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Grand No More -The End
Of An Era
 Demolition on The Grand Hotel begins a
community landmark for more than 40
years
By Cindy McSperitt
The News
APACHE JUNCTION- The giant
claws of two track hoes began ripping
into the tiled roof of one of
the back wings of The Grand Hotel
Thursday morning, January 18,
2007 as the first phase of its
demolition
began. The building that has
long stood as a piece of local history
is being torn down to make
way for future development.
In earlier times, The Grand Hotel
(formerly the Superstition Inn) was
a focal point for town activity and
a popular gathering place for locals.
Talk to just about any long
time resident and they will have a
story or two to tell of an occasion
at the old hotel.
The hotels history includes visits
by many celebrities. It was once
a resort destination for big-name
actors who starred in western movies
filmed at nearby Apacheland
Movie Ranch. Stars such as John
Wayne, Audie Murphy and Elvis
Presley are just a few of the many
actors who stayed at the hotel.
See
A-1
and see Grand
Hotel, page
A-3
AJ Teen Honored By
Gold Canyon Soroptimist Club
 Emily Donald selected as Violet
Richardson Award winner
By Jill Jones
The News
GOLD CANYON- The Soroptimist
International Club of Gold Canyon
has chosen Apache Junction High
School senior Emily Donald as their
Violet Richardson Award recipient.
The Violet Richardson Award,
named after the clubs first president,
was launched in 2000 to recognize
girls, between the ages of
14 and 17, who participate in volunteer
service to their communities.
Participating clubs chose a recipient
at the club level, who is then
eligible to receive a $1,000 cash
award, with a matching amount
going to the charitable organization
of the recipients choice. The
Soroptimist organization then
grants one finalist a $2,500 award
to the recipients chosen volunteer
organization.
A teens life today is challenging;
dealing with the pressures of going
to school, devoting many
hours to homework and often working
a part-time job, said Gold Canyon Soroptimist Club Reporter
Debbie Nelson. Despite these demands,
many young women set
aside time to volunteer to make a
difference in their community. Emily
Donald is one such inspiring volunteer.
Emily maintains a 4.3 GPA and
plans to attend college in the fall
and major in Sociology. After college,
she plans to be either a social
worker or missionary. Emily, who is
president of the National Honor
Society (NHS) and head of the Student
Council Community Service
Committee, said she is honored to
lead a group of the most brilliant
and dedicated students our town
has ever seen.
See
A-1,
and see Teen
Honored
A-3
Fire In The Hole!
 Approximately 200 portable toilets
destroyed by blaze
By Cindy McSperitt
The News
APACHE JUNCTION- A fire broke
out Friday morning, January 19,
2007 at approximately 10:15 a.m. in
the storage area of Arizona Waste
Services, in the 2500 block of W.
Houston Ave. The facility is located
at the North Pinal Industrial
Park near Ironwood Drive and
Baseline Road. Black clouds of billowing
smoke could be seen for
miles.
Fire Marshal Dave Montgomery,
of the Apache Junction Fire District,
said approximately 200-250
port-a-johns were destroyed along
with 7 vehicles belonging to employees
that were parked in an adjacent
parking lot. Several people
were evacuated, but there were no
known injuries, said Montgomery.
The large volume of fire and the
heavy black clouds of smoke were
caused by the amount of plastics
involved in the blaze, according to
Montgomery.
Fire crews from Apache Junction,
Mesa, Gilbert and Rural Metro Fire
responded. Montgomery said the
fire was brought under control in
about 40 minutes and that it did
not spread to any nearby structures.
The early loss estimate is approximately
$300,000.
Montgomery said the cause of the fire is under investigation.
 Prospectors Topple Tempe, 50-40
By Chuck Baker
The News
The Prospector varsity basketball
team picked up a key
East Sky Region victory last
Tuesday at home knocking off
the Tempe Buffaloes, 50-40.
Apache Junction jumped out
to an early big lead, 24-10 midway
through the second quarter,
but the Buffaloes fought
their way back in the second
half and actually took a brief
36-34 lead with six minutes left
in the final quarter. The Prospectors
quickly regained the
lead and never let it go with
senior Justin Elman sinking two
big buckets down the stretch
and junior Robert Bohr adding
a three-pointer.
Junior Andrew Cranmer made
a rare start for the Prospectors
and made the most of it, scoring
14 points to go along with
three assists and two steals.
Elman finished with 9 points,
nine rebounds, three steals and
two blocked shots and Bohr
finished with 5 points and
dished out three assists.
Also for Apache Junction,
junior Jimmy Cowles netted 8
points, senior Justin Higuera
contributed 4 points and three
assists, senior Josh Hardgrove
tallied 4 points, seniors Thomas
Keenan and Ben Garcia
each added a bucket and senior
Henry Parker pitched in with
four rebounds.
See
C-1
and see
Hoops
C-2
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