Phoenix Suns Star Helps With AJ Habitat
Steve Nash met with city officials to kickoff next home build
By Meghan McCoy
The News
PHOENIX- Ten homes have now been completed at Ironwood Trails, the first Apache Junction neighborhood built by Habitat for Humanity Valley of the Sun utilizing solar technologies. The non-profit organization plans to build eight more by June 2008.
   Phoenix Suns Guard Steve Nash, along with volunteers from Bank of America and Apache Junction city officials, began construction on one of the 18 solar-paneled houses that will soon be occupied by the Kidwell family of Apache Junction.
   Bank of America Charitable Foundation funded a $75,000 grant for the Kidwell family for a home in the Ironwood Trails neighborhood near Ironwood Drive and Superstition Boulevard. All of the Habitat homes in the community will utilize solar technology.
   “Bank of America is pleased to further Habitat’s efforts to provide affordable housing for deserving families in the community,” said Arizona president of Bank of America Benito Almanza. “We are excited to have helped build the first Habitat solar community in the United States. I applaud Habitat’s vision and leadership to bring more affordable homes to the area, and to use solar energy to help reduce homeowner costs and reduce global warming.”

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Veteran’s Day Parade Coming
Sunday morning, November 11 on Apache Trail
By Meghan McCoy
The News
A B-17 Bomber model built from scratch will be at this year’s Veteran’s Day Parade in Apache Junction at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, November 11.
   Apache Junction resident Dan Austin built a model of a B-17 Bomber to 1/10th scale and has dedicated it to all the men and women who have and are serving the United States Armed Forces.
   Austin has been building models since he was 8 years old and decided to make the B-17 his final project. He took three years to construct the bomber, which he said is probably the first model
   B-17 of its size. The B-17 has an extensive history. It was the first major bomber built for combat in both the European and Pacific theaters. More than 12,000 were built during World War II. Many brave men lost their lives during combat, which left the B-17 Bomber with the name “Never Forget.”

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Police Earn Prestigious Award
Drug education night for parents on November 13
By Jill Jones
The News
Apache Junction Police Department (AJPD) School Resource Officer Joe Shikany and his supervisor Sergeant Jeff Robinson were honored for their achievements in school safety by the Arizona Department of Education and Arizona Foundation for Legal Services and Education on Thursday, October 25, 2007.
   Shikany and Robinson were presented the award at a breakfast banquet held at Arizona State University where they received the Model School Safety Program Site Award for their safety and education efforts at Desert Shadows Middle School.
   Shikany, a 13-year AJPD veteran, wears many hats in his role as an AJPD Field Training Officer and School Resource Officer at Desert Shadows, where Shikany is not only a police officer but also a teacher.
   Shikany oversees various programs and teaches law related education to sixth, seventh and eighth graders where he applies law enforcement safety principles to a variety of school subjects. For example, students can be introduced to aspects of forensic crime analysis in science class, essay and report writing in reading or writing classes in addition to learning the importance of math skills as they apply to accident evaluation. Shikany also conducts school safety drills, code red drills, evacuations and assists with peer mediation.

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Prospectors Ground The Falcons, 27-0
McCullen goes for 217 yards and two TDs; AJHS runs for 340 yards in all
By Chuck Baker
The News
Behind a dominating performance from their offensive and defensive lines, Apache Junction rolled to a 27-0 victory over Cave Creek Cactus Shadows last Friday night at Davis Field to improve to 6-4 on the season.
   The Prospectors racked up 340 rushing yards, 217 of those by All State junior Shane Mc- Cullen on 21 carries. McCullen scored on runs of 63 and 24 yards in the first half as Apache Junction jumped out to a 14-0 lead at intermission. For the junior back, it was his 10th and 11th rushing TDs of the season and leaves him with 1,383 yards on 211 attempts this season.
   Junior fullback Justin Ferman added a 21-yard touchdown run midway through the fourth quarter and Prospector senior lineman Louie Crespo chalked one up for the defense, tipping a Falcons’ pass to himself and returning it 47 yards for a defensive touchdown late in the final quarter.

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