, who would see that remaining $40 million “investment” offset by any future head coaching wages paid to Rhule.

Despite losing twice as many games as he won as an NFL coach, Rhule remains a “hot commodity” in the eyes of big time college football headhunters. Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network claims that Matt will “have his choice of coveted college jobs” once this season ends.

Nowhere is a winning coach more need ed now than at Nebraska.

The Cornhuskers have suffered through a “football famine” for more than two decades, having last won a share of the National Championship in 1997. That’s why Nebraska named the starting quar terback from that title year, Scott Frost, as the Huskers head coach in late 2018.

Frost was “on fire” at the time, having just coached UCF to an undefeated season.

But once he returned home to Lincoln, Frost led Nebraska into a football “deep

freeze,” suffering through four straight losing seasons and recording only one win and two defeats through the first three weeks of the 2022 campaign.

By firing Frost in September, Athletic Di rector Trev Alberts was actually doing the hard-luck Nebraska Alumnus a favor.

Had the Huskers handed Frost his walk ing papers in October, the buyout on Scott’s contract would have been reduced by 50%.

So the September dismissal paid him a generous $15 million, which will keep Frost and his family warm this winter –and during many more winters to come.

Closer to home, the “Winter of Discon tent” for Arizona State with Head Coach Herm Edwards was likewise concluded in September with what looks like another multimillion dollar payout. One estimate puts the total at $10.8 million.

Or maybe not.

Since there’s been no apparent resolu tion to the NCAA investigation of the Sun Devil football program, it is conceivable that Edwards could wind up with no sev erance pay, and would perhaps have to pay $75,000 from his own pocket should the collegiate sports governing body de

termine that he was directly involved in rule violations.

But other observers believe a big pay day is in Herm’s future, based in part on the “official language” used to announce his departure by ASU Athletic Director Ray Anderson.

“Herm did not resign, he was not dis missed. We agreed to a mutual relinquish ment of duties,” Anderson said.

“We’ll have to work through what all of that means at the end of the day…Agents are out there and attorneys are out there, both from the institutional point of view and the agents and client.”

Ray Anderson should know.

He was Herm’s agent back during Ed wards’ playing days in the NFL.

The recent intrigue at ASU has prompt ed a joke that’s not very funny to the Sun Devil faithful.

“There are two types of athletic directors. Those who hire and fire coaches…and those who hire and then fire their ex-clients.”

Ears are burning in Tempe and a big chunk of cash will burn a hole through the ASU athletic budget right into the pocket of Herm Edwards.

3 town officials endorse QC school bond as residents

We write this letter in support of the QCUSD Bond as individuals and resi dents of the Town of Queen Creek. The renovations to existing schools made possible by the bond passage will help to sustain our vision and desire to keep QC as one of the most desirable commu nities in the nation!

The three of us moved to QC at a time when it looked quite different than it does now. One thing that remains the same is

the Quality of our schools. QC schools are some of the best in the state and we sup port the bond that will provide needed resources to keep up with our communi ty’s rapid growth.

We three have served on the Queen Creek Town Council for more than a decade and have seen the town grow while maintaining its neighborly, fami ly-friendly culture. Queen Creek Unified has grown with us, accommodating our families who choose to come to our town and call it home.

Our economic development leaders and realtors know school districts are a driving factor in the success of future workforce opportunities, businesses, and the value of our investments! The outstanding reputation of Queen Creek schools has served as an incentive to draw these new businesses and fami lies here.

Queen Creek Schools have proven that they spend our property taxes respon sibly with the thoughtful construction of Eastmark High School, Crismon High

School and several elementary schools; keeping up with anticipated growth to provide educational opportunities where they are needed most.

The overall tax rate for Queen Creek Schools has decreased in the last 10 years, and this investment will ensure the town can continue to offer quality educa tion, small class sizes and safe schools for our current and future families.

-Mayor-elect Julia Wheatley, Vice Mayor Jeff Brown and Councilwoman Dawn Oliphant

Hear Ye? Maybe his records, but not his speech

BY DAVID LEIBOWITZ Tribune Columnist

mother often cautioned us on the value of si lence. She mostly spoke her mind and expected her kids to as well, unless we had no clue what we were talking about. Then she advocated holding your tongue.

“It’s one thing to be an idiot,” she would say, “but another thing to constantly open your mouth and prove it to everyone.”

Which brings me to the rapper/clothing designer/cultural icon Kanye West, who goes by the one-word appellation “Ye.”

Ye, who has rapped beautifully about his late mother, Donda, has spent several weeks proving my mother exactly right, and teaching us a valuable lesson besides.

It is possible to be prodigiously talented, wealthy and famous and still be a blither ing idiot.

Ye’s recent turn in the media grinder be gan in Paris during Fashion Week, when he sported an oversize T-shirt with a picture

of Pope John Paul II on the front and the slogan “White Lives Matter” on the back.

MyWhile I agree with Ye that the statement is “obvious,” there‘s no denying those three words carry a highly charged con text: The Anti-Defamation League calls the phrase “a hate slogan,” seized upon by the Aryan Nation and Ku Klux Klan as “a sta ple among white supremacist mantras.”

In other words, this wasn’t fashion. It was like dressing up as a Nazi for Hallow een and calling it “just a costume.”

Speaking of Judaism, Ye turned his at tention there in an appearance on Fox News’ Tucker Carlson show and on social media. His interview with Carlson was a rambling two-hour mess even before the really anti-Semitic comments – edited out for TV – leaked to the media.

Among Ye’s greatest hits: “I prefer my kids knew Hanukkah than Kwanzaa. At least it will come with some financial engineering.”

Because, you know, Jews control the world’s money and all.

Not content with claiming to “have vi sions that God gives me, just over and

over, on community building,” Ye went on a social media rant that got him banned from Instagram and Twitter: “I’m a bit sleepy tonight but when I wake up I’m go ing death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE. The funny thing is I actually can’t be Anti-Se mitic because black people are actually Jew also. You guys have toyed with me and tried to black ball anyone whoever oppos es your agenda.”

Can I get an “Oy vey?”

The woke left, from Rep. Alexandra Oca sio Cortez to singer John Legend, lined up on cue to cancel Ye. Others suggested that Ye, who has spoken often of his battle with bipolar disorder, might be off his meds and should seek help.

Meanwhile, the business community, from Adidas to JPMorgan Chase, moved to distance themselves, either suspend ing doing business with Ye outright or announcing the relationship was “un der review.”

Keep in mind, this is the same guy who said in 2018: “When you hear about slav ery for 400 years … For 400 years? That sounds like a choice.”

Only now you’re reviewing his wisdom?

My take on Ye: He belongs on the Mount Rushmore of rap, alongside giants like Dre and Eminem. His talent has brought him wealth and fame, but like so many icons, he holds no special claim on intellect.

“Stronger,” “Golddigger,” and “Jesus Walks” are tunes I’ll spin until I die. But watch two hours of Kanye pontificate on kinetic energy or wear his atrocious chunky moonboots? Hell no.

The rich and famous might try keeping their mouths shut more often. As for Ye, he would be wise to heed a line from his classic, “Hey Mama.”

“I know I act a fool,” he vowed to Don da, “but I promise you, I’m goin’ back to school.”

When Ye, when? 

Share Your Thoughts:

Ryan Meza hopes to leave legacy at ALA QC

BY ZACH ALVIRA Tribune Sports Editor

There’s

no doubt Ryan Meza plays with a different level of passion on the football field.

It can be seen in practice, warmups, game action and even postgame, whether it be a smile across his face after a win or a deter mined look to correct mistakes that result in a loss. Meza has become one of the fac es of the American Leadership Academy - Queen Creek football program. It comes with pressure. It comes with the responsi bility of looking after young players in the program and teaching them the Patriot way.

But he loves every minute of it.

“I love my team and I love this game so much,” Meza said. “I want to win every game for the rest of the season, and I want to be the reason we win.”

Meza had been ready to play varsity foot ball for quite some time. He dreamed of one day running out onto the field under the bright lights with the band and fans cheer ing. Though there was a time he imagined himself in a Vista Grande uniform.

He grew up in Casa Grande and would at tend varsity workouts with his older broth er who played at Vista Grande at the time. But a family move to Queen Creek set Meza up to attend high school in the growing southeast Valley. He chose ALA, partly be cause of the education he would receive and the track record of the football program.

Just three years before his enrollment, the Patriots won their first 3A Conference championship. The title came in just their second season as an Arizona Interscho lastic Association member school. Former coach Rich Edwards quickly built the pro gram into a powerhouse, and Meza was quick to jump on board and he immedi ately saw improvement in his game.

“Coming here, it was constant position work and getting coached by former NFL players, Heisman winners,” Meza said. “They coach hard, but they love you. They don’t let you make mistakes. All of my de

American Leadership Academy – Queen Creek senior Ryan Meza is a fierce competi tor on the field and one that looks after his younger teammates. He has been part of the growth of the program, and now aims to help deliver a championship before he leaves. (Dave Minton/Tribune Staff)

velopment has been from them.”

Part of that development came from Me sa’s ability to be on varsity since day one.

He had talked to ALA’s coaches about his desire to play varsity right away when he first enrolled. But he was never given an answer. So, he made a decision. When the junior varsity and varsity teams split and went to different fields, he went with the older group.

He thought if he wasn’t meant to be there, a coach would steer him in the right direction. But that never happened.

By the time 7-on-7 competitions came around, he stood on the sideline learning and observing with the varsity team. That is, until an injury left the Patriots down a cornerback. Meza trotted onto the field and took over.

He’s been a starter at the varsity level ever since.

“He’s a two-way guy and in the return game he brings a lot there, too,” ALA

Queen Creek coach Ty Detmer said. “He’s got a great football mind. He understands the game very well. On the leadership side, this is year four as a starter. He’s got a lot of credibility among his teammates.

“We asked a lot out of him, sometimes maybe too much. He’s left no stone un turned this year as a senior.”

Meza helped lead ALA to another state title in 2019 as a freshman. Two years lat er, he helped lead the Patriots to the Open Division playoffs, a monumental step for a program that was in the 3A Conference two years prior.

Now a senior, he’s hoping to put ALA in the Open Division conversation yet again. The Patriots are currently third in the 5A Conference rankings behind only Notre Dame Prep and Desert Mountain. They currently sit five spots outside of the top eight between the 4A-6A conferences that advance to the Open.

Many believed ALA didn’t belong last year. But it played Hamilton close in the first half and made a statement, despite a loss. Detmer credits players like Meza for building the program up.

“I asked him to speak this summer

about the progress the program has made because he has been there every step of the way,” Detmer said. “He’s great to have as a leader because he can mesh with the sophomores and juniors.”

Meza’s main goal this season is to de liver a championship to ALA and leave a lasting legacy. But he also has his sights set on a scholarship to continue playing at the next level.

He knows he is regarded as undersized for a corner and receiver. But he hopes his tenacity and natural athletic ability will appeal to a school.

All he needs is a chance. It’s what he was given as a freshman, and he made the most of it back then. Now, he hopes a col lege will pull the trigger and let him prove himself yet again.

“I want a college coach to take a chance on me so I can show them what I can do,” Meza said. “I’m not the biggest, the fastest or the strongest. But I will give it every thing I have.

“Everyone that knows me or loves me knows I want this so bad. I would do ev erything in my power not to disappoint the people that believe in me.” 

Meza plays wide receiver and defensive back for the Patriots. He knows he isn’t the biggest, fastest or strongest player. But he aims to outwork everyone in front of him and prove himself every play. He hopes that will lead to a college pulling the trigger and offering him an oppor tunity to play at the next level. (Andy Silvas/Tribune Contributor)

Underground Railroad musical to debut here

BY SRIANTHI PERERA GetOut Contributor

Southern

California creative Ashli St. Armant had a plan to write a musical about the Underground Railroad.

She had not found the setting for it until she visited Oak Alley Plantation in Vache rie, Louisiana, where some of her ancestors worked as slaves in the 1700s.

Two rows of magnificent oak trees cre ate a grandiose front pathway and the tour guide remarked, “Can you imagine what these trees have seen and witnessed?”

“That was it for me,” St. Armant said. “My ancestors walked in, and they were like ‘we got this!’”

Her ancestors will possibly be appeased when the Chandler Center for the Arts premiers “North, The Musical” in early No vember.

Chandler joined three other cities na tionwide to commission St. Armant’s theat rical debut, which she created and directed and sis produced by actor Isaiah Johnson of “Hamilton” and “The Color Purple”

But St. Armant has set her sights on Broadway.

Ashli St. Armant has used her multi-talents, creative community and personal drive to present “North, The Musical,” which comes to the Chandler Center for the Arts in No vember. (Steve Lorentzen.)

A composer, musician, jazz vocalist, mu sical theater playwright, author and youth educator among other skills and talents, St.

Armant began her career as a pre-school music teacher and soon started writing content for young audiences.

A rambunctious only child, she grew up with many children around because her mother ran a home daycare center. Musical instruments, make-believe and children’s entertainment were part of the culture of her home.

She could not escape the influences of her childhood.

As a teen, she wanted to be a star on Broadway. She still feels it is within her reach, although the path has been circu itous, with a lot of distractions.

“I feel like Dorothy: she has these discov eries and makes new friends along the way, she has distractions, and feels it a waste of time, but at the end she realizes that was really the point of the journey,” she said.

“That’s how I feel about my journey to wards Broadway, too. I believe it’s going to happen. I’ve had these extremely fruitful and fulfilling experiences along the way,” she added.

St. Armant is buoyed by the response to “North” so far. She drew on her multifacet ed aptitudes and her creative community

to assemble it and rates it as her biggest accomplishment yet.

“It’s been the biggest feat even to get it to this point,” she said. “It’s the biggest team I’ve had to build, the most money I’ve had to raise, the biggest reach in terms of the audience we’re trying to reach across the country, and also trying to get into Broad way and making those connections.”

Justifiably, she is also proud of it.

“I’m proud of everything I do, but this, for sure, is the most personal thing I’ve ever created,” she said. “To see so many people get something out of it, to appreciate it al ready, and it hasn’t even really even gotten into the stage.”

How did Chandler, which is not on the path of the Underground Railroad, get in volved in premiering the musical?

Michelle Mac Lennan, general manager of Chandler Center for the Arts, said that she became acquainted with St. Armant after she performed a virtual concert through the Dandelion Artists agency during the pandemic. For the concert, St. Armant was wearing the hats of childhood education

Jimmy Eat World, The Maine plan concert

BY ALEX GALLAGHER GetOut Staff Writer

Thelast time The Maine crossed paths with Jimmy Eat World, it was at a chilly 2010 outdoor show on New Year’s Eve in Tempe that saw The Maine play much earlier than Jimmy Eat World.

This time around, the two bands will co-headline for a special one-night-only hometown show Oct. 28, at the Arizona Financial Theatre.

“We’re both playing a festival in Las Ve gas in October and when we wanted to do another show in the market, Phoenix seemed sensible,” said Jimmy Eat World drummer Zach Lind at a press conference.

The Maine

The Phoenix alt rockers find this show exciting because they’re sharing a stage with a band that’s been around nearly twice as long as them. The Maine recent ly celebrated its 15th anniversary; Jimmy Eat World will mark 30 years in 2023.

“I think, for us to be asked to play with them, there is a sense of validation, but also we feel like there’s an accomplish ment that comes with it in that we get to share the stage with someone that we look up to,” said vocalist John O’Callaghan.

“It’s also a show that our friends have texted us about nonstop, which is I guess what happens when you’re on a bill with

specialist and artist, working as Jazzy Ash & the Leaping Lizards.

“We fell in love with her voice, immense talent, joy and energy,” Mac Lennon said. Post-pandemic, the center met with the Dandelion Artists producer Sarah McCar thy.

“She shared Ashli’s new project and the rest, as they say, is history,” Mac Lennan said.

The Chandler Center for the Arts com missioned the musical along with the Lied Center of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas, Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, California, and Playhouse Square in Cleveland, Ohio.

The Chandler Center’s agreement in cluded an initial investment of $40,000, Mac Lellan said. In turn, the CCA will host the Arizona premiere on Nov. 4 and have rights to return the production in the 2023-24 season as part of the national tour.

“North’s” original score features jazz and Black roots music and an uplifting story set against the backdrop of the Underground Railroad, a historical network that helped slaves flee to Canada in the years before the Civil War.

The musical’s characters, Lawrence and his mother, Minnie, escape the Deep South and travel North to find freedom. They travel through Louisiana’s bayous, bustling New Orleans, and the young town of Law rence, Kansas. The story reflects the opti mism, bravery, wonder and suspense of freedom seekers.

“North” absorbs St. Armant’s personal family stories.

She learned about the community of Ma roons, people who escaped slavery but in stead of traveling north, hid in the bayous of the forests. An acquaintance sent her a book, “Slavery’s Exiles,” that contained a passage about a man named Tam, a com munity leader who was called “the brave one.” He would work for non-slave owning plantation owners and be brave enough to collect money.

“The passage said he was enslaved on the same plantation that my family members were enslaved in, in an account from 1780.

He’d run away from the St. Armand Plan tation,” she said. “It was pretty shocking to

read that.”

Tam became a primary character in the show.

There’s also the coincidence of her name. She had changed her name to reflect the maternal line of her family, Armand. The change was done before she read the book. The slaves took the names of their masters, but were denied the “Saint” on their name.

“I learned my last name was Armand. I changed it to St. Armant, the original last name from France,” she said, reflecting the French Saint Armand, the patron saint of beer, wine making and hospitality.

Because of these and various other

chance occurrences, St. Armant feels a spiritual connection to the show she is cre ating.

“I don’t think it’s by accident that this in formation came to me, that he (Tam) was also enslaved in a plantation that my family members were also enslaved on,” she said.

“And because of the nature of our history here in the States, we really don’t know our family lineage past four or five generations max because our history was erased for us, our last names were taken, and all that.”

“I can’t know for sure, but I think I know,” she continued. “At the very least, he shares an experience that my ancestors have also experienced on the same land.” 

If You Go...

What: “North: The Musical”

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

When: 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 4 and 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Nov. 5.

Cost: Tickets: $32, $42, $15 for youth.

Info: nformation/sales: chandlercenter.org/north or 480-7822680.

Connected Events:

10 a.m. Oct. 22 at Chandler Public Library: “The Underground and Overground Railroad” presented by Dr. Tamika Sanders.

Nov. 4 I the Gallery of the Chandler Center for the Arts, opening night cast reception after show for ticketholders.

Nov. 5 at CCA: “North: The Musical Talk Backs,” following both the Saturday performances.

a band like Jimmy Eat World,” said bassist Garrett Nickelsen.

“In terms of the support we’ve been shown from the city and the Valley in gen eral, I feel like there’s an emotional attach ment to it because It’s not just a place that we’re playing for the night and then leav ing the next day. There’s an inward sort of pride that comes with it,” added O’Cal laghan, an alumnus of Mountain Pointe High School.

The Maine promises a set filled with songs that die-hard fans will cherish and newer fans will hum along to.

“There’s always a level of excitement that comes with songs that more people come collectively together and say, we all like this,” O’Callaghan said. “We’ve been very fortunate to have a wide variety of songs that resonate with our fan base.

The Maine drummer Pat Kirch also teased that the band could collaborate

with opening act and Phoenix-based sing er/songwriter Sydney Sprague on a song she is featured titled “Into Your Arms.”

However, The Maine said that fans can almost certainly expect authenticity from their performance and some enter tainment.

“Hopefully (fans) experience some au thenticity and hopefully it’s entertaining,” said O’Callaghan. “Even if it’s not their bag of music, then hopefully they can come away and feel like they saw something relatively unique and something that they can only see when they see our band play.”

Jimmy Eat World

It’s been seven years since Mesa alt-rock ers graced an Arizona state, as their last hometown performance came during an 18-song setlist during 2015’s Summer Ends Festival at Tempe Beach Park.

Although the band has kept busy, vo calist/guitarist Jim Adkins said he always wanted to do something special for his

hometown.

“We’ve always been saving a hometown show for some reason or another and we didn’t want to just do something just to do something, we wanted it to be special,” said Adkins, who graduated from Moun tain View High School alongside Lind. “But then other opportunities come up and that ate into our hometown gig.”

With this show, Jimmy Eat World will treat fans to live renditions of the band’s newest tracks, including the single “Some thing Loud”

“I think we’re most excited about your newest thing,” Adkins said. “I’m excited to play our song ‘Something Loud’ in front of people in our hometown. It’s been get ting good reactions everywhere else we’ve played it, so we’re pumped on it.”

The song is also exciting as it discusses the band’s formative years, according to bassist Rick Burch

“It talks about being young and excit ed and discovering playing music with

friends,” said Burch, who went to West wood High School.

Aside from a set that spans three de cades, Jimmy Eat World aims to show off the community of rockers in the state.

“I want people to walk away from it feel ing like they participated in a community,” Adkins said. “There are three local bands on the show so hopefully everyone will feel like they’re a part of a community.” 

If You Go...

What: Jimmy Eat World and The Maine w/PVRIS, Thursday and Sydney Sprague

Where: Arizona Financial Theatre, 400 W. Washington Street, Phoenix.

When: 7 p.m. Friday, October 28

Cost: Tickets start at $43

Info: jimmyeatworld.com, themaineband.com and livenation.

“North, The Musical” marks Ashli St. Armant’s theatrical debut. (Courtesy of Audience Magnets)

With JAN D’ATRI

GetOut Columnist

This recipe gives salmon the kick that’s been missing

Ifyou love salmon filets, I’m kind of jealous. I’ve tried to love salmon all of my life. But if it’s not done well, I tend to get a little bored half way through the meal. I’m that way with chicken, too. I’ll bet you can relate.

So I’m always on the lookout for a great new way to prepare salmon. Recently, I’ve found one, and I’m filled to the gills with joy!

This dish is sensational. It starts with a beautiful fresh (emphasizing fresh here) piece of salmon, pan grilled simply with salt and pepper. The real flavor bomb comes with the sauce.

It’s a tasty mixture of sundried tomatoes, garlic, artichoke hearts, capers, smoked paprika and baby spinach made ever so rich with heavy cream. The cooked salmon gets to go swimming in this saporous pool of savory sauce before it’s served on a bed of rice or pasta.

You may want to forego the starch and serve it with charred Italian bread slices because there will be some amazing sauce to mop up.

By the way, I mention that fresh fish is better. If you purchase “previously frozen” fish, here’s what happens:

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 lb salmon fillets (or 4 salmon fillets)

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped fine

Directions:

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat.

2. Season salmon fillets with salt.

3. When the oil is hot, add salmon fillets flesh side down (skin side up). Sear for about 3-4 min utes. Reduce heat to medium. Flip the salmon fillets to the other side (skin side down). Sear for another 3-4 minutes on medium heat. Remove salmon from the skillet. Place on a plate and tent with foil.

4. To the same skillet, add chopped sun-dried tomatoes, minced garlic, chopped artichokes and

Since fish contains a lot of water, when it freezes, it expands. When it thaws, it contracts and that rips apart the fibers of the fish, allowing moisture to leak out. Have you ever noticed a lot of water in the package of a piece of frozen fish after it’s been defrosted?

Also, previously frozen can create a mushy flesh, so opt for fresh if available. Give this Creamy Tuscan Salmon Skillet a try You just might get hooked.

• 1 cup artichoke hearts, chopped

• 2 tablespoons capers, drained

• 5 oz fresh baby spinach

• 1 cup heavy cream

• ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika

capers. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

5. Add fresh spinach, and continue cooking until the spinach wilts, about 2 minutes.

6. Add the cup of heavy cream and paprika. Bring to simmer, cooking for about 1 minute, stirring constantly.

7. Add salmon back into the skillet with the cream sauce.

Spoon the sauce over the salmon, and simmer until the salmon is warmed and cooked through. Season with more salt, if desired. Serve with rice, pasta or crusty bread.

Serves

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