QUEEN CREEK TRIBUNE, DECEMBER 28, 2022

BY SCOTT SHUMAKER Tribune Staff Writer

State firefighter organizations lobbied the Legislature this year to put a question on the Nov. 8 ballot asking voters to approve a 20-year, .1% sales tax that would generate revenue for fire districts across the state.

The Legislature obliged, but in a 52-48% vote – 1,230,042 against to 1,144,495 for –Arizona voters shot down Prop 310, sending fire officials back to the drawing board to address a funding problem they say isn’t going away any time soon.

Firefighters also noted that at the same time as Proposition 310 failed, voters ap -

Tax defeat leaves fire districts in a bind Cowboy Church resonates in QC’s horse culture

BY MARK MORAN Tribune Staff Writer

Typically, the only time you might have to clean up livestock manure at church is if there have been live animals in a manger scene. Not so in Queen Creek.

“Cowboy Church is a little different,” said 58-year-old pastor Billy Van Camp. “Wear your hat. Bring your horse, bring your mule, bring your dog, bring your pig, bring

your goat. Wear whatever you want to wear. Just show up.

“We’re real Western culture. Real cut to the chase. No B.S. You know what I mean?” said

proved another legislative initiative that requires ballot questions posing tax increases to pass with at least a 60% approval.

Approval of Prop 132 by a 50.7% to 49.3% – 1,210,702 votes in favor and 1,176,327 against – means it will be even harder to get

Pastor Billy Van Camp leads church services once a month in the arena at Horseshoe Park and Equestrian Centre in Queen Creek, where about 500 congregants gather to hear his messages. (Special to the Tribune)

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 recently 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. 

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a tax passed in the future.

“We were obviously disappointed. Like the air came out of our sails,” Daisy Mountain Fire District Chief Brian Tobin said. “My firefighters worked very hard on their days off to try and get as much education and information out about 310, but we came up short.”

Tobin and Superstition Fire District Chief John Whitney said Arizona’s urban departments also lost with the defeat of 310.

They said Arizona’s robust “automatic mutual aid” system among first responders stands out among states and helps all of the various police and fire departments to function as one large emergency department for the state.

If a five-alarm fire breaks out on the edge of a city, resources from surrounding departments are deployed in an efficient system.

With a more resilient source of funding, Arizona fire districts would have been able to bring more to the table in the mutual aid system.

Fire districts are special taxing districts governed by an elected board that provide fire service to areas where none exists, such as areas not covered by a municipal fire department.

Arizona’s 154 fire districts provide emergency fire and medical service over huge swaths of the state, including major transportation corridors like I-10. In terms of the number of firefighters the districts employ, they aren’t as large of municipal departments.

About a third of the state’s professional firefighters – or about 2,500 of 7,500 – work for districts.

But many of those fire districts, especially those serving the urban-wildland interface, provide fire protection to dynamic areas as residents move into rural areas, recreation and traffic swells, and wildfire risk grows.

Fire Ground Survival is an extensive training through which all the members of the Daisy Mountain Fire District company learn techniques for saving themselves if they become lost or trapped in a life-threatening situation during a fire. “Crews learn many techniques to give them the best preparation for these high risk/low frequency events,” a district spokesman said. (Facebook).

The Daisy Mountain Fire District serves the area north of Phoenix along the busy I-17 corridor as far north as Sunset Point.

“Every weekend it’s a s— show” along the I-17 corridor,” Tobin said.

One contemplated project using Prop 310 funds was a fire station at Sunset Point, a major rest area for north-south travelers in the state.

“It’s been a very slow process to build back out of that,” Tobin said. “We were hoping to at least get ourselves back up to where we were before that time” with Prop 310 funding.

Tobin said there was “excitement” in the department about some of the lifesaving equipment it could buy with the funding. An example, he said, is telehealth equipment on ambulances that would allow medics to coordinate with doctors more closely on long rides to hospitals.

Unlike municipal departments, fire districts say they are especially challenged because they are almost totally dependent on property taxes.

They saw Prop 310 as a way to diversify funding streams.

Whitney said that because the state limits annual increases in property valuations for taxation, his district has only just now crawled back to its funding levels of 10 years ago even though call volume has seen a “dramatic jump” in recent years.

“At the end of the day, we don’t have access to state shared revenue, we don’t have sales taxes, we don’t have all the different mechanisms available to municipal fire departments,” Whitney said.

“So the citizens of the community continue to shoulder the burden for anyone who uses the services of the district,” he said.

Whitney was disappointed by the defeat of Prop. 310, but he said he isn’t angry at voters and knows they still support their firefighters.

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In all, the districts employ over 4,000 trained personnel to provide fire, rescue, and emergency medical services to roughly 1,5 million Arizona residents every day, protecting over 15,000 square miles from fires and covering 27,000 square miles with emergency medical services.

Outside Mesa, for example, the Superstition Fire and Medical District serves communities east of Meridian Road, Apache Junction and the State Route 60 corridor in Pinal County.

“We’ve just had a need in rural areas that are close to urban areas where people hike, bike and ATV, and we don’t have the technical expertise to respond to those incidents. We rely on our partners to respond to those incidents,” he said.

Tobin said fire districts took a major hit in funding when property values plunged during the Great Recession because property taxes are their main source of revenue. The impact was so significant that many fire districts are still trying to get back to pre-recession levels of service.

Daisy Mountain, for example, has fewer firefighters per capita than it did before the recession, according to Tobin.

“We understand that there’s a lot of fear about recession and inflation, and people are very conscientious right now about what they’re spending in taxes,” Whitney said. “We understood the challenges all along.”

Whitney thinks the task of convincing voters was made harder by the complexity of the topic and confusion about the difference between fire districts and other fire departments.

With costs and call volumes still growing for fire districts, what’s next after Prop 310’s failure?

“Plan B is to reconvene the stakeholders, and find our way down to the state leadership and try to figure out a solution, whether that’s through surplus funds, ... alternative funding mechanisms, something to help offset,” Whit-

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2022 a year of political turmoil, inflation and change

BY GARY NELSON Tribune Contributor

Amild-mannered East Valley politician took center stage this year in the high-stakes effort to expose the machinations behind Donald Trump’s attempted coup in 2021.

Rusty Bowers, a Republican serving his second stint in the Arizona House and House Speaker since 2019, testified on June 21 before a select committee of the U.S. House. His story was chilling.

Defying more than two centuries of constitutional tradition, Trump refused to concede his 2020 presidential election and his legal team applied extraordinary pressure on public officials in various swing states in an effort to illegally overturn that result.

One of those states was Arizona, and as House Speaker, Bowers found himself in the crosshairs.

Bowers described the Trump team’s tactics in his June 21 testimony.

He said John Eastman, one of Trump’s lawyers, told him to hold a vote in the Legislature to decertify Arizona’s presidential electors “and let the courts sort it out.”

Bowers said he told Eastman, “You’re asking me to do something that’s never been done in the history of the United States.”

Bowers’ testimony implicated another East Valley politician in Trump’s plot to steal the election, which led to a murderous assault on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Bowers said U.S. Rep Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., called him the morning of the insurrection and “asked if I would sign on

blocked a bill sponsored by Rep. John Fillmore, R-Apache Junction, that would have allowed the Legislature to overturn elections at will.

Bowers’ effort to defend the American democracy did not sit well with Republican voters. He was trounced by David Farnsworth in the August primary for a seat in the state Senate; Farnsworth had received Donald Trump’s endorsement.

Biggs won re-election to a fourth term in the U.S. House representing Arizona’s Fifth Congressional District.

for Trump.

Bowers opposed Hoffman’s bill, one argument being the enormous expense required to build three new sets of county facilities.

Hoffman’s proposal died.

Housing costs soar

Arizona

Bower, R-Mesa, lost his bid for a seat in the Arizona Senate after Republican Party leaders attacked him for testifying before the congressional panel investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the nation’s capital. (Tribune file photo)

both to a letter that had been sent from my state and/or that I would support a decertification of the electors, and I said I would not.”

Bowers said Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani never came through with evidence that Biden’s election was fraudulent.

Other witnesses told the committee Biggs was closely involved in planning the rally that led to the Capitol riot. Biggs denied that allegation.

Further, the House committee produced evidence that before Trump left office, presidential pardons were solicited from four of Arizona’s congressional Republicans, with Biggs specifically seeking one for himself. Biggs denied that, too.

Bowers also had to fight in the Legislature to keep Republicans from overturning election results. In February he

After losing the primary election in August, Bowers defiantly lashed out at Arizona’s Republican leadership in an interview with The Guardian.

“Taking away the fundamental right to vote, the idea that the Legislature could nullify your election, that’s not conservative. That’s fascist. And I’m not a fascist,” Bowers said.

Still one county

In February a group of Arizona Republican legislators led by a staunch backer of Trump proposed breaking Maricopa County into four smaller ones.

The bill, introduced by Rep. Jake Hoffman, R-Queen Creek, would have split the county into three sections that supported Trump in the 2020 election, leaving one isolated largely Democratic area.

Although the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors is dominated by Republicans, it has drawn the ire of Trump supporters for upholding the 2020 election.

Hoffman was one of 11 Republicans who signed a document falsely claiming to be official electors who planned to cast the state’s Electoral College votes

Potential homebuyers in the East Valley were stymied by stunningly high prices for even modest dwellings. Then, as prices began to slacken in late spring, steep hikes in mortgage interest rates only prolonged their misery. Rental prices also soared, reflecting an overall housing shortage.

Prominent Valley economist Elliott Pollack told the Gilbert Town Council in February that the housing market was merely reflects long-term trends that can’t be fixed easily.

“The first decade of this century, we overbuilt in both single-family homes and apartments,” Pollack said. “The second decade of this century we way underbuilt and we are now at a situation where the vacancy rates for both single-family housing and for apartments are as low as they have ever been.”

The dramatic rise in prices pushed median prices in several East Valley ZIP codes past the $1 million mark.

On the other end of the spectrum, the Maricopa Association of Governments reported in March that it had found more than 5,000 homeless people during a countywide survey in January. That number was 35 percent higher than in 2020.

Some East Valley cities, notably Gilbert

House Speaker Rusty

and Queen Creek, wrestled with whether to continue allowing the construction of new apartment complexes in the face of pressure from those who preferred neighborhoods featuring expensive single-family homes.

COVID abates

History may note 2022 as the year COVID-19 faded into the background even as its toll continued to mount.

In January, Arizona became the 11th state to record 25,000 deaths from the pandemic. By late in the year the statewide toll was approaching 32,000. Breakdowns by city were not available but Maricopa County had reported more than 18,000 deaths over the course of the pandemic, which broke out in early 2020.

Water, water… anywhere?

A wet monsoon season notwithstanding, Arizona grappled with the longterm effects of a megadrought that began when the century did.

The situation on the Colorado River now is dire.

By late summer, Lake Powell held less water than at any time since it was filled more than half a century ago. Lake Mead also was far below capacity.

With the seven states that use Colorado River water bickering over how to deal with the shortfalls, East Valley cities and farmers contemplated the impact of reductions in their allotments from the Central Arizona Project, which siphons water from the river and delivers it as far away as Tucson.

Mesa, for example, expects to lose 7,000 acre-feet, or about 16 percent of the city’s share of Colorado River water, in 2024.

In the short term, cities are confident that they can deliver water to a still-growing population, relying on diversified water portfolios that include not only the CAP but also the Salt River Project system and groundwater.

Farmers have less to fall back on, and some in Pinal County said economic ruin could result from a lack of water for their crops.

And it’s far from a free ride for the cities, where the cost of delivering water is staggering, and growing. The Mesa City Council learned late this past summer that the price tag for three major water

infrastructure projects has ballooned to a stunning $674 million. Meanwhile, Queen Creek approved a $21-million deal to purchase Colorado River water from GSC Farm in Cibola that will yield 2,033 acre-feet of water annually for the town through the Central Arizona Project canal system. That would satisfy the water needs of at least 4,066 homes a year and possibly as many as about 6,000.

WARNING!

PERIPHERAL NEUROPATHY AND CHRONIC PAIN TREATMENTS NOT WORKING!!

Goodbye to 2 mayors

Queen Creek Mayor Gail Barney, whose public service had an impact far beyond the town that was his home since he was 6 months old, died June 2 after a months-long battle with a lung infection. He was 74.

Barney’s 20 years on the Town Council were marked by unprecedented growth and development for what had been a sleepy ranching community. His impact reached across the region due to his involvement with other entities such as Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport.

Former Mesa Mayor Keno Hawker, who spent a total of 18 years on city council before leaving office in 2008, died in October at age 76.

Hawker spearheaded initial formal planning efforts for Mesa’s rapidly developing Gateway area. He also championed the first leg of light rail into Mesa, which led to two extensions that helped infuse new life into downtown.

Other Queen Creek headlines in 2022

Julia Wheatley was elected mayor in August. She’ll be joined on the Town Council in January by incumbent Dawn

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

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.

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

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

Effective neuropathy treatment relies on the following three factors:

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

Queen Creek Town Manager John Kross announced he is stepping down after 27 years in town government. (Tribune file photo)

Sheriff’s son, granddaughter killed in crash

TRIBUNE NEWS STAFF

Condolences and money poured in for Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb and his family following the deaths of his son and granddaughter in a two-vehicle accident in Gilbert.

Cooper Lamb, 22, and his 1-year-old daughter, Elaine or Lainey, of San Tan Valley were both pronounced dead at the scene by first responders. The dad’s fiancé Caroline Patten, the driver, was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries four days after the Dec. 16 collision, officials said.

According to Gilbert Police, officers responded shortly after 3:45 p.m. Dec. 16 to the accident on Elliot Road and Cole Drive near Morrison Ranch.

A silver pick-up truck heading west “at what appears to be normal speeds” struck a red passenger car traveling east as it attempted to make a left-hand turn to go north on Cole, according to police.

crash in Gilbert involving Cooper Lamb, his fiancé Caroline Patton and their year-old daughter left the father and baby dead and the mother hospitalized with life-threatening injuries. (Facebook)

Tribune’s deadline.

Police said the driver of the pickup was not injured and identified him as Brian Torres, 21.

After an on-scene DUI investigation was conducted, Torres was arrested, transported to the Gilbert Police Department Main Station, and processed for DUI, police said

“The investigation is still ongoing at this time to determine the most appropriate charges, and a laboratory analysis of Torres’s blood is still pending,” police said.

Once the investigation is complete, charges may be referred to the appropriate prosecutor’s office, according to the department.

The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office said the family was still making funeral arrangements, which were expected to be announced late last week before the

Two online fundraisers have been set up for the Lambs, at FundtheFirst.com and at GoFundMe.

FundtheFirst is seeking to raise $100,000 to provide support and relief for the sheriff and his family. As of Thursday, 223 donors gave a total of $20,538.

The organizers for the GoFundMe account are trying to raise $35,000 to help the family cover funeral expenses. By Thursday a total of $61,693 was raised.

And over 1,000 people posted words of comfort to the family on the Sheriff’s Department Facebook page announcing the tragedy and 12,000 posted on the sheriff’s Facebook page.

Lamb acknowledged the community’s outpouring of support and thanked the first-responders who rendered aid

A

ney said.

Whitney predicted that in the shortterm, many fire district property owners will see increases in their fire service levies. Last year, the Legislature raised the cap on these levies as part of a larger tax reform package.

The tax reform lowered the state’s commercial property tax rate, but approved a phased increased in the maximum levy that local fire district boards can set and to help districts compensate for lost revenue from commercial owners.

The previous cap was 3.25% and will go up to 3.75% by tax year 2024.

Whitney said the change will help, but districts don’t like having to hike levies.

“The problem is most of the citizens don’t know about the commercial decrease. All they see is us raising their taxes,” Whitney said. “Great, then we get to take the beating for that.”

“My district board chose not to increase the level,” Tobin said, because the increased revenue from higher property valuations will be just enough to cover recent cost increases. 

YEAR END from

Oliphant, and newcomers Bryan McClure and Travis Padilla. In the Queen Creek Unified Governing Board elections, longtime member and President Ken Brague was defeated, losing to James Knox, who had the endorsement of the Purple for Parents organization, a conservative group advocating parental rights in public education. Samantha Davis won a second term in the three-way race for two board seats.

SHERIFF

from page 8

at the scene saying, “Our hearts are broken but we are comforted in your love and the love of God and Jesus Christ.” Lamb was elected sheriff in 2016. He

The first issue of the Queen Creek Tribune came out on April 22.

The town also got its own police department, which opened for business in January.

The day after a South Korean energy company’s partner cast the sole bid of $84.44 million for 650.5 acres of state land in Queen Creek for a lithium battery manufacturing plant, nearly a dozen angry citizens confronted Town Council to oppose the $1.4 billion project. The project was projected to bring thousands of jobs

calls himself a constitutional conservative and self-published the book “American Sheriff: Traditional Values in a Modern World.”

He also is a frequent commentator on Fox and Newsmax. 

To help

To help Sheriff Mark Lamb and his family: fundthefirst.com/.../support-for-sheriff-lamb. gofundme.com/.../cooper-lamb-family-funeral.

to the northeast corner of Ironwood and Germann roads near Zimmerman Dairy Farm and CMC Steel Arizona, southeast of Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport.

Costco and other retailers announced plans to set up shop at Ellsworth and Queen Creek roads.

After 27 years in Queen Creek government, including town manager since 2007, John Kross announced his retirement, effective next month. He will be succeeded by Bruce Gardner, who had been assistant town manager. 

Student Choice. Student Voice.

PREACHER

from page 1

Van Camp, who leads church services once a month in the arena at Horseshoe Park and Equestrian Centre in Queen Creek, where about 500 congregants attend.

“Last year I brought out a wild mustang that had never been ridden, put it in a round pen while I preached about how God can take even the wildest person in the world,” Van Camp said.

“I got on that Mustang and rode him. And it shows people that no matter how wild you are, if you will, if you get right and get under the right mentor and have somebody help you, you know what? You can be used.”

There is a method to Van Camp’s unorthodox approach.

“I’m trying to reach the people who would never pull into the parking lot of an organized church,” Van Camp said. “I just want to reach the people who aren’t churchy. I hate religion. I love relationship.

“And what’s cool is pretty soon they’ll show up at church. It’s almost like my little farm team for my church.”

That’s a reference to Cry Church, the brick-and-mortar building where Van Camp pastors on 17 acres at the corner of Sossamon Road and Hunt Highway in Queen Creek, and attracts about 1,200 parishioners each week. It’s home to a K-7 school now, too.

Van Camp is not a minister by trade. He is a career business owner and still owns building and concrete companies as well as a cattle herd.

But he decided to completely change the direction of his life 18 years ago.

“I felt the call of God at 40 sitting in church one day,” Van Camp said. “Never in a million years would I have dreamt to be a pastor. I’m reaching people that I grew up with. It’s a lot of fun.”

The Queen Creek native uses Cowboy Church to attract the type of people with similar interests to his, joining the desire he said people have to find purpose, meaning and connection to something greater than themselves ,

“I roped and I rodeo’ed and I rode hard stock and rough stock and I wanted to reach those people. Riding a mule and talking about Jesus and it just kinda

took off,” he said.

“We’ll even show them how to rope. It takes practice and consistency – like reading The Word. You can’t just get it one time a month and go out and win money, you got to develop a strategy to rodeo. You gotta develop a strategy to walk a spiritual life,” Van Camp added.

Part of that strategy has been playing up the town’s history.

Van Camp has built on Queen Creek’s western past and focused not only on keeping it alive, but playing to it and meeting people where they are.

“A lot of people in this area and this culture have been hurt by a church,” Van Camp said. “Or let down by a church. Or they just don’t understand what church is.

“You got hard working people who have made a living with their hands. Rodeo people are tough people. Up ear-

ly and go to bed late people. Cowboy Church helps them to be comfortable at a place called church.”

Van Camp’s approach to building a following seems to have paid off, although there is no formal offering plate passed at cowboy services.

“We don’t push givin,’” he said. “We put a little trough out front but we don’t even ask for money.”

He started Cowboy Church when the pro rodeo riders who came to Queen Creek a decade ago needed a place to worship.

It has been going ever since.

Van Camp held services in the arena every Sunday night after preaching three services on Sunday morning at Cry Church. He now decided to hold Cowboy Church once a month.

“I’m getting older and it’s getting hotter,” he explained. “The park is getting

harder to schedule, too.”

People who attend Cowboy Church say Van Camp has been successful precisely because of his authenticity both in the traditional church and from the back of his mule in the equestrian arena.

“He’s just so down to earth and real,” said congregant Marie Leigh. “He brings the Bible to life and makes it relevant.”

Borrowing from the more modern, traditional church services, there are a few big screen TVs in place to help the congregation follow the service’s order.

But the similarities stop there. Even the music is reminiscent of more historical gospel music.

“It’s outdoors. It’s different. There is no acoustics whatsoever, you know,” chuckled Leigh. “It’s a lot of old-fashioned hymns rather than modern day worship, which is truly that Western culture, traditional music.”

Dan Moskalik oversees the music at Cowboy Church, plays guitar himself and wants to reach the community with a different brand of worship than people might find in a traditional setting.

“You don’t have to be a cowboy to go to Cowboy Church,” Moskalik said. “But we highly suggest that if you don’t like John Wayne movies or you don’t like Johnny Cash, you probably should go someplace else to church.”

If Cowboy Church has one shortcoming by Van Camp’s own admission, it is the lack of what he calls a discipleship program. He said that while the gatherings in the arena are popular, well-attended and well-intended, he worried aloud about a follow-up effort for the people who attend a service at Horseshoe Park.

He believes discipleship should be the ultimate focus of any church, be it in a traditional building or an equestrian arena.

“I don’t have the next step at Cowboy Church to build your knowledge and wisdom of God,” he said. “That’s why I call it a farm church. I don’t believe a church is really a church unless it’s discipling people.

“It is a place to gather and it is a place to receive salvation, but I pray that they wind up at a big church somewhere where they get the discipleship. That worries me about Cowboy Church.” 

Pastor Bill Van Camp recently baptized Lori Skon of Queen Creek in the baptism trough he carries in the backseat of his pickup. (Special to the Tribune)

Brague reflects on 13 years of service to QC schools

BY MARK MORAN Tribune Staff Writer

When Ken Brague looks back on his 13 years on the Queen Creek Unified Governing Board, he is proud of helping to put the distrIct’s academics on the map.

“It was my goal to get us ready, to be recognized,” Brague said. “To get more academic rigor, to get kids prepped for college and ‘not only ‘this is how to take a test, but you can do this.’”

“It’s intimidating and it’s easy to talk yourself out of going to college if you don’t have a strong mentor,” he said. “I wanted not only those exceptional students to be recognized but for those students who don’t think it’s worth the hassle.”

Brague helped to create college and career ready rooms on the district’s high school campuses where students can get help with the application process, look up colleges, apply for scholarships and get advice from academic advisers.

Brague was prompted to take the lead on those rooms in part by his son, who earned a high GPA and had all the ambition in the world as he prepared for college.

“And on one day, he got nine rejection letters from all these Ivy League schools and it was crushing to him. It made me realize ‘hey people don’t know Queen Creek and they don’t know that we are good academically so it became a focus of mine,” Brague said.

“So, I let the superintendent know we need to make Queen Creek a destination for college recruiters. They need to know that we have the academics, we

have the incredibly bright kids who can make their schools better.”

The schools increased dual enrollment programs so students could earn college credit for certain classes and added more Advanced Placement courses.

“We’ve done a lot of things academically that I’m very proud of,” said Brague, who with the rest of the board also had to meet the challenges of growth.

“I feel like we’ve built very smart,” he said.

“We definitely put the time and effort to put schools where they were truly needed, not necessarily where they were wanted. And every one of our projects

have come in on time and on budget, and I’m proud of that as well.”

Demographers predict that in the next decade, Queen Creek will top out at 115,000 residents, adding 7,000 students to its current enrollment of 14,000.

“We’re only getting half the kids that should be going to our schools because of all the charters. It’s insane growth. And the way we manage it is we have phenomenal employees.”

Brague, an ardent supporter of the bond process, said it is hard to keep up with funding that growth when voters cannot be convinced to pull the lever in favor of school bonds.

“It’s been incredibly frustrating trying to balance the taxpayer dollars,” Brague said. “Knowing how low interest rates were, knowing that money was so cheap to borrow. It was basically free. There was never a cheaper time to build and we could not get the citizens to see the importance.”

Brague said the biggest challenge facing the district is whether there will be

enough money to provide the kind of education they need to remain competitive and be prepared for college or a career.

“Because they are competing with kids across the country. Are our kids prepared for that competition when they go and apply for a job, is there someone form another school district, another state, that had a better advantage?

“That to me is everything. That to me is the challenge. Are we getting our kids prepared for a successful life, or are they going to have to work harder because they went to Queen Creek?”

There were low points other than the bond failures during his tenure. His wife passed away suddenly last September from a pulmonary embolism and he became emotional thanking his fellow board members at their final meeting for their support during that time.

Queen Creek schools also lost five students to suicide between 2017 and 2018.

“Bringing in the experts to find out how we address this without bringing too much attention to it where it becomes a fad, which we don’t want, but recognizing the pain, the hurt, the loneliness,” he said.

“It was horrible. It was tragic. Meeting some of the parents and hugging them – that is a memory I can’t shake and I don’t want to shake it,” Brague continued. “It helped me to remember to help everyone. Everyone is the celebrity in their own life, you know?”

“Mental health should be equivalent to dental health,” Brague said. “There should not be a stigma associated with saying ‘I need to go see someone.’ I personally go to counseling every other week and I just call it my tutor. I’m not embarrassed about it. I’m asking for help. The kids should know it’s OK to ask for help.”

At the final board meeting of his tenure, many hailed Brague’s contributions to the district.

“I’m very proud of what I did,” he reflected. “I’m very OK with it being over. I was there in the heyday.” 

After 13 years serving on the Queen Creek Unified Governing Board, Ken Brague is proud of the fact that his role in elevating the district’s academic success (David Minton/Tribune Staff Photographer)

2022 local real estate market was eventful

BY MELANIE NEMETZ Tribune Columnist

Eventful. If there is one word to describe the 2022 local real estate market, it would be eventful.

The short of it is, change was in the air in January, spring brought an abrupt halt to the frenzy, we saw an excess of homes list immediately after this, buyer demand waned as interest rates rose as well as the listing inventory, and at the end of the year we have settled into the seasonal slow-down with rates and new listing inventory taking a welcomed dip.

That’s a lot to process and it all happened in twelve months. Oh, and we survived an election.

With 2023 a week away, we are all wondering what it will hold for our local real estate market. None of us have the crystal ball we all wish we could stare into

This 7,451-square-foot house on E. Via De Palma in Queen Creek recently sold for $2.1 million. With five bedrooms and 6 1/2 bathrooms, it boasts a number of amenities, not the least of which is a full basement. The gourmet kitchen includes two islands, two ovens, and two dishwashers along with high-end appliances. (Special to the Tribune) .

right now.

There are many predictions but let’s focus on what is happening in the market right now as this will tell us how the year will likely start.

The good news is, and let’s admit it, we all want some good news right now.

New listing inventory has settled down and interest rates took a dip recently and has held there. Our listing inventory had reached over 20,000 for our Phoenix Metro area and we held at just over 18,000 in December.

This is a typical seasonal response but

one that is met with open arms.

Interest rate hikes have brought on a great deal of stress to buyers and in turn, to sellers. The main stressor was the uncertainty of it all.

Buyers were asking themselves, what will I pay for an interest rate if I buy in two months, four months, etc. There were so many changes looming, most buyers decided to sit on the fence, as we call it in the industry.

This means they are waiting to see what happens. Fear was holding them back and keeping them from moving forward on a home purchase.

Recently, rates dropped enough that it moved the most motivated buyers off the fence.

Once interest rates settle wherever they are going to settle, this will eliminate the uncertainty for buyers and therefore help improve their buying confidence, which will in turn lead to

Valley home market is healthy, balanced

BY DEB GONTKO-KLEIN Tribune Guest Writer

The Phoenix real estate market is cooling off after multiple years of historically low-interest rates.

Now with high inflation, the Federal Reserve has increased interest rates multiple times and another increase could be on the horizon.

Rising interest rates have predictably led to a more balanced real estate market as opposed to the seller’s market we have had in the last two years.

High-interest rates and inflation are making many homebuyers skeptical of the current real estate market. How-

ever, the current market is still healthy and high-interest rates don’t have to be a dealbreaker if you can put them into perspective.

Perspective is really important when it comes to the question of if you should worry about the current housing market and higher interest rates.

Interest rates are higher than the historic lows we were used to but the current rates of 7 percent are significantly lower than the historic 16 percent highs we saw in the 1980s or the ten percent interest rates of 1990.

It is perfectly healthy to be skeptical of the current real estate market but it is important to understand that we are far away from the worst-case scenario.

A cooler housing market with higher

interest rates can also pose benefits.

This is the first time over the last two years that buyers could reasonably ask for concessions on a home purchase. It is hard to get beneficial buyer concessions when houses are being bought with cash as soon as they get on the market.

Buyers now have the opportunity to ask for repairs or improvements. You could even negotiate with the seller to buy down your interest and help you secure a lower rate. For the first time in a long time, buyers have some leverage in the market.

It is also important to understand that you don’t need to maintain your current interest rate forever. If you buy a house in today’s market you will pay more in-

terest, but there are always opportunities to refinance when the market shifts.

The issue with over-focusing on interest rates is that when interest rates lower the market heats up again and home prices go up.

A home you could purchase with a seven percent interest rate might be quickly sold in a market with 3 percent interest rates and for a higher price. Plus, you are always going to be competing with cash buyers in a competitive market.

It is understandable to feel apprehensive about the market because we don’t know 100 percent what the real estate market is going to do.

However, people should not let that

from page 13

more buyer activity.

Will this happen in 2023?

That is the question we are all wondering and time will tell.

We are positioned well going into 2023. Listing inventory has held slightly below where it had been forcing buyers to choose from what there is rather than wait and see if something better comes on the market.

The slight drop in rates helped move some buyers off the fence and into a contract to purchase a home.

Spring in the Valley is typically our strong season. In a typical market, we tend to see buyer activity pick up between January and March. Our highest closings months are between March and June.

This is also a time we see more listings come on the market. That’s why it is good to see current listing inventory holding rather than growing right now.

If there is a word to choose for the 2023 local real estate market, stability would be the welcomed word of the year.

A stable market is a healthy market and allows both buyers and sellers to transact with confidence. While excite-

ment accompanies a strong market and fear drives the other, stability brings confidence which brings activity.

Thank you, 2022’ for teaching us all the lessons we have learned. We look forward to what 2023 has to offer our market.

Happy Holidays and here’s to a healthy and stable 2023. Cheers!

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

skepticism scare them away from a home they are otherwise ready to buy. Arizona continues to bring in new jobs and new people which is a positive sign for the housing market.

Interest rates are higher but we remain in a healthy and balanced market.

Deb Gontko-Klein is the branch manager of mortgage company Reliability in Lending- PRMI, Inc. Chandler. Reach her at dklein@primeres.com. 

For more Community News visit QueenCreekTribune.com

EV doctor brought cancer facilities to China

BY JOSH ORTEGA Tribune Staff Writer

Even in the eye of the storm that was the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Matt Callister still helped bring modern cancer-treatment facilities to Hong Kong.

A senior physician executive at Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center, Callister helped establish that Gilbert facility, where he has spent more than a decade as a radiation oncologist.

In 2017, Callister moved his family to southern China to work with a private Chinese health care company to develop Western-oriented cancer centers and hospitals.

“It’s a great career opportunity to go abroad and to use the skills and experience that I had in America,” Callister said.

The family lived in Guangzhou for more than three years, including time during the pandemic. He also had the opportunity to work in other cities, including Shanghai and Beijing.

The opportunity came when the company went to the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, to learn more about American health care.

Company representatives stayed in touch with him and soon asked him to come to China.

During his time in China, Callister said he learned two big lessons.

One is that regardless of language, culture or background, there’s incredible similarities for the need of compassionate, effective cancer care everywhere, especially in China with such a large population.

The experience also gave him a deeper appreciation of American cancer care.

“It helped me appreciate what makes a difference in so many people’s lives as we try to recreate those similar types of experiences and opportunities for patients

in the Far East as well,” Callister said.

Callister said the U.S. “really stands out” in the ability to provide advanced technology for the accurate diagnosis

of cancer through testing and imaging as well as for access to state-of-the-art targeted drugs or immune-based drugs that impact patients’ lives.

“That’s one of the real advantages we have and I think the rest of the world is trying to get access to and contribute to as well,” Callister said. “But U.S. really stands out in really drug development and technology development.”

Callister said his efforts in China focused not on importing innovations, but establishing the infrastructure “where excellent care could thrive.”

Some of that included establishing American-style oncology nursing and advocating for specialists and development of a higher level of patient support through nutrition services, physical therapy, psychology and speech therapy.

Callister focused much of his time on promoting a multidisciplinary style of decision-making, particularly among physicians, when a patient receives a new diagnosis because “cancer care is really a team sport.”

“The decisions aren’t made by one person, but made by a group of peers that are specialists in different areas who can put their experiences together to really point the patient in the most effective path possible for their cancer,” Callister explained.

He helped accomplish all of this in spite of China’s rigid COVID protocols.

Callister helped open the Guangzhou Concord Cancer Center in June 2021.

“We were able to move forward to achieve our goals of getting cancer care to a lot of patients,” he said.

Through all his work, Callister still managed to enjoy the scenery with his wife Laura and the four kids they took with them.

Since 2004, the couple has raised their eight kids in Mesa and found life in China exhilarating.

“We loved living downtown in large

Dr. Matt Callister, senior physician executive Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center, established that renown cancer hospital in Gilbert. (David Minton/Tribune Staff Photographer)

Hanging out one day at the Great Wall of China were Dr. Matt Callister (far right) and some of his family: LeGrand, Autumn, Grace, wife Laura and Josh. (Courtesy of Dr. Matt Callister)

cities, not having a car, relying on public transportation,” Callister said. “And just all in all the diversity as far as food and entertainment.”

Callister’s passion for oncology started at Duke University Medical School.

“When you go to medical school, I think one of the things you discover is this incredible breadth of different specialties and ways in which we use science and technology to help patients,” Callister said.

Through patient interactions, Callister became “deeply impressed” by the tools science has and is developing in the fight against cancer.

“I think the science and the people component just really came together,” Callister said. “And in the middle of medical school, I really committed to having a career in cancer.”

Callister graduated in 1997 and proceeded to an internship at the Mayo Clinic Arizona and four more years of training and residency at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

In his career, Callister said one of the most important principles about cancer is that it’s not one disease but many diseases and based on both different locations in the body and the genetic abnormalities associated with each tumor.

“I think one of the main themes that’s developed during my career is that with the progress in science and technology, we have been able to increasingly customize or personalize the treatment needed for everyone’s cancer,” Callister said.

Advancements in technology have allowed doctors to use a combination of surgery, radiotherapy and drug treatments in a “more refined way that matches the abnormality that’s causing cancer to develop or to progress in a patient,” Callister said.

“Increasingly, things have become much more complex, based on a lot more information and a lot more tools that are available,” he said.

Callister now focuses on administering and leading cancer programs.

“I am an avid supporter of getting our docs the resources to open clinical trials,

do research and become experts in their field,” Callister said.

Since returning to his current role, Callister said the teamwork he experienced in China is one of the things he will carry forward in his own career at Banner MD Anderson in Gilbert, convinced that “despite the difference in language, differences in culture, differences in the world that we live, good things can be accomplished anywhere when people cooperate.” 

For more Business News visit QueenCreekTribune.com

Marijuana sales steadily increasing in Arizona

BY RYAN KNAPPENBERGER Cronkite News

Sales of marijuana in Arizona soared to $1.6 billion in 2021, just one year after recreational pot was legalized in the state, making Arizona second only to California for retail sales that year, according to an industry research group.

But while retail sales of cannabis are strong, the crop is far from being added to the traditional “5 C’s” of Arizona’s economy, experts say, as production still trails far behind other states.

They say cannabis could become a strong part of the state’s economy in the next few years, but the industry will first have to overcome barriers to growth nationwide that include limited trade and restrictions on financing for a crop that is still illegal on the federal level.

“We don’t see SWAT teams busting in the doors of dispensaries,” said Aaron Smith, CEO of the National Cannabis Industry Association. “But we do have problems with not being able to take tax deductions like a normal industry, or being able to have interstate commerce, which really creates a barrier to entry for a lot of folks.”

Marijuana sales brought in $221.3 million in taxes in 2021, according to the Arizona Department of Revenue, and sales in 2022 were on pace to eclipse that number, with $196.4 million in taxes in

Arizona has seen a decline in the marijuana market share involving flower and an increase in the popularity of vape pens and pre-rolls,according to the latest available market data. (headset.com)

the first nine months of the year. That’s an average of just under $22 million in excise taxes a month for 2022.

Cultivation and production of cannabis as a crop, however, are not about to rival the 5 C’s: cattle, cotton, copper, citrus and climate. Alexis Villacis Aveiga, an assistant professor at the Morrison School of Agribusiness at Arizona State University, said the state would need to see a much larger expansion of agricultural production.

But Arizona’s climate makes it difficult to grow cannabis.

“For example, we have 35,000 square feet of indoors cannabis and hemp,” Aveiga said. “In California there are over 4 mil-

lion square feet, Colorado has over 2 million and Kentucky has around 200,000.”

Dave DeWalt, the Arizona statistician for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, said in an email that the state had about 129,000 acres of cotton in production in 2021, worth about $156 million, and that cattle brought in $754 million that year. There were 10,031 acres of citrus in the state in 2017, the most recent year for which USDA has data available.

Acreage for cannabis production was not readily available, but the Arizona Department of Agriculture measures the production of hemp – a type of cannabis plant that contains 0.3% or less of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the psychoactive com-

ponent of the plant that gives users a high. Hemp cannot be used to get high, but can be used to create things like rope, paper, paint, beer, medicine and more.

The department said Arizona had 155.5 acres of industrial hemp growing in fields at the end of 2021, and 11,558 square feet planted indoors.

Aveiga said current state regulations make hemp less attractive as a crop, since farmers can only sell their harvest if it is below the 0.3% limit for THC. Otherwise, it counts as marijuana, which requires a separate license to grow and sell.

Smith, of the NCIA, said it’s not just farmers: Businesses trying to sell medical and recreational marijuana face legal hurdles that other businesses don’t.

He said regulations for cannabis make it difficult for small businesses to deduct expenses and find banks to work with. That means some operators cannot take credit cards for purchases and in some cases cannot place cash in checking accounts.

Despite all the current hurdles, Smith said Arizona has been a pioneering purple state in terms of cannabis regulation and has shown just how popular legalization can be.

“Cannabis is used across demographics, boomers and millennials and Gen Z, people over 21 are using responsibly and we’re glad to see that,” Smith said. “Arizona law is by and large working well.” 

U-Haul gets initial OK for Queen Creek storage site

TRIBUNE NEWS STAFF

The Queen Creek Planning and Zoning Commission has given initial approval for a parcel of land at the just east of Ocotillo and Crismon roads, adjacent to the Union Pacific Railroad tracks, for 1,073-unit U-Haul storage and rental facility.

The land is already zoned for such an operation, but had to go through the public hearing process because of what the company wants to do on that corner, which goes beyond a typical stor-

age facility.

“They were required to obtain a conditional use permit because they were proposing the outdoor storage of their vehicles,” said erik swanson, planning manager for the town of Queen Creek.

Although the commission is not involved in doing any sort of needs analysis for this or any other site in town, Swanson said, there seems a clear need for this type of facility.

“With the town’s explosion in population, U-Haul obviously thinks there is a need for it,” Swanson said, “but it’s not

something where we go out and say ‘hey, there is a real need for this let’s go try to cater to these users.’”

Swanson said from a planning and land use standpoint, which is his expertise, this corner makes sense given what is around it.

“I think it’s a beneficial use given the proximity to all the residential around it, it seems to make sense,” Swanson said. “There’s also outdoor storage out there already to the East and so it kind of fits in with the surrounding context.”

The land use permit will go before

Town Council in the new year for consideration and possible approval.

U-Haul was founded in Washington State in 1945 and is now headquartered here in the Valley. Its latest numbers show that the company employs 19,500 people, and in 2020 generated revenue of more than $54-billion.

While it sells boxes and other moving supplies and rents storage units to the public, it is perhaps best known for its familiar orange and white trucks and trailers with the black U-Haul logo emblazoned on the side. 

QueenCreekTribune.com | @QCTribune @QCTribune

Linus told us what Christmas is all about

BY JD HAYWORTH Tribune Columnist

You can’t say you weren’t warned.

A year ago in this space, as the glad tidings were reported that “A Charlie Brown Christmas” was airing again on national television for the 56th straight year, there also came a warning that the Peabody Award-winning “Peanuts” special might not be seen for a 57th consecutive Yuletide broadcast on conventional “over-the-air” TV.

Sadly, that has come to pass.

In their beneficence, the fine folks at Apple TV+ say instead that their platform will provide a “free window” for streaming video viewing of the show from Dec. 22 to Christmas Day.

Of course, that “free stream” of video won’t mean much to the technically and economically challenged among us…but “Hey, it’s the thought that counts, right?”

Your initial reaction to this Apple TV+ corporate decision could very well be, “Where have I heard this before?”

Stop. Think. Remember.

You first heard this notion when you were old enough to understand the plot of “A Charlie Brown Christmas.”

Our forlorn hero is even more forlorn as Christmas Day approaches; Charlie Brown bemoans the commercialization of the Christmas season.

Thankfully, there’s good news but more on that in a moment.

First, a word not from but for Apple. Sure, corporate executives made a “business decision.” After spending

big bucks for exclusive rights to the “‘Peanuts’ Gallery” of TV Specials, those rights aren’t exclusive if you share freely of the one special that’s most special in a way that insures the widest possible distribution.

But maybe you should listen to the question asked by the star of the show.

Charlie Brown shouts it out of exasperation, in a volume that can be heard even in a soundproof Executive Suite: “Isn’t there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?”

Linus answers him, quietly, effectively, and movingly from the Gospel of Luke: “For unto you is born this day in the City of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.”

Linus then concludes, “That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.”

That’s what Christmas is all about, Ap -

ple executives.

That’s what Christmas is all about, dear reader.

Our Creator loved us enough to send his most beloved creation out of the splendor of eternity and into the squalor of a sinful world to give us the gift of eternal life, if we accept it.

“Peanuts” Creator Charles Schulz accepted that gift and chose to share it with others.

That’s why he insisted that the passage from Luke be included in “A Charlie Brown Christmas.”

But other members of his creative team were skeptical, even way back in 1965.

“You can’t put the Bible on television,” one told him.

A Christmas wish for real human contact

BY DAVID LEIBOWITZ Tribune Columnist

It was a Christmas morning a half century ago in a cramped second-floor apartment in New York. The little boy, 6 years old, had done everything save petition his parents and Santa for a “big boy bicycle.” Something without training wheels. A bike he could pedal like the wind.

The boy awakened at dawn to gifts spilling out from under the tree, but no bicycle in sight. There was a bulging stocking with plastic soldiers, a new football, some toys he’d break in hours, but nothing with wheels and pedals.

This would have been the holiday that dashed the boy’s heart for eternity. But then his mother made a magical statement.

“Did you look in the shower?” she said. “Maybe it didn’t fit under the tree.”

Hollywood has never done a grander reveal. There it was: A Huffy bicycle in a shade of gold like bars of bullion. With high handlebars and a banana seat that was all the rage in 1971. The boy immediately would have ridden through the living room and down the dozen steps to the sidewalk had the golden machine not come with a list of rules, including no stunts like Evel Knievel.

The boy rode that bicycle for years, until he was 12 and he couldn’t pedal it without his knees threatening to clock his jaw. The golden bicycle took him on so many adventures. It remains the single greatest Christmas surprise of his lifetime.

Now it’s 50 years later. The boy sits with his fingers on a keyboard, pondering another Christmas morning. He has every material thing he could ever

want, plus his health, a warm home and love in his heart. There is a tree in the other room with presents spilling out. What more could he – could I – possibly want?

For a few days, I have not been able to escape a gnawing in my heart. It started, strangely enough, when I walked into the grocery store and saw a winding line of humans waiting for a self-service checkout machine to come free. The registers were all closed, not a cashier to be seen, just one harried employee scurrying around trying to coach a half-dozen people checking out themselves.

I used to joke about how my hurry to leave the grocery store. “Hello,” the cashier would say, all chummy. “Plastic,” I would bark, because, haha, I was too busy to spare a moment for human interaction.

Now – be careful what you wish for –

we have machines incapable of chat. Later that night, I turned on the news to a photo op from Sky Harbor airport.

Courtesy of Waymo, Phoenix is the first city in the world where driverless taxis will take you to the airport. As Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego put it at a press conference, “The future is here.”

Indeed, it is. And I’m not all that psyched about it.

On this Christmas, all I have is a simple ask, as much a gift for you and yours as me and mine. At no time in history have there been more ways to remove humans from life’s many equations –drone deliveries, automated checkouts and ordering kiosks, autonomous vehicles, artificial intelligence. We can chat using Snap, Zoom into meetings. We can be everywhere, all without being physically present to those with whom we live

HAYWORTH from page 18

“If we don’t do it, who will?” Schulz responded.

The passage from Luke remains, even if the annual nationwide telecast has now ended.

The same Bible that motivated and inspired Charles Schulz also warns us of the tackiness, trendiness, and yes, sinfulness of this temporal world.

Charles Schulz was called from this

LEIBOWITZ from page 18

and love.

It is cold. It is a poor substitute for the one thing I want this holiday season. For us to be a little more present, a little

temporal existence into eternal rest more than two decades ago.

The Bible in which he believed also said of the Savior in whom Schulz believed that He “is the same yesterday, today, and forever,” and that His gift of salvation is available to all.

You can’t say you haven’t been invited. May you and yours celebrate a peaceful, joyful, and meaningful Christmas…whether or not you watch “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” 

more kind, a little more human.

It is a simple thing to wish for, though like that bike, it would not fit under the tree. Merry Christmas, friend. I hope you have love and everything else you desire. 

New EV club boasts creative drinks, fun times

BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI GetOut Editor

When Chuck and Angela Fazio moved from a traditional real estate agency to a cloud-based international company, they were left with a beautiful building in Chandler.

So, the couple did what anyone would do. They opened a nightclub and a lounge.

TwentyThree01 Bar & Nightclub and The Forum Lounge are hidden gems in Chandler. The Instagram-worthy club marks a full-circle moment for Chuck, who worked with nightclubs in New York.

“The atmosphere is really great,” he said. “We have two patios, the bar and a dance floor. The front part of the building is The Forum Lounge. It will have live entertainment, great food and amazing ambience. It has a large event space that will also have entertainment and is available for private events.

“We want this to be a hub where people in the Valley know they can get entertainment — whatever it is.”

The music varies from Top 40 and EDM to Latin at TwentyThree01 Bar & Nightclub. Ladies Night is every Friday in December and January, while Saturdays see the kitchen open until midnight and hookah available all night. Soon we’ll even have cigars.

On Ladies Night, women can enjoy drinks for $5 until midnight, while everyone can take advantage of happy hour starting at 4 p.m.

The menu is elevated bar food, with Korean fried chicken, popcorn shrimp, tuna tataki, chicken pot stickers, pork and vegetable rolls, barbecue pork sliders and chicken yakatori. TwentyThree01 Bar & Nightclub also boasts spicy

French fries, spicy tuna roll, California roll, Philly roll, bang bang shrimp roll and crunchy hidden spicy tuna roll.

The drinks are creative and range from a pecan old fashioned to banana espresso martini to tequila colada.

The Fazios say TwentyThree01 Bar & Nightclub and The Forum Lounge were born out of necessity, not a dream. Chuck moved here in 1998 and met Angela through real estate. He said they were both broke and almost exited the

real estate business.

“By the grace of God, we went on to be one of the top agents in the country and the top teams in 2005,” he said.

“The next logical step was opening a brokerage. We slowly built and built and built. Then I had a vision of building the coolest real estate office. So, we started to look for spaces. I had a vision in my head.”

For the real estate office, Chuck obtained a class six liquor license and LGE, a commercial custom builder, put its

touch on the building. The bar, café and kitchen were all part of the real estate office. A game room was also featured.

“We built it to be the No. 1 single-office, independent real estate brokerage in the world,” he said proudly.

“Out of this one location, we had 906 agents, and we did about $2 billion in production and sales. We are really well known in the industry, so we were approached by a cloud-based, forward-thinking company that’s international.”

eXp wanted Chuck and Angela to work there, but, at first, neither wanted to give up the office. They prayed, looked at the options and closed the brokerage.

“The industry laughed at us because they thought we lost our minds,” he said. “It took me 16 years to go to 906 agents, and it took us three years to go to 8,000 agents worldwide. So, I have agents in India, Italy, Portugal, Canada, Mexico, France, Spain and, obviously, the United States.”

“The reason why we built up such a big brokerage is we believe in the community,” he said.

“We were into entertainment and that’s the reason why everybody loved us. We like to give back, so why not do something like this?” 

TwentyThree01 Bar & Nightclub

2301 S. Stearman Drive, Chandler 480-722-9800

clubtwentythree01.com

4 p.m. to 2 a.m. Fridays

8 p.m. to 2 a.m. Saturdays theforumlounge.com

Opens the last week in January

4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesdays-Thursdays

4 p.m. to 12 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays

Chuck and Angela Fazio have converted a Chandler building into the new East Valley hot spot for East Valley young people. (David Minton/GetOut Staff)

With JAN D’ATRI

GetOut Columnist

Give green beans a little love with this recipe

Greens beans sometimes don’t get the love they deserve. Of course, this time of the year, they are the star side as your holiday green bean casserole. Otherwise, it’s steam the green beans, add a dollop of butter and serve.

But what if you used one skillet to build a whole lot of flavor and then served a platter of fresh charred green beans tossed with a Dijon mustard caper combination?

What if you added cherry tomatoes for color, hard boiled eggs for flavor and crispy prosciutto strips for a salty crunch?

I’d say you have a tasty new way of serving one of this season’s freshest pickin’s! It really does take one

Ingredients:

• 1 lb fresh green beans, ends trimmed

• 3 hard boiled eggs, cut into quarters

• 1 large shallot, peeled and sliced thin

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 4 slices prosciutto

• 1 cup cherry tomatoes (I used the multi-

Directions:

Hard boil eggs. Peel, cool to refrigerate, then cut into quarters and set aside.

Wash fresh green beans and trim the ends. Boil 1 inch of water in a large skillet.

(Have a bowl of ice water ready to shock green beans.) When water comes to a boil, add green beans and cook for 2-3 minutes, turning occasionally. For thin beans cook for 2 minutes, for larger beans, cook for 3 minutes.

Drain beans in a colander and dunk into ice bath to stop the cooking process. When cool, drain beans and set aside.

In the same skillet, heat one tablespoon of olive oil and cook shallots until softened and caramelized.

Set aside. In same skillet place 4 pieces of prosciutto and cook on both sides until crispy like

skillet (once you blanch the beans and hard boil the eggs) and although some of it is cooked in stages, it all comes together in one delightful garden fresh Gourmet Green Bean Salad!

Give green beans a little love this week, won’t you?

colored heirloom variety), sliced in half

• 2 heaping tablespoons Dijon mustard

• 2 level tablespoons capers, drained

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon coarse ground pepper

• Pinch of red pepper flakes

• Olive oil for drizzling

bacon. Immediately remove from skillet and slice into strips.

In same skillet, on medium high heat, spread out green beans and let cook for about 3-4 minutes without turning. When browned, toss beans to brown on the other side.

Add Dijon mustard and capers and with tongs, quickly toss beans to coat.

To assemble:

On a large oblong platter or flat serving plate, place green beans in a row. Add slices of hard boiled eggs and cherry tomatoes. Top green beans with sautéed shallot and sprinkle with crisp prosciutto strips.

Drizzle a small amount of extra virgin olive oil over beans and season with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Serve warm. 