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 Insalaco Wins Mayor’s
Race
Barker and Wilson capture council seats
Serdy and Sippel to face off in May
election for final open seat
 By Jill Jones
The News
APACHE JUNCTION- Only 11
percent of Apache Junction’s registered
voters went to the polls last
week, 1,502 of the 13,718 officially
registered, but those hearty few
who braved sunny skies and 80 degree
weather filled two of three
open city council seats and elected
a new mayor.
John Insalaco, who defeated fellow
Councilman Dave Waldron,
pulled almost 60% of the vote and
became the city’s first new mayor
in 12 years. Mayor Douglas
Coleman, who chose not to run for
reelection, was first elected in 1995.
City Council candidate Robin
Barker received almost 58 percent
of the total votes cast and candidate
Chip Wilson came away with
over 55 percent, both exceeding the
required 50 percent plus 1 vote and
thereby locking in their seats on
the council.
Candidate Jeff Serdy received 48.7
percent of the vote, which was just
81 shy of the number needed to
secure the third council seat in the
primary election. Serdy will face
incumbent
Councilman Kris Sippel,
who received 31.9 percent of the
votes, in a run-off in the May 15
general election. The newly elected
officials will be sworn in at the first
city council meeting in June.
Waldron led the mayor’s race in
the early balloting, but Insalaco
prevailed in all three city polling
places on election day, coming
away with 59.3 percent of the total
votes to Waldron’s 40.5 percent.
See
A-1
City Elections,
page
A-5
Students Selected For
National Youth Leadership Forum
 Sanderson attended in February, Haygood
to go this summer
APACHE JUNCTION- Two Apache Junction High School students
have been invited to participate in one of the National Youth
Leadership Forums (NYLF) to be
held at seven locations nationwide
this summer.
April Haygood, age 16 and a
sophomore at AJHS, has plans to
attend the National Youth Leader ship
Forum on Medicine (NYLF/
MED). Marissa Sanderson, age 17
and a junior at AJHS, completed
her forum last month (February) on
Defense, Intelligence and Diplomacy
(NYLF/DID).
The NYLF was founded in 1992
and is a non-profit organization
that helps prepare extraodinary
young people for their future careers.
They offer forums in a variety
of areas such as law, medicine,
technology and defense, intelligence
and diplomacy. All students
must demonstrate strong academic
abilities, leadership qualities and an
interest in the career field being
studied.
April Haygood was nominated for
participation in the National Youth
Leadership Forum on Medicine
(NYLF/MED) by her school counselor,
Mr. Parker. This forum is
known as the foremost program in
pre-medical education for high
school students and is designed
to give students an up-close and
personal view of the rewards and
demands of the medical field
See
A-1
and See Youth
Forum
A-3
Smugglers Bought Guns
In AJ
Five suspects arrested in “straw
purchase”
By Jill Jones
The News
APACHE JUNCTION- Weapons
purchased from an Apache Junction
gun shop reportedly turned up
in the hands of smugglers bound
for Mexico, bringing new meaning
to the warning issued by Apache
Junction Police Chief Glenn Walp
about “straw” gun purchases.
Less than one month ago the
Apache Junction City Council
voted to approve the resale of firearms
confiscated by the AJPD, following
the controversial destruction
of 1,200 firearms that had accumulated
in the AJPD evidence
room since the 1980’s.
Until February, the city had no
policy to regulate the disposal of
confiscated weapons, so Walp issued
the order for destruction last
summer, drawing ire from gun enthusiasts
who were of the opinion
the weapons should be auctioned
off, which would in turn provide
additional revenue for the city.
Walp warned the council of potential
litigation and the possibility
of “straw purchases” of weapons offered
for auction by the department.
Straw purchasers are individuals
who have clean records
that are hired to purchase firearms
from legitimate dealers for criminals
or individuals who are prohibited
from purchasing the weapons legally.
See
A-1
Smugglers,
page
A-3
Safeway International
Tees Off Thursday
 Superstition Mountain Golf & Country to
host LPGA’s “top 40”; Michelle Wie will
not play
By Chuck Baker
The News
All eyes this week will
be focused
on the LPGA Safeway
International which tees off
Thursday, March 22 at Superstition
Mountain Golf and Country
Club, just six miles east of
Apache Junction. And although
the field for this year’s tournament
will feature the top forty
players based on last season’s
money list, one player missing
from the field is teen sensation
Michelle Wie.
Wie, 17, injured her wrist while
exercising back in February and
has not fully recovered from the
injury. Wie is hoping to be able
to return in time for the Kraft
Nabisco Championships, the
LPGA’s first major of the season,
which begins on March 29.
Returning champion Juli
Inkster headlines a strong field
of LPGA players that also includes
Annika Sorenstam, Paula
Creamer, 2006 Rolex Player of
the Year Lorena Ochoa, Natalie
Gulbis, Morgan Pressel, Ai
Miyazato, Cristie Kerr and
former Safeway winners Se Ri
Pak, Karrie Webb, Laura
Davies, Christa Johnson,
Danielle Ammaccapane and
Rachel Hetherington.
See
C-1
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