Homeowners Have A Sinking Feeling
Sinkholes plague manufactured home community
By Jill Jones
The News
APACHE JUNCTION- Florida based American Land Lease (ALL)/ All Home Sales claims a standard of excellence in their communities and outstanding service to their residents, but residents of the Desert Harbor community, 3700 S. Ironwood Dr., don’t agree and are taking legal action to protect their investment.
   Sinkholes, cracking walls, surface water seepage, structural problems, mold issues and more have plagued Desert Harbor homeowners due to construction defects, in addition to soil erosion and ground subsidence. In other words, the soil was not compacted to withstand the weight of their homes, which are slowly shifting and sinking in soft, muddy soil.
   According to homeowner Clyde Preston, approximately 97 of the 207 homes in the subdivision are sitting on unstable soil. Owners of 72 of the affected homes have joined forces and formed the Desert Harbor Association of Homeowners, which hired an engineering firm to conduct an inspection of some of the homes.
   The engineering report in part read, “Measures must be taken to stabilize and densify the backfill soils around the crawl spaces to prevent future sinkholes and infiltration of surface water beneath the homes,” and indicated that the problems observed were representative of most, if not all, of the development and that remedying the situation would require moving the homes so the surface re-grading and soil compaction could be done.

See A-1 and see Sinkholes, A-3

First AJ Murder Of 2008
Body of man found in drug store parking lot
By Jill Jones
The News
APACHE JUNCTION- The body of a man was found in the drivers seat of a vehicle in the parking lot of a drug store early Sunday morning March 09, 2008.
   A green 1999 Pontiac Grand Am had been parked in the Walgreen Drug parking lot at 2440 S. Ironwood Drive with headlights and emergency flashers activated for at least a couple of hours, according to authorities. The windows were up and the doors were reportedly locked.
   When officers approached the vehicle to conduct a welfare check at around 2 a.m. Sunday morning, they attempted to make contact with the man in the drivers seat by knocking on the window. When they received no response the accessed the situation and found that the man had suffered a single fatal gunshot wound to the back of the neck.
   The victim was reportedly carrying identification from Sonora, Mexico, but the man was reportedly familiar to authorities who were able to confirm his identity as Jose Ramon Cardenas, 33, of Apache Junction
   Cardenas was transported to the Pima County Medical Examiner’s Office. Authorities said that the incident may be drug related, however; the investigation is ongoing.
   Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to call the Apache Junction Police at 480-982-8260.

Deputies Receive Medal Of Valor
Medals awarded at for August 2007 incident
By Ed Barker
The News
FLORENCE- Two Pinal County Sheriff’s Office deputies received the Medal of Valor honor award at the March 12, 2008 Pinal County Board of Supervisors meeting in Florence.
   Pinal County Sheriff Chris Vasquez presented Deputies Andrew Goode and Julio Avilez with the medals for an incident in August 2007 where they put their lives on the line to save another.
   Goode and Avilez responded to a residence that had been flooded by natural gas in a suicide attempt. A woman inside the home was unconscious and the deputies were able to get her through a window and carry her to awaiting paramedics. The paramedics reported that the woman would have died within minutes had not the deputies removed her.
   Sheriff Vasquez said by removing the unresponsive woman, Deputies Goode and Avilez put their lives at extreme risk of being caught in a natural gas explosion and that their actions saved this woman’s life while placing their own in danger.
   A committee of sheriff’s office staff representing all bureaus reviewed this incident and recommended these two deputies to receive the Medal of Valor.

NFL Youth Experience Champs
A.J., Gold Canyon “Saints” capture 6-8 age group title in flag football
By Chuck Baker
The News
A group of boys from Apache Junction and Gold Canyon known as the “Saints” captured the 6-to-8 age group championship title in the Winter Season of the NFL Youth Experience Flag Football League played March 1 in Mesa.
   The boys included Bryce Sisk, Colin Nuezil, Jacob Minich, Cameron Kunkle, Austin Salzman, Ian Baxter, Devin Bowen and London Darger, and the coaches were Scott Sisk, Todd Salzman and Tracey Baxter.
   NFL Youth Experience is the premier youth football league for boys and girls ages 6 to 14 years. The league, which is recognized by the NFL and the Arizona Cardinals, provides for a minimum-contact, fast-paced, competitive and fun style of flag football while emphasizing participation and sportsmanship.
   NFL Youth Experience offers three seasons each year divided up by districts or locations throughout Arizona. The Mesa district plays its games on Saturdays at Canyon Rim Elementary School and registration is now available for the 2008 Spring Season, which is played in April and May.
   Coaches are allowed to form their own teams and registration and additional information by contacting the Mesa league organizer, Kim Bickes, at (602) 919-1475, or via email at kbickes127@yahoo.com.
   You can also find out more information about the NFL Youth Experience program by visiting the website, www.eteamz.com

See C-1