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Councilman Apologizes
For Election Night Remarks
 City Council discusses using SRP funds
to help bury utilities at proposed new
convenience store site
By Jill Jones
The News
APACHE JUNCTION- City Councilman
Kris Sipple took the opportunity
at the April 3, 2007 City Council
meeting to offer a public apology
to Councilman and Mayorelect
Johnny Insalaco regarding
statements he made to the East
Valley Tribune about one hour after
the March 13, 2007 primary election
results were tabulated.
At that time, Sippel indicated that
he could not work with Insalaco as
mayor. He told the Tribune, “This
(election) says that the community
is deciding to go in a different
direction
than I want to go. The
people elected a mayor who I feel
will not move the city in the direction
I want to see it go.”
Sipple retracted those words last
week, telling the council, “I said some
passionate words that I
shouldn’t have, and I directed them
to Mayor-elect (Johnny) Insalaco.
I want to apologize to Johnny. I
truly am excited to work with him, if
the community so desires.”
See
A-1
and see City
Council,
A-5
Sheriff’s Deputies
Honored
 Medals presented to deputies who went
“above and beyond”
By Jill Jones
The News
FLORENCE- Pinal County Sheriff
Chris Vasquez presented medals to
four Pinal County Deputies (one
posthumously), who he said went
above and beyond the call of duty
and whose actions defined the
meaning of patriotism.
Medals of Valor were presented
to Deputies Joseph Roethle, Scott
Strobel and Chris Encisco and a
Medal of Distinction was accepted
by Elly Bradley, wife of Deputy
Alan Bradley on Wednesday, April
11, 2007 at the Pinal County Board
of Supervisors meeting.
Deputy Bradley, who worked in
the Apache Junction/Gold Canyon
Region 3 area, had been dining in a
Tucson restaurant when an elderly
woman began choking and started
to panic. Vasquez said that Bradley
“calmly and with no hesitation”
approached
the woman and used the
Heimlich maneuver to dislodge the
obstruction, saving her life.
See
A-1
and see Honored page,
A-3
Four Peaks Music
Teacher Awarded Prestigious ‘Platinum
Apple’
 First East Valley teacher to receive
honor since program began
By Cindy McSperitt
The News
In a surprise presentation on Thursday,
April 5, 2007, Great Southwest
Mortgage (GSM) of Scottsdale awarded Pam
Turner, music
teacher at Apache Junction’s Four Peaks
Elementary School, with
the Platinum Apple Award. The award is
presented each month to
one of Arizona’s outstanding teachers.
This marked the first time
an East Valley educator has been honored
since the Platinum Apple
Award program began last October.
In addition to the award, Turner was
presented with a $3,000
check plus $1,000 for the school.
Turner, who has proclamed teaching
the “love of her heart,” has
been a teacher for nearly 27 years.
Turner started Four Peak’s first
orchestra and began a hand chime
choir with a set of hand chimes
loaned to her from the State
Handbell Association. She is responsible
for developing the
Adopt A Musician program, which
encourages taxpayers to use tax
credit donations to sponsor individual
students on an instrument
for a year. The proceeds allow the
teacher to rent instruments for
students.
Since the program began, the
Four Peaks band has grown from a
handful of students and now number
60 members. She also started a
hand chime choir at the school and
under her leadership 64 students
sing in the school choir.
See
A-1 and see
Teacher,
A-3
AJHS Boys On Top In
Track Meet
 By Chuck Baker
The News
The Apache Junction High
School boys track and field
team garnered twelve first place
finishes out of seventeen events
to finish on top in last
Wednesday’s three-team home
meet also involving schools
from Higley and Queen Creek.
With Shane McCullen capturing
first in the 100 meters, 200
meters and long jump and Troy
Yates winning both the 1600 and
3200 meter races, the Prospectors
scored 99 team points to
defeat Higley (61.5 pts.) and
Queen Creek (17.5 pts.).
McCullen ran a time of 10:53
to win the 100 meters, which if
it holds up, would establish a
new AJHS school record, breaking
the old mark of 10:68 set by
former sprinter Ryan Allan back
in 2003. Because McCullen’s
time was a hand-held time, it
was not known yet whether the
10:53 would be recognized as a
new school record.
McCullen ran 22:99 to win the
200 meters and leaped 19’11”
to capture the top spot in the
high jump event.
In addition to running
his personal
best time in the 1600
meters, Yates turned in a time
of 11:33.80 to capture first place
in the 3200 meters.
Also coming up with a first
place finish for AJHS was
Frankie Baker in the 800 meters
(2:10), Rusty Fernando in the
300 meter hurdles (43:37),
Daniel Ambrosio in high jump
(6’), Kevin Clark in pole vault
(11’), Louie Crespo in shot put
(49’6”), Nick Tovar in discus
(142’3”) and the Prospectors
4x100 meter relay team which
combined for a time of 43:70,
which also be a new school
record breaking the 2003 time
of 44:50. The four-man squad
included Josh Morgan, Mike
Taylor, Fernando and McCullen.
See
C-1
and see Track,
C-6
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