QUEEN CREEK TRIBUNE, DECEMBER 18, 2022

Like your community lake? So do QC officials

BY MARK MORAN Tribune Staff Writer

That lake you are paddle-boarding on?

The water came from your toilets and showers as well as those of your neighbors. But Queen Creek planned it that way.

“It allows them to have an amenity, but also … the water that’s in this lake and the water that’s watering all the bushes and trees and stuff, we produced out of our own toilets and showers and kitchen sinks,” said Paul Gardner, Queen Creek Utilities director.

Gardner explained that the process the town uses to fill about a half dozen pristine

lakes in several Queen Creek communities helps manage the growing volume of wastewater, also known as effluent.

And the lake water is almost as clean as your drinking water.

“As we grow,” Gardner said, “the issue will be what do we do with this effluent on a daily basis. We started thinking, ‘there’s got to be a better way to do this.’”

Gardner found one.

Right now, Queen Creek generates between 3 and 3.5-million gallons of wastewater a day, every day, and it is only going to grow exponentially in the not-too-distant future.

When the town reaches build-out, that number will swell to closer to 8-million gallons a day. In water lingo, that’s about 24acre feet of water. In layman’s terms, Gardner’s analogy is much easier to visualize.

“So, if you had 24 acres you would be able to float a foot of water across that 24 acres,” Gardner said. “Well, the problem is the next day, guess what you get? You get another 24 feet. Then the following day you get another 24 feet and it really doesn’t change from winter to summer because the demand stays pretty constant.”

BY MARK MORAN Tribune Staff Writer

Toni Valenzuela has bid a fond farewell to Rudy’s, the restaurant and Queen Creek landmark she and her late husband Rudy ran for decades until he passed away in 2016. It was sold earlier this month. (David Minton/ Tribune Staff Photographer)

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they can go ahead and water their lawn. And they can enjoy the water.”

Once it is purified underground, the town can route the water through the aquifer to a community that wants it.

There are about 120 subdivisions in Queen Creek, and so far, only about a half dozen are taking advantage of the recreation-ready water – a small number, he said, because this is a relatively new idea.

He expects that as the town grows, more developments will take advantage of the program, which, Gardner said, makes financial and environmental sense for them.

“We will sell them recharged effluent at a lower price, plus there is no obligation for them to put water back in the ground,” Gardner said. “So, for every acre foot they use there is about an $880

savings per acre foot for each one of these communities because they don’t have to recharge something because it was renewable to begin with.”

The average community, which uses about 200-acre feet of water per year, saves a yearly average of $175,000, according to Gardner.

There is also a benefit to the town, which does not have to store as much water as it would if it did not send it out to the new communities.

The Public Utilities Department looks at how many homes the new community is expected to produce, estimates the amount of effluent those homes are likely send to the treatment plant, determines the HOA’s irrigation demands, and adds.

“So, let’s just say a subdivision comes in that has 800 homes and it’s going to produce 200-acre feet a year of effluent that goes to the plant,” Gardner said.

“We’ll treat it, put it in the ground.

“We’ll return that volume back to them where it goes in the lake that the HOA owns and then they pump it out and they deliver water (for irrigation.)”

Eventually, Gardner said, the communities will consume roughly the same quantities of water that they send to the treatment plants every year.

“They become what I call ‘green,’ or self-sufficient,” Gardner said.

The town is planning for another half dozen or so of the retention basin/aquifer combinations to get the water closer to where the communities are springing up, thus making it more readily available with fewer transportation demands and associated costs.

“So far, it’s a success,” Gardner said. “I think people living in most of the communities love it.”

State panel urges 23 measures to help kids’ mental health and their parents

BY PAUL MARYNIAK Tribune Executive Editor

Stating that “in Arizona, suicide is the leading cause of death for ages 10-14 and ages 15-25,” a special Arizona House task force has signed off on 23 recommendations to address the problem.

But Rep. Travis Grantham, R-Gilbert, co- chair of the House Ad Hoc Committee on Teen Mental Health, told panel members those recommendations may not be adopted as quickly as they hope.

Telling his colleagues their work over the last three months “is not for nothing,” Grantham said:

“Everybody now is going to have to be patient and be happy with any victories we get out of these recommendations. I’m going to just tell you we’re a divided chamber here and across the yard. We have a new governor.

out and that’s my business. That’s what I volunteered for.

“And I’ll do my best to put as much of this forward as I can with other members’ help because I can’t do it all by myself. And I just want you all to know that your work here matters and even something in here is the most important thing to you or this group doesn’t happen this year, it might very well happen next.

“These things take time,” he said, telling panel members to “be patient, pray, watch, encourage” and speak on behalf of whatever measures do come before lawmakers.

The recommendations represent the culmination of hours of hearings by the panel, which comprised educators, a variety of medical and behavioral experts, social workers and others.

Arizona in 2021 were suicides. It said warning signs existed in 68% of those suicides and the majority involved children 15 to 17 years old.

Various experts told the panel that suicides aside, more Arizona youngsters and teens face a variety of pressures –and substance abuse dangers – that have imperiled their mental and emotional well-being.

Pandemic-driven disruptions of their school life the last two years only intensified those pressures, according to a report issued in May by the U.S. Department of Education.

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“There’s going to be a period of time and as we come down here in January and February, where we have to get our feet under ourselves and figure out what’s possible. And the lobbyists will come out. The special interest will come out. The representatives who have disagreements or agreements will come

Since September, the panel heard from a wide range of experts as well as from teenagers who either attempted suicide or know teens who completed it. It also heard from parents who lost or nearly lost children to suicide or other selfharm, including drug overdoses.

According to the 2022 report by the Arizona Child Fatality Review Team, 44 of the 863 deaths of people under 18 in

“Many children and students struggle with mental health challenges that impact their full access to and participation in learning, and these challenges are often misunderstood and can lead to behaviors that are inconsistent with school or program expectations,” it said.

“The COVID-19 global pandemic intensified these challenges, accelerating the need to provide school-based mental health support and leverage our accumulated knowledge about how to provide nurturing educational environments to meet the needs of our

nation’s youth.”

The House panel was created by outgoing House Speaker Rusty Bowers of Mesa, who asked it to return in December with potential solutions and recommendations to public and private agencies that address teen mental health issues.

Some of its recommendations involve unspecified amounts of additional funding for a state-run Teen Mental Health Grant Program that supported school districts and nonprofits “for mental health first aid training, youth resiliency training, substance misuse awareness training” for adults and kids.

It also asked the Legislature to work with the Attorney General’s office to ensure that the millions Arizona will be getting for settlements of opioid-related lawsuits “are utilized appropriately for these specified purposes.”

It also urged the creation of a “community hub of information and support” that would address access to care, depression and mental illness; bullying and social media; and family support and substance abuse.

Some experts who testified before the

panel earlier had urged such a hub, but also warned “it is not an easy lift” because it required coordination among a number of websites and social media platforms.

Among other information, the hub would address “different types of bullying, cyberbullying, social media impact and bullying behaviors for parents and students as well as strategies for students to mitigate incidents and timely reporting to school officials.” It also would provide an array of other information related to prevention, treatment and support.

The panel also called for increased financial support for crisis and in-patient services for kids, higher reimbursement rates from insurance companies and the state Medicaid program for providers because of their specialized training and their need to have longer children’s appointments because parents have to be involved at some point.

It also called for more financial incentives that would encourage more college-bound students to consider careers in mental health programs serving children’s social and mental wellness.

It said school districts should obtain

or create an app that assists in threat assessments and enables students to report safety issues or reach out for help on a 24/7 anonymous basis.

It also urged tax credit deductions for inpatient and outpatient substance abuse treatment programs “to relieve financial burden for families: and state funding for districts to have at least one staff member who would “work with local coalitions and nonprofits to coordinate youth resiliency and primary prevention lessons and training.”

Co-chair and outgoing Rep. Joanne Osborne, R-Goodyear, conceded that the problem the committee had been tasked to address “isn’t a one-size fits-

all situation.”

“This is an all-hands-on-deck,” Osborne said, and that finding solutions needs the involvement of parents, medical experts and educators, law enforcement and teens themselves.

She pointed to the 400-page report the committee is issuing and ticked off a variety of actions that need to be taken not just on a governmental level but in homes and schools as well by businesses.

“Those kids need to know you’re back there,” she said, adding:

“Those are the things that we need to be doing. There’s so many great people that are doing it but we need more of them to do it.”

State Rep. Travis Grantham,. R-Gilbert, co-chaired a special House committee on teens mental health and warned panel members it may take time for their recommendations to be adopted. (YouTube)

had stayed alive, but… it was too many memories,” 77-year-old Toni Valenzuela said. “Maybe I wasn’t in the mood for it anymore after he passed away.”

Toni said the couple opened the restaurant in 1975, although Valley real estate tracker vizzda.com said the building was constructed in 1982. Last week vizzda reported the sale of 3,076-squarefoot restaurant, situated on .14 acres, for under $1 million.

Rudy died in 2016, and the building was rented to a couple restaurants that couldn’t make a go of it.

But before his death, he and Toni established a popular quality restaurant known for its chili rellenos, huevos rancheros and chimichangas.

Mostly, however, they became famous locally for their own invention.

“We were known for the Mexican pizzas,” Valenzuela said. “The green chili and meat. You can ask people about the Mexican pizza. They were very good.”

Judging by the orders that piled in as Rudy’s was closing its doors for good, there are Mexican pizzas in many Queen Creek residents’ freezers. “I’m not lying,” she said. “My last day I sold 200 Mexican pizzas.”

Toni credits her late husband with the menu’s success. He insisted, she said, that everything be done the same way, every time, every day, every year.

The problem was, if you were not there to hear it from him, you did not know how to make something that achieved Rudy’s standards.

“We didn’t have recipes. I’ll be honest with you,” she said. “We never wrote anything down because he would always tell us ‘This is how much you are supposed to do. This is what ingredients you put in

there because you have to do it a certain way because the customers are going to know when you change an ingredient or something.’”

If there ever was anything different, it seems the customers never knew. The place remained popular and busy right up until Rudy’s death.

Toni never intended to be part of the restaurant and told her husband so when he announced that he was going to stop cooking for a restaurant in Chandler and open his own place in Queen Creek.

“At the time that my husband opened the restaurant, I was a school nurse at the Queen Creek Elementary School,” she said. “I wasn’t supposed to be involved. I was supposed to stay nursing.

“I told him, ‘you open that restaurant and I’m not helping you because I don’t

know anything about it.’”

But despite his promises that she would not have to help, Toni was drawn in and before long, she was in it up to her elbows.

“Of course, you never get enough help so I had to quit working in the Queen Creek schools,” she said. “I was just like a gopher, go get this, go get that and I’d go where they needed me. They didn’t have a waitress so I was just thrown in to become a waitress.”

Beyond taking orders and serving up a steaming plate of fajitas or enchiladas, she mediated disputes, listened to the concerns of her neighbors, asked about their kids, and created an atmosphere that felt, she said, like a family kitchen. Her best memories were made in those times.

“The early days, where everybody knew everybody,” Valenzuela said. “Farmers would go in there. They had their own special table. They would just sit around and have coffee and breakfast and talk about the crops, what they should do, what they should not do.

“It was a conversation place. They would talk about cattle and hay, and the farmers would talk about the potatoes and the cotton, what to do, what not do to.”

On more than one occasion, Toni was called on by those farmers who presumably knew a thing or two about raising successful crops, to mediate disputes about growing practices.

“They would ask me to sit down to tell them something that they could do with their cotton, what they could do to make it better,” she recalled. “I would tell them ‘I don’t know anything about that. I will send you my husband Rudy’ and they would say ‘No. He doesn’t know anything; he just knows how to cook.’”

“An era has ended,” said lifelong Queen Creek resident and farmer Mark Schnepf, who, like so many other customers, frequented Rudy’s with his father and joined in on those farmers’ conversations.

“I have probably eaten there hundreds if not a couple thousand times over the decades,” he said. “We were in there for lunch and for dinner all the time.

“I’m sad to hear that they’re closing but I get it. It’s a generational thing and if you don’t have a younger generation that wants to do it, then you need to sell it. But it is sad day for the community of Queen Creek to lose such a wonderful, iconic place,” Schnepf added.

Of course, like any business, Rudy’s faced hard times, especially in the 1980s.

owner, although it is not known

(David Minton/Tribune Staff Photographer)

New SR24 interchange could have big impact on town

BY MARK MORAN Tribune Staff Writer

The commute could get even quicker with yet another access point to State Route 24 now open to traffic.

Construction crews have wrapped up their work and opened the newest connection to the expressway at Signal Butte Road.

The new interchange could not only make rush hour traffic a little bit more bearable, but have some related economic impact on Queen Creek and strengthen ties between the town and Mesa.

“The connection of Signal Butte Road is so important for the town, to connect the town to the freeway system and then to the city of Mesa,” said Mohamed Youssef, Queen Creek public works director.

“Transportation is a regional challenge and needs a regional solution. And I think that this is the beauty of the partnership with the city of Mesa and ADOT to have that connection done, and add one more arterial to connect with State Route 24,” he said.

This makes the third point where drivers can access the SR 24 expressway. There are also interchanges at Ironwood and Meridian roads.

While Queen Creek clearly benefits

RESTAURANT

from this new interchange, it was technically a Mesa project since the work occurred there, connecting Signal Butte from Germann to Williams Field, right up to Queen Creek’s northern border.

“The completion of Signal Butte Road to Mesa’s south border is an important milestone for the City of Mesa,” said Erik Guderian, Mesa’s T deputy transportation director said.

“This project, one of many approved by the voters in 2020, will provide an additional north-south connection for the City of Mesa and its neighbors and provide additional access to the newly completed SR 24 project in southeast Mesa.”

The project will also provide drivers with faster access to U.S. 60 and State Route 202, both of which are quickly accessible from SR 24.

For the project, 84% of the funding came from the Federal Highway Administration’s Surface Transportation Block Grant program and the remainder from Mesa’s 2020 Street Bond program.

The interchange would seem to be symbolically important, too, as it joins Mesa and Queen Creek with ADOT, to improve transportation infrastructure in the Southeast Valley.

It is Queen Creek that could really ben-

from page 7

“Times were very hard,” she said. “It was a recession. It was pretty bad.”

But those tough times opened the door to an opportunity that the Valenzuelas had never considered: taking their food to people instead of waiting for customers to come in.

Rudy’s catering was born.

It brought them out of the tough times, Toni said, and kept the orders coming. The restaurant continued to cater right up until she closed the doors.

“Rudy and I never had any regrets in opening the restaurant and going through hard times. Sometimes there were good times and sometimes there were bad times,” she said.

Toni is proud she and Rudi could help the community and never turned any-

one away, even people with an uncertain immigration status who came to the back door asking for food.

“We were always there to help people,” she said. “We didn’t mind giving them something to eat. That’s the way my husband was and the way I was. If someone needed help, we were there to help them.”

Toni recalled her last day, when she had sold most of her remaining food and had very little left to offer in the restaurant.

But that did not deter her final patron.

“He brought in his family,” Valenzuela said. “And he said ‘my dad brought me here, now I’m bringing my family. I don’t care if you don’t have any food left over. I’ll take what you’ve got.’”

“He ate it and enjoyed it and he was my last customer,” she said. “Of course, we hugged and we cried.” 

Student Choice. Student Voice.

CUSD stepping up mental health services

BY KEN SAIN Tribune Staff Writer

Chandler Unified School District is stepping up its efforts to address mental health issues, partnering with three agencies to provide more services to students and staff.

CUSD officials are also meeting with a committee of parents, staff members and practitioners to determine future steps.

“We really wanted some practitioners on there, because some of this isn’t in our area,” said Dr. Craig Gilbert, associate superintendent of pre-K-12. “We want to really make sure that we have intervention all the way to post-vention.”

After putting a request for proposals to mental health agencies, the district awarded contracts to the Hope Institute of America, LLC; Lighthouse Wellhealth, and Southwest Behavioral and Health Services.

“We’re trying to bring availability to our community by making sure that, if at all possible, that we have the practitioners to do it,” Gilbert said. “It’s not just in person, but it can also be telehealth.

“That’s a huge piece right there. I think it’s a game changer, especially with the needs that we’ve been finding within our

community.”

The district earlier this fall announced plans to spend $5 million to improve address mental health issues.

That includes adding more counselors and social workers to schools in addition to hiring the three agencies. Gilbert said the district still has money to spend.

“We’re just on the front end of spending,” Gilbert said, pointing out some of the counselors the district hired were paid for with state safety grants.

He said officials hope they have enough money to pay their three partners for at least two-to-three years – if not longer.

“When you look at, for example, the Hope Institute just needs to get started,” he said. “Our belief is once it gets started, it’s going to fund itself, because the goal for the money is really to help our students have the means and the resources.

“The goal is to try and make sure there’s no barriers for families to get support.”

The district started working on improving its mental health programs after three CUSD students took their lives in a 10-day span last May. Another CUSD student died by suicide at the start of this school year.

Murder casts pall on downtown Mesa

BY JOSH ORTEGA Tribune Staff Writer

The Dec. 6 slaying of a downtown shoe repair shop owner cast a pall on Mesa’s downtown business district, but authorities and merchants stressed the killing was an isolated incident that indicated no ongoing threat.

Three days after the body of Jesus Fabian De La Rosa was found on the floor of Lamb’s Shoe Repair around noon, Mesa Police announced the arrest of a 65-yearold man who apparently was staying at the Central Arizona Shelter Services in Central Phoenix on first degree murder, robbery charges and firearms charges.

Court papers filed by police stated that suspect Lynell Brosier often used the

bathroom at the shop and that he had apparently stolen a gun from the victim during one of those visits.

He allegedly was in the store sometime late in the morning of Dec. 6 and shot Mr. De La Rose three times in the head before leaving with a second gun and the victim’s cell phone.

Detectives used video recordings, the cell phone’s data and a cane the suspect left in the store to track down Brosier at the Phoenix homeless shelter, according to arrest document, and found one of the victim’s guns in his waistband.

“The tragic and devastating loss of Mr. Jesus Fabian de la Rosa was an isolated incident resulting from an argument,” Vice Mayor Jenn Duff said, noting the victim and Brosier “knew each other and had a

A student group, Arizona Students for Mental Health, formed to advocate for improved care. One of their demands was for students to have a voice, asking that they be allowed to stage a town hall to address students.

There have been no suicides publicized since the one early this school year. That doesn’t mean that everything is fine, Gilbert said.

He said not all parents want how their child died publicized.

“We have to take the approach that whether we’re hearing about it or not, we have to go with the premise that it’s happening and we have to make sure that we have these things in place,” he said.

Dr. Brenda Vargas, director of counseling and social services for the district, has been meeting with the committee of parents, staff and practitioners.

She said the pandemic put a strain on many families. But she said it’s too soon to tell if that added stress has lessened.

“It’s difficult to really come to a conclusion in regards to trends without doing proper research,” Vargas said. “You know, I don’t think it’s fair for us to make a conclusion based on just this year. We’re only halfway through.”

Gilbert said district staffers are listen-

ing to students’ concerns as well.

He said Natasha Davis, CUSD prevention coordinator, has been attending club meetings and talking directly with students.

One of the ways they are responding to students’ concerns is to focus on LGBTQ students, who studies show are much more likely to consider suicide.

“One of the things that Miss Davis is going to be doing is she’s going to be reaching out in order to engage in those groups at the schools when they’re meeting for their clubs,” Gilbert said.

He said the district is currently training staff to start more clubs – such as the Bring Change to Mind at the high school level and Hope Squad for middle schoolers.

“We’re trying to expand the reach and seeing what we can do because we know that we hear the voices of the students that are coming, which we really appreciate,” Gilbert said. “But we’re also trying to figure out what voices are we not hearing that we need to reach out to.”

Gilbert said the main issue is deciding where the district’s three partners will need offices. The Hope Institute is new to Arizona and setting up offices for the first time. 

Jesus Fabian De La Rosa, seen here in this July 2022 Tribune photo, became the owner of Lambs Shoe Repair in 2005, using the skills he learned in Mexico and Los Angeles fixing shoes, boots, and other leather goods. (Tribune file photo)

relationship dating back several years.”

Praised Mesa detectives’ “swift and thorough investigation that led to the suspect’s arrest within 72 hours of the homicide,” Duff stressed that police maintain “a visible and robust presence in downtown Mesa.”

While adding police may increase that

presence “as with any community where a violent crime occurs,” Duff also noted that the city maintains “a proactive approach to addressing issues at homeless hotspots and will continue to respond to disturbances as they occur.”

“Police will also be installing a new camera downtown as part of citywide efforts to increase community safety, planned before Mr. De La Rosa’s homicide,” Duff said, adding:

“I’ve been briefed by Mesa Police and can assure our residents that they are working diligently to get answers for the victim’s family, build a case for successful prosecution and quell the fears of a rightfully concerned downtown community. I commend our police department for their unwavering commitment, dedication and sacrifice to protect us all.”

Though it occurred at the height of the city’s holiday promotion of downtown businesses, store owners last week dwelled on the loss of a man respected and loved by owners and customers alike.

Convenience store employee Adrian Hoffman got to know Mr. De La Rose since he started working downtown in February and recalled him as “a very happy go-lucky guy” who often bought hard-boiled eggs and protein shakes.

Hoffman said it was “heartbreaking” to see the ambulance drive away and police forensics members arrive on scene early afternoon Dec. 6.

“You don’t realize how much of an impact somebody has,” he said. “So it was definitely a big loss for the community.”

Mesa Typewriter Exchange Owner Bill Wahl said Mr. De La Rosa was the “same old Fabian” when he last spoke with De La Rosa a little before 10:30 a.m. Dec. 6.

“Friendly and nice like he always was,” Wahl said. “Just a fun guy to talk to.”

Mesa Police said the victim made a police report on Dec. 1 about a stolen .380 caliber handgun.

The victim’s family members told police he wore another gun in a holster to work the day of the killing, although police only found the empty holster tied to his waist.

Witnesses told officers a man wearing “unique clothing” had been in the area Dec. 6, and after viewing light rail surveillance video, officers saw a man getting off and on at the light rail station at Country Club Drive and Main Street before and after the approximate time of the murder.

Data from the stolen cell phone covered the same route traveled by the suspect in that video.

Police said in a statement that Mr. De

La Rosa was “a pillar in our Mesa Community” and said detectives worked four days round-the-clock to solve the crime.

“It is apparent how much he meant to the community in the comments left by over 100 people on our social media platforms,” Mesa Police said in a statement. “Our hope is that his family sees and reads the comments and knows how much he was loved by seemingly everyone.”

Wahl, the Mesa Typewriter Exchange owner, said he became close friends with Mr. De La Rosa from their time as neighboring business owners.

Wahl recalled always seeing him walk past his shop on the way to the convenience store and said he would regularly stop in to joke with him about his tardiness.

“He would stop in and he’d give me a hard time if I was late for work,” Wahl said, adding Mr. De La Rosa will “really be missed” not only as a business owner but as a friend.

“It’s just a tragic loss for his family, for downtown, and for friends and family,” Wahl said.

Wahl said he and other downtown business owners don’t feel any more in danger and never considered unsheltered people in the area a problem.

“I don’t feel – and I’ve never felt – at risk, or that this was like a bad neighborhood or anything like that,” Wahl said.

In April, the Downtown Mesa Association hosted a town hall merchant meeting at the Mesa Police Department Community Room, where business owners spoke with officers and representatives

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 December 31st, 2022. Call (480) 274-3157 to make an appointment

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Lynell Brosier. 65, who faces first degree murder and other charges in the killing of Jesus Fabian De La Rosa, frequently traveled the light rail from a Central Phoenix homeless shelter to downtown Mesa. (Mesa Police)

Gilbert OKs opposed hotel near QC homes

BY CECILIA CHAN Tribune Staff Writer

Afour-story extended stay hotel with 122 rooms will move forward at the southwest corner of Power and Germann roads not far from Queen Creek homes after Gilbert residents unsuccessfully tried to stop it.

Gilbert Town Council last week voted 6-0 to uphold the Planning Commission’s Nov. 2 approval of Woodspring Suites Hotel’s design after Power Ranch resident Joni Joiner filed an appeal objecting to its color scheme and height.

“So, the reason I appealed this situation was because there’s a maximum height of 45 feet,” Joiner said at the Dec. 13 meeting. “It actually exceeds that on both ends of the building. It’s 45 feet and 4 inches.

“Reason why that’s a concern is because it is already so high in elevation that it’s higher than the apartments and homes around it. They pushed the limit on the building of it. It’s very upsetting to the community that it’s tucked in behind two smaller businesses and it’s going to be huge.”

Although the hotel is allowed by right under the current zoning, Joiner said. “It’s not the type of extended stay that we want in our community.”

She questioned the hotel’s quality, saying the inside walls of Woodspring extended stays are “so poorly built” and backed up her claim with reviews she said she found online. And as a low-budget hotel, “they tend to cut corners” and people with money would not stay there, she claimed.

She also said the hotels are low-staffed, which will be an issue with security.

Seven other residents also spoke against the hotel at the meeting, including Jodi Turner, who said the hotel was in an odd spot and should be in an area with other hotels and amenities like restaurants.

About 88 residents submitted comments against the hotel before the Plan-

ning Commission meeting in November and an additional 209 were submitted after that meeting. About 30 submitted comments for the meeting last week.

“Nothing positive in my eyes comes out of an extended stay,” said Turner, who has lived in Power Ranch for over 20 years.

“And working in health care being a first responder, I have taken care of patients over the years that have come in from extended stays with prostitution, drugs, drug overdoses (and) gunshots. Why is this coming to my neighborhood?”

Scott Cook said being a real estate professional for nearly 20 years, he can say that the proposed hotel would negatively affect home values in the area.

Resident Mario Chicas, a former DEA agent, said these types of locations are favored by criminals because they “feel comfortable in places like this” and there’s easy access to freeways.

Zoning attorney Paul Gilbert said that 98% of the residents’ comments pertain to use and not the design issue that is before the council.

Gilbert said the project was before the

council with a solid recommendation from planning staff and a recommendation of approval from the Planning Commission, which also acts as the Design Review Board.

“What we are proposing is a hotel in the general commercial district,” Gilbert said. “It’s allowed as a matter of right. So what we are proposing is allowed under the ordinance. Furthermore and importantly, this zoning on the property predates most of the homes that are in the vicinity.

“So they knew or at least had an opportunity to know this property was zoned general commercial and general commercial allows a hotel and they had a full opportunity to apprise themselves of that important fact.”

He pointed out that the proposed hotel is not next to any single-family homes and is surrounded by apartments 35 feet tall, a Chase Bank and an AutoZone. To the east, across Power Road are single-family homes in Queen Creek.

Gilbert said the reason why the hotel is 45 feet high is due to the columns, which

give some design variety to the project. The additional 4 inches were allowed because of to the sloped roof, he said.

Although Gilbert initially said he wasn’t going to get sucked into disputing the residents’ comments, he felt the need to address them for the sake of his client, who in the audience.

He said there is a Woodspring hotel in Chandler and the average rate there is $164 a night, clearly not low-budget.

“We don’t accept cash at all,” he said responding to Joiner’s claim. “You can’t stay at our hotel unless you have a credit card and a valid driver’s license and we can run a check on you.”

Gilbert noted that town staff found the $15-million hotel complied “with all the ordinance requirements and all the design requirements that your ordinance mandates for a project of this nature.”

“We met your standards and done what we were asked to do,” he said.

Council agreed with Gilbert’s argument.

Councilwoman Kathy Tilque asked if it was possible for police to meet with the hotel owner and neighbors to “establish some type of safety protocol or just ideas like that.”

Gilbert Police Chief Michael Soelberg said the department can look at the hotel’s design and make crime-prevention recommendations and that Council can direct his level of involvement.

Councilman Scott Anderson, a retired town planning director, reminded the council of its focus for the evening.

“We’ve been given the guidance to address colors, which I heard very little discussion of by anybody who came up to testify,” he said. “And we’ve heard an explanation about the elevation and this is the scope of what we’re tasked to address.

“I understand the concern about the use. However, I hope you all believe as much in property rights as the rest of us do. It’s been zoned for a very long time and its use is an appropriate use in the zone and I’m not going to stray any farther than that.” 

The four-story extended stay hotel will be located at Power and Germann roads near homes in Queen Creek and not far from Gilbert neighborhoods. (Town of Gilbert)

from Community Bridges, Inc. about their encounters with people experiencing homelessness that included stories of feces on sidewalks, but nothing threatening.

Downtown Mesa Association President and Executive Director Nancy Horman said she and her staff will speak with other business owners in the area about any concerns that may linger.

“Since we increased our traffic down here – which has increased exponentially over the last six months – we’ve also increased the homelessness down here too,” Hormann said in April.

But in an email on Dec. 12, Hormann said she’s seen “very little people experiencing homelessness” downtown and that it was “too soon to tell you what the City will do as a response” but that they’re “working on some things.”

“We are scheduling meetings with the merchants to address some of their concerns,” Hormann said.

De La Rosa’s family members declined to comment but made themselves available so customers can retrieve products left at Lamb’s Shoe Repair. 

efit from the new access point, both by having traffic congestion alleviated and in terms of the number of people who come to the town to work, shop, or eat.

“If I had to pick one area, I think this area is the place where we are seeing a lot of this new interest because of the State Route 24 expansion,” said Doreen Cott, the economic development director for Queen Creek.

“I always look at these roads as economic development corridors, because with these new roads comes, you know, new commercial development and some of the opportunities with that vacant land.”

Cott expects a lot of that more of that commercial development in the area.

Some is already happening. The new 85-acre, $67-million Frontier family park is just down the road. There are office projects planned for the corner of Signal Butte and Ocotillo roads, Cott said.

Spur Cross retail center is already under construction and the Hudson Station retail area is going in on the southwest corner of Signal Butte and Queen Creek roads, which will be anchored by a Fry’s grocery store.

The Signal Butter Road-SR24 interchange opening could have big economic impact for Queen Creek, town officials said. (City of Mesa)

Another 200,000 square feet of industrial space has been proposed for the corner of Signal Butte and Germann roads, and a dozen industrial buildings are proposed on the northeast corner of that intersection.

“So, you can see the interest that’s occurred just along the Signal Butte corridor knowing that it’s going to have access to the State Route 24,” Cott said, “which is key, because it brings in a lot more traffic off that freeway system.

“Getting people to places that they want to shop and eat and work is critical.”

Cott is quick to point out that while

growth is explosive along this corridor, and that the new on/ off access to SR 24 at Signal Butte will feed those commercial areas.

Queen Creek is growing everywhere and having multiple access points to an expressway is a plus when it comes to marketing the town to potential new employers and the people they will hire.

“Roads provide access and connectivity,” Cott said. “For me, it’s been a great selling point, if you will for the community to say we now have access to the State route 24 that connects to the larger regional transportation system.”

The project was completed ahead of the scheduled early 2023 opening date, and even the most up to date maps show that the intersection is awaiting project completion.

“We’re connecting communities,” Youssef said. “And that means a lot to the residents of both sides.” 

QueenCreekTribune.com | @QCTribune @QCTribune

Growth doesn’t end quality of life, EV Partnership told

BY KEN SAIN Tribune Staff Writer

There was one over-arching message coming from the annual PHX East Valley Partnership meeting in Chandler on Dec. 8: You can have rapid growth and still maintain a high quality of living.

The group of business and other leaders in the region met at the Chandler Center for the Arts to hear how East Valley cities and towns are managing that balance. They also honored an individual and a business with the group’s legacy awards.

Trevor Barger, founder and CEO of Espiritu Loci and a principal with Arizona Strategies, was the keynote speaker at the event, and spoke of growing up in Gilbert when it had only a few thousand residents and was mostly farms.

He said that as the city continued to grow, his personal quality of life kept improving.

“We must continue our long tradition of a high quality of life while embracing

growth,” Barger said.

He argued that with more development, came more parks, outdoor recreation, more restaurants, and more entertainment options. Barger said Arizona cities and towns have done an excellent job managing the growth, which continues to come.

He said even now the state adds about the population of Flagstaff (77,000) each year.

Joining him in making the case were four officials from cities and town that are in different stages of the growth cycle.

Chandler Mayor Kevin Hartke and Gilbert Councilmember Scott Anderson represented communities that have already had their first phase of rapid growth and are now approaching buildout.

Representing the areas going through that first phase of rapid growth were Julia Wheatley, the mayor-elect of Queen Creek, and Bryant Powell, city manager of Apache Junction.

Powell said Apache Junction recent-

ly approved the development of 4 square miles of land near the border of nearby cities.

“And so just a year ago, we annexed about 8 miles that meets up with Queen Creek, and about seven years ago in coordination with Queen Creek and Mesa, we established, without any fight, without any type of discomfort, or any type of disorganization, our boundaries,” Powell said.

He said they worked on their general plans together, coordinating where they want their jobs corridors to go. Powell said that helped convince the state that Apache Junction is ready to expand.

Wheatley said maintaining a high quality of life helps if people remember how they started and why people initially moved to a community.

“Keep that small-town culture whether you either just moved to Queen Creek, or you’ve been there some time,” she said. “Just keeping it true to what we are out there in Queen Creek.”

For the cities approaching buildout, officials said it’s important to keep

promises.

“We work hard at developing neighborhood parks,” Hartke said. “We continue to put money into those, and we make sure that the celebrations that make a community a community happen.”

Anderson said Gilbert still has room to grow and likely won’t reach buildout for another decade.

“We’re continuing to grow in the downtown, we have a new master plan for the district, the Heritage District,” he said. “And it just so happens that the growth in the district is going to occur on the two ends.”

The PHX East Valley Partnership honored Kevin Olson, a senior partner at Lewis Roca with its individual award, crediting him with being a major player in improving transportation throughout the East Valley.

For the business award, the Partnership honored The Boeing Company for its history of contributing to the community ever since it started operating in Mesa. 

CUSD educator helps fine arts students thrive

BY MURRAY SIEGEL Guest Writer

In recent years school districts across the country have struggled to improve test scores in reading and math.

To devote more class time to these subjects meant reducing student experience in other areas, such as fine arts.

Chandler Unified School District officials believed that they could do more to support fine arts students and teachers and created a position fine arts academic coach to lead this effort.

Three years ago, to initiate this program, Angela Storey was hired to the position and she was ready to accept the challenge.

The primary focus of the position is to support curriculum, instruction and professional development in the various disciplines, which include band, orchestra, general music, choir, the visual arts, dance and theatre. The fine arts program is part of all grades in all 47 CUSD schools.

The coach also develops community partnerships, such as working with the Chandler Center for the Arts to provide opportunities for students to meet with performing and visual artists.

She manages various district events including the art show in April, where student work is judged, honor band performance for elementary students in March and honor orchestra performance for elementary and junior high

students in April.

She also supports a two-day elementary choral festival in February.

Storey has 21 years of experience in

Arizona schools, starting in the Teach for America program after graduating from the University of Washington, Seattle. She has received two graduate degrees from Arizona State University.

She taught second and third grade for six years, which was followed by various support and administrative positions, such as assistant principal. Her interest in the fine arts was initiated in fourth grade when she began playing the violin in her school’s orchestra.

Her love for the instrument grew and, today, she is a violinist with the Chandler Symphony Orchestra.

Last year, 80 CUSD students earned this seal and currently there are more than 180 students who intend to pursue the seal this spring.

ANGELA STOREY

For more Business News visit QueenCreekTribune.com

Former QC bean counter now grinds them instead

BY MARK MORAN Tribune Staff Writer

Sandy Prue has always liked coffee as more than an average cup of Joe.

“Growing up I loved the smell of coffee, but it was not until I did a 126-mile relay walk that I started drinking it,” she recalled. “And I lived in Washington State and there are coffee shops on every corner.”

“And I’ve probably gone to almost all of them and I’ve probably tried all the different kinds of coffee kind of searching for that perfect cup of coffee,” she said.

Now Prue lives in Queen Creek and has turned that love of coffee and the quest for the perfect cup into a local business called Fill Your Cup of Coffee.

“I’m a very positive person and I wanted to put a spin on ‘fill your cup with gratitude,’” she said of her inspiration for the company name. Prue came to Arizona not long before the pandemic brought the economy to a screeching halt and with it, her plans to return to the workplace.

Prue decided it was time to go back to work but not in the same field where she spent her career as “an accountant for 30-some years.”

“I decided I am done being an accountant and I want to do something different and not work for someone else and work for myself,” Prue said. “I was kind of done doing taxes and working those long hours. And I love coffee and I thought I could sell it really easily.”

So, she went from counting beans to roasting and selling them.

“I went and researched local roasters in the area around here and I found one and loved it and that’s how I started,” Prue said.

Currently, Fill Your Cup of Coffee is solely an online shop with no brick-andmortar store yet.

So Prue is hitting the road every weekend and bringing her product directly to local customers.

She wants them to smell, taste and ask questions about the super-smooth, highend java, rather than just hope people stumble across her website and buy a bag of coffee beans or the other products she sells online.

“I go to markets and I have my coffee in Sip and Shop Arizona at the San Tan Mall,

and I sell my bags of coffee in there.” Prue said. “I go to all the farmers markets.”

That’s where Prue thinks she stands to make the most headway, handing out samples to shoppers who may be more apt to try something new when they are at a market and more likely to make an impulse buy, especially on something like gourmet coffee or tea.

“So, I have been to the Apache Junction farmers market, the Mesa swap

meet, the Vintage and Vino market at the Queen Creek horse arena three times, a car booth sale in Maricopa. I’ve done one in Scottsdale,” she said.

“So, I go to wherever the markets are and I see which one does well, and if it does well, I keep going back.”

Prue said people who try her coffee and like it at the farmers markets are driving sales on the website.

“My philosophy is that if I hand out samples and usually if they sample it, they will buy a bag. And if they buy it and they like it ,they will go on my website and order it again,” Prue said.

Prue estimates that, depending on the market, she sells between 10 and 40 bags of coffee per day in person, far outpacing her current online sales.

Selling the coffee locally and in person also allows her to save shipping costs, which she said, have become prohibitive to the point that she eliminated the shipping fees for buyers online.

In the new year, however, she said those fees will be added into the price, which currently ranges between $13 and $15 on the website. Prue said she does have a mission beyond simply making a profit, adding that she has always been driven by wanting to be a good community citizen.

“5% of our net profit each month will go to an animal rescue organization.”

Prue said. “Each month there will be a vote for where the proceeds will be donated. Volunteering for 9 years at an animal rescue organization, my goal is to continue giving back to the animals in need.”

Prue’s business uses only Fair-Trade coffee, which means that the beans have been audited throughout the supply chain to meet certain sustainability and labor standards.

“By buying Fair Trade we always know where the coffee is grown, who grew it,

QueenCreekTribune.com | @QCTribune @QCTribune

Sandy Prue owns Fill Your Cup of Coffee, an online-only Queen Creek business that she opened after leaving a 30-year career as an accountant. (Special to the Tribune)

how they are treated and the benefits they receive through direct trade,” Prue said. “This helps farmers improve their lives, families and community lives.

Prue said coffee shops and retail outlets that sell large volumes of coffee often roast their beans in huge vats at high temperatures to keep up with the demand, but which can result in a bitter beverage.

Prue said her supplier’s approach to not only roasting, but also washing the beans, guards against that.

“When you have a green coffee bean, before it can be roasted you have to wash it, which takes out some of the impurities of it, and if you wash it more it takes out that acidity,” she said.

Prue said her beans are washed seven times before they are roasted very carefully.

“If the bean is over-roasted you will get that more acidic flavor,” Prue said.

Fill Your Cup of Coffee

Prue’s goal is to eventually have a brick-and-mortar location in Queen Creek, where she can provide a welcom-

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ing space for people and offer them “that perfect cup of coffee and put an extra pep in your step.” 

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The Senate in Cinema vs. Sinema in the Senate

BY JD HAYWORTH Tribune Columnist

Remember Bob Smith?

Jefferson Smith, he wasn’t…but to be fair, only one man was. That man was Jimmy Stewart, who portrayed Jefferson Smith in Frank Capra’s classic 1939 film, “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” one of the first 25 motion pictures selected for the National Film Registry in 1989.

A year later, the Bob Smith was elected by the people of New Hampshire to the U.S. Senate and in 1996, he narrowly won re-election.

Like so many of his Senate brethren, he decided to set his sights higher. That’s when any resemblance of Bob

Smith to Jefferson Smith became purely coincidental.

In early 1999, Smith announced that he was running for President. Unfortunately, the reaction of Republican voters was as cold and bitter as a New Hampshire winter. So in July, Smith announced he was leaving the GOP to join the Taxpayers Party.

Sadly for Bob, the Taxpayers were also unwilling to donate money or time to his presidential campaign, so one month later he left the Taxpayers Party, declaring himself an Independent.

By early November, Smith had returned to the Republican Party, prompted by the passing of his Senate colleague, John Chafee. Chafee’s death had created a vacancy atop the Committee on Environment and Public Works. The GOP Senate Leadership

rewarded Smith with the committee chairmanship, but it wasn’t enough to rescue him from Republicans in his own state.

In 2002, he lost the New Hampshire primary to Rep. John Sununu.

Bob Smith’s “profile in convenience” came to mind upon learning of Sen. Kyrsten Sinema’s departure from the Democratic Party.

Certainly there was “Hollywood-style hyperventilation” on the part of some in the Washington Press Corps, and Sinema herself employed her own “flair for the cinematic,” treating the media opportunities for heralding her Democrat defection like opening night for a major motion picture.

After all, a “My Turn” column in The Arizona Republic and an “exclusive interview” with Jake Tapper on rat-

ings-challenged CNN doesn’t exactly prompt a major tremor in Tinseltown, but an “aspiring actress” has to take advantage of any opportunities that come her way.

The late Senator John McCain (R-Arizona), who made a cameo appearance in the forgettable comedy, “Wedding Crashers,” once offered an unforgettable observation about Washington, D.C. and the people who work there: “Hollywood for the cosmetically challenged.”

Readers of this column can make their own assessments of Sinema’s wardrobe selections and sense of deportment in the Senate, but when it comes to remaining there, it is clear that her newly announced independent status is an effort to “put the best

some predictions

BY DAVID LEIBOWITZ Tribune Columnist

Come year’s end, newspaper columnists traditionally look backward, chewing over the past 365 days. “ Year in review” columns bore me, because they’re too easy. Here, we look ahead, reviewing the year that has not yet happened. And 2023 promises to be an epic affair. How so?

Jan. 5, 2023 - In an attempt to upstage the swearing-in of new Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs, the Cochise County Board of Supervisors votes 2-1 on a proclamation to install Kari Lake as “Governor of Cochise County.”

Afterwards, Supervisor Tom Crosby calls the vote “a unanimous victory for truth.” Lake’s swearing-in, held at the Thirsty Lizard Bar & Grill in McNeal, is drowned out by Karaoke Night.

Feb. 11 - On the Saturday before Super Bowl LVII, the City of Glendale, home to State Farm Stadium, hosts the single pregame event that’s actually in Glendale.

“Hangin’ With Joyce,” a wienie roast in Councilwoman Joyce Clark’s backyard, draws a star-studded crowd of 11 people, including Mayor Jerry Weiers and the long snapper for the Scottsdale Community College Artichokes football team.

April 1 - Losing Arizona Secretary of State candidate Mark Finchem is the victim of a nasty April Fool’s Day prank when a “Commie pinko” Amazon driver substitutes black boot polish for Finchem’s favorite “MAGA Trump Tone™” self-tanner.

Finchem immediately sends out a fundraising request asking donors to contribute money “to help him overturn this sham election and become the first African American Secretary of State in Arizona history.”

May 16 - The Arizona Coyotes lose the public vote to build an arena in Tempe despite offering city residents “free seats for life” at all home games.

The team, which struggled to sell out 5,000-seat Mullett Arena on the ASU campus last season, announces its intentions to move to AZ Ice Peoria. Coyotes President Xavier Gutierrez promises not to disrupt the facility’s weekday morning public skate sessions, “because as a valued public partner and a fan of ice, our organization embraces a diversity of ice skaters, even if I myself cannot ice skate.”

July 4 - Columnist J.D. Hayworth celebrates Independence Day in style, writing his 1,776 consecutive column maligning “liberals,” “Ol’ Joe” Biden,” and the “partisan press.”

Hayworth is honored with the first-ever “Paul Gosar Freedom Fighter Award,” bestowed by the Arizona News Columnist Association. “I literally don’t know

how he does it,” says ANCA President David Leibowitz. “Every week, I think he might mention his pet cat or his favorite chicken wing restaurant, but nope – politics every single time. The guy’s a machine.”

Sept. 19 - The Arizona Diamondbacks, out of the pennant chase since May, play a Tuesday night home game against the equally wretched San Francisco Giants.

Despite the game being promoted as “Queen Creek Mayor Julia Wheatley Bobblehead Night,” the announced attendance is only 374 fans. The Diamondbacks win the five-hour affair 1-0 in 14 very slow innings.

Nov. 8 - One year after Election Day 2022, Cochise County Gov. Kari Lake files her 74th legal challenge to the results, in the World Court in The Hague, Netherlands.

face on things” politically.

Unlike Smith and McCain, Sinema harbors no White House ambitions – at least not yet. Instead, she possesses a genuine interest in remaining part of the “world’s most exclusive club.”

Her “departure from the Democratic Party is political performance art, most accurately described as a “detour” around Arizona Democrats.

As an independent, Sinema avoids a potentially bruising primary in 2024 and can concentrate on garnering petition signatures for the General Election ballot – not to mention campaign checks for her burgeoning campaign war chest.

The “giveaway” on all of this came with Sen. Sinema’s request of Democrat leader Sen. Chuck Schumer to keep her committee assignments.

While much has been made of reports that she will not caucus with the Democrats nor conference with the GOP, and that she’s even unsure of where her desk will be placed in the Senate chamber. Sinema has clearly signaled her

role as a “stealth Democrat” by entrusting her committee seats to the Senate Democratic leadership.

She is working feverishly on Democrat-friendly legislation to grant amnesty to illegal aliens, which could get done before the Christmas recess.

Politically, the prospect of a three-way race for an Arizona Senate seat in 2024 is intriguing but still a long way off.

For now, get your popcorn ready and watch “Mr. Smith goes to Washington.” Or, given the fact that Christmas is rapidly approaching, watch Stewart’s performance in “It’s a Wonderful Life.”

As for former Sen. Bob Smith, now living in Florida, his Christmas plans are unannounced. 

Lake announces the lawsuit in a video filmed at Chuckleheads Bar in Bisbee, the official sponsor of Lake’s new podcast, “Sue Angry: America Fights Back.” Says Lake: “Donate to my legal fund today! Mama needs new shoes.”

Dec. 31 - Scouting for column material in advance of New Year’s, David Leibowitz realizes 2024 will be an election year that may yet again pit Joe Biden vs. Donald Trump and will also feature new Independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema on the statewide ballot versus a Democrat and a Republican.

Leibowitz invests his life savings in Xanax and plots to turn off his TV for the year ahead.

Now, my friends, we begin the long wait .

Brock Purdy thrives, beats Tom Brady in first career start

BY ZACH ALVIRA Tribune Sports Editor

There isn’t a moment that ever seems too big for Brock Purdy. When he was at Perry, he calmly led the team to the semifinals and a state championship appearance. When offers from schools didn’t surface most of his career, he stayed patient.

At Iowa State when he was thrust into action, he calmly played his best and never relinquished the job again. This past Sunday, he showed again the type of special player he is, beating the Tom Bradyled Buccaneers 35-7, accounting for three total touchdowns in the process.

“I’m just excited that we won,” Purdy said. “Just to do what it takes to win — defense played great, offense did their thing. To come out and win in a crucial part of the season, especially going into a Thursday night game coming up, it’s very exciting.”

It was the second win Purdy managed to get under center for the 49ers, and the first one in which he was the starter throughout.

He was called into action a week prior when starter Jimmy Garoppolo went down with a foot injury that will likely sideline him until late in the postseason or for the remainder of the year. And with Trey Lance lost to a season-ending knee injury, the 49ers quickly became Purdy’s team.

After beating the Buccaneers, Purdy met Brady at midfield.

“It was surreal just standing there like, man, that’s Tom Brady talking to guys and dapping guys up,” Purdy said. “For him to have respect for what I did, it was pretty cool.”

Purdy completed 16-of-21 passes for 185 yards, two touchdowns and ran in another in the win. It was one of the best rookie debuts in NFL history, and it came after he was drafted with the final pick in last year’s draft, which is dubbed

“Mr. Irrelevant” by media.

But he’s irrelevant no more.

“Proud. Honored. Emotional,” Purdy’s father, Shawn, said. “It’s so new it doesn’t seem real. It’s like a dream, it’s like an out-of-body experience. That was a very emotional time.”

Purdy’s historic start sent shockwaves throughout the nation. But in Arizona, it came as no surprise.

Those who have followed Purdy’s career knew what he was capable of. Shawn said the support from Arizona has been overwhelming to them, but Brock has remained calm, cool and collected throughout. Shawn and Carrie were in attendance for the game. It’s a trip they had planned for months to see Brady. But their focus quickly changed when their son was thrust into the starting role.

“The Arizona community has always been so good to Brock,” Shawn said. “Across the country there’s a lot of sup -

port as well. But your home state rallying behind you, it’s so touching and we’re so grateful. We don’t take it for granted, it’s so cool.”

Videos from Sunday showed Purdy greeting his parents in the tunnel as he and the rest of the 49ers walked out.

On several occasions Fox cameras panned to where the Purdys sat with other family, including younger brother and current Nebraska quarterback, Chubba.

Purdy met his family once more after the game. He said it was special to see his family staring down at him from the railing. They have supported him through all the ups and downs in his career.

“The emotions on their face,” Purdy said. “Just the way they looked down at me from up on the railing, it just means a lot cause … just throughout my whole life, the ups and downs of playing quarterback in general — high school, college — they’re the people at home who

believe in you and they always see the best in you.

“They’ve always been telling me, ‘You’re good enough, we know you can do it.’ So, to see them after that performance meant a lot to me.”

Purdy earned Player of the Game honors for his performance. Most importantly, he showed he has what it takes to be a quarterback in the NFL. As a result, fans at Levi’s Stadium broke out into a “Purdy” chant.

It was a surreal moment that solidified what became obvious throughout the game: The 49ers are Purdy’s for the immediate future.

“There might’ve been some chants,” Purdy said when asked if he had ever had that experience at Perry or Iowa State.

“But I think today, that was wild to hear the whole stadium saying it l ike that.” 

Perry alum Brock Purdy made the most of an opportunity yet again as he led the San Francisco 49ers to a win over Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in his first-ever NFL start. (Terrell Lloyd/49ers.com)

‘Die Hard’ puppet show becoming holiday fare

BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI GetOut Editor

AChristmas Story,” “It’s a Wonderful Life” and “A Christmas Carol” are standards for the holidays.

As the owner/artistic director of the All Puppet Players, Shaun Michael McNamara is proving that “Die Hard” belongs there, too.

For the seventh year, his troupe is presenting “Die Hard: A Christmas Story,” a profane and mischievous program starring puppets. Complete with caroling, gun fights, F-bombs and puppet anarchy, “Die Hard: A Christmas Story” tells the tale of John McClane trying to save the day from master criminal Hans Gruber during a holiday party.

“Nothing is safe and no holiday memory unsoiled while the puppets wreak havoc on Christmas and bring a mischievous holiday spirit to all good little boys and girls,” McNamara says.

The production was born out of McNamara’s hatred of “A Christmas Carol” and “It’s a Wonderful Life.” He respects companies that put them on, but it’s the

same old, same old.

“What I did with ‘Die Hard,’ in a cheeky way, I threw Clarence (from ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’) and the three spirits in, so it’s part ‘Die Hard,’ part ‘A Christmas Carol,’ part ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ and part insanity.”

Seven years ago marked McNamara’s first foray into holiday shows. He says it was fun to lampoon Christmas.

“Finding songs was fun,” he added. “I thought a new Christmas tradition could be born out of what we’re doing. It’s becoming that R-rated family tradition.

“The fact that I don’t like kids is always going to make it R-rated. I don’t like catering to them. I have no interest in it. If there are kids, people are less likely to laugh at something rude. They’ll say, ‘I can’t believe they just said that, and I can’t believe that kid heard it.’”

The former Goodyear resident who now lives in Surprise, McNamara founded the All Puppet Players in Fullerton, California. He moved to the Valley with his wife for her job.

“My goal was to stay here for a year and then go back,” McNamara says. “Once I started pitching our shows to theaters around the Valley, it took off — not quickly, mind you. It took a long time to get where we are. There was enough of an interest that I didn’t need to leave.”

The All Puppet Players gives McNamara an excuse to share his love of the 1980s. He adores everything about the decade.

“I’m an ’80s kid,” he says. “Puppets have always been in my life. I love The Muppets. I worshipped ‘The Dark Crystal.’ I was hooked on ‘ALF’ and ‘Explorers.’

Zoppe Family Circus now at Bell Bank Park in Mesa

SUN NEWS STAFF

The Zoppe Family Circus has left Chandler with its annual holiday show and moved to Bell Bank Park, 1 Legacy Drive, Mesa.

The one-ring circus that honors the history of the old-world Italian circus tradition and runs through Jan. 1.

Liberta Zoppe welcomes guests into an intimate, 500-seat tent for a show that will star Nino the Clown and a circus that is propelled by a central story, as opposed to individual acts.

The circus features acrobatic feats, equestrian showmanship, canine capers, clown-

ing and plenty of audience participation.

Tickets are on sale at BellBankPark. com, with general admission starting at $25, and VIP tickets at $45. For more information on the Zoppe Family visit www.Zoppe.net.

Show dates are: today, Dec. 18, at 1 p.m., 4 p.m., & 7 p.m.; 6 p.m. Dec. 21 and 23, 4 p.m. Dec. 24; 6 p.m. Dec. 26-30; 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. Dec. 31 and 1 p.m., 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. Jan. 1.

Meanwhile, Bell Bank Park also is hosting the Pratt Brothers Christmas Spectacular 6-10 p.m. through Jan. 1.

The display features more than six million lights and unique attractions.

Previous contestants of The Great Christmas Light Fight on ABC Television, brothers Sammy and Kyle Pratt have devoted their life’s work to construct a magical Christmas Town delivering an experience for all the senses.

The immersive visit delivers attractions for all ages, with twinkling Christmas lights, three-story gingerbread house, magical snowfall and thousands of bubbles, featuring the ultimate Santa Experience, Mrs. Claus Cookie Decorating, dazzling 360-degree light show with show-stopping pyrotechnics, and a Miracle Market filled with simply merry gifts to bring home holiday cheer. 

Shaun Michael McNamara, owner/artistic director of the All Puppet Players, is proving that “Die Hard” belongs there, too, with a unique show. (Courtesy All Puppet Players)

SANTAN

Nino the Clown is one of the stars at the Zoppe Family Circus. (Facebook)

With JAN D’ATRI

GetOut Columnist

Harvey Wallbanger Cake harkens to a bygone era in festive way

The cake that was one of our mother’s “no-fail-absolute-go-to” recipes?

The brilliant yellow moist miracle in a Bundt pan that was served during the holidays? I presented a group of millennials with a certain rich and flavorful cake in cooking class last week.

While they all gobbled it up in short order, they had never even heard of the classic Harvey Wallbanger Cake. It had been years since I’d thought of this delightful treat myself. And what a shame because it’s so easy to make!

The Harvey Wallbanger Cake grabs its rich flavor from the vodka, Galliano liqueur and orange juice that you find in the classic Harvey Wallbanger cocktail. Add some eggs, cake mix and pudding, and this special treat bakes up like a brilliant yellow sunflower and absolutely melts in your mouth. A little sprinkling of powdered sugar, or better yet, a drizzle of glaze and that’s all you need to relive the kitchen memories from the 60’s and 70’s.

I was just a little girl when my Momma started giving the Harvey Wallbanger Cake equal time with her classic Italian rum cakes.

I remember the giant long, thin bottle coming

Ingredients:

For the cake:

• 1 box yellow cake mix (with pudding in the mix is best)

• 1 small box (approx. 3 oz) vanilla instant pudding

•

1/2 cup vegetable oil

• 4 large eggs

• 1/4 cup vodka

• 1/4 cup Galliano liqueur

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease one large bundt pan (9-10 inch) or two small bundt pans (7-8 inch). In a mixing bowl, combine cake mix, pudding, vegetable oil, eggs vodka, Galliano and orange juice.

out of the cabinet. My father was the bartender at our restaurant, and so his beverage suppliers would, during the holidays, gift him with the extra, extra giant bottle of the liqueur. Back then, from where I was standing, I estimated that bottle to be 500 feet tall and not an inch less!

I remember the flavor of the cake (whenever I could sneak some) was just as large. It’s such an easy cake to bake up that it would be a shame not to give it a try.

Who knows? Perhaps with the resurgence in popularity of the classic cocktails like the Side Car, Manhattan and Dirty Martini, the Harvey Wallbanger and its companion cake will find its sweet spot once again!

• 3/4 cup orange juice

For the glaze:

• Mix together:

• 1 cup powdered sugar

• 1 tablespoon orange juice

• 1 tablespoon vodka

• 1 tablespoon Galliano

• (Note: If you don’t want glaze, you can sprinkle cake with a bit of powdered sugar)

Mix until well blended, about 3-4 minutes. Pour into bundt pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes for the large pan or 25-30 minutes for the smaller pans, or until toothpick comes up clean.

Let cake cool then glaze or dust with powdered sugar. 

DIE HARD

from page 21

You name it. If it had a puppet, I loved it.

“I think there was a part of me that was angry with my career trajectory. I wanted to be the next Jim Carrey.”

That didn’t pan out, but he’s doing well with the All Puppet Players.

“I looked to puppets with desperation, wanting to write my own thing and it turned into lampooning theater,” he says with a laugh. “It was a bit of a radical, throw a fit and see if anybody cares. It happened to work.”

He’s watched audiences get sucked in, not noticing the puppeteers after a while. The future sees movie nights, “tryme shows,” puppet karaoke, sketch and larger stage shows for McNamara.

“We’re going to do ‘Attack of the Video Store,’ where it’s 2010 and our puppets run a video store,” McNamara says. “They get sucked into all of our favorite

movies. I get to play with fun scenes and not have to do the whole show. Like with ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark,’ I can do just the boulder scene — which I’ve always wanted to do.

“But this show (‘Die Hard’) is just bonkers. It’s a bonkers, bonkers show. It’s the one show that I can almost guarantee will sell out. Plus, it’s Christmastime. ‘Die Hard’ is a Christmas film. I don’t even know why there’s a debate.” 

If you go

What: “Die Hard: A Christmas Story”

When: 7:30 p.m. various days through Dec. 30

Where: Playhouse on the Park Theater, 1850 N. Central Avenue, Phoenix

Cost: Tickets start at $42 Info: allpuppetplayers.com