Patriotic Makeover
How much would you pay for a chance to win “a beat up, old, white, well-used golf cart”? Marcus Rodgers, a veteran and “golf cart doctor” at Robinson Golf Cars, Apache Junction, AZ, provided the less-than-glowing description of a used SoloRider 34 golf cart that was donated to the Disabled American Veterans.
Arizona Girls State
It was a girl’s week with nearly 300 high school girls from across Arizona converging on the University of Arizona campus for the 71st session of the American Legion Auxiliary premier program, Arizona Girls State. This unique opportunity is open to girls completing their junior year of high school who meet the necessary qualifications.
Playground Funded
The Sons of the American Legion Post #27 came to the rescue of Desert Vista Elementary School, 3701 E. Broadway in Apache Junction, by donating the $4,267.18 needed to complete the inclusive playground equipment on the west side of the campus.
Lori Jioras Comes On Board
It’s been an interesting ride, but Apache Junction Unified School District is happy to announce that Lori Jioras is now on board as AJUSD’s new Transportation Director. She has 13 years of experience in transportation and most recently served as Transportation Supervisor for the largest school district in Missouri.
Homeless Veterans Toiletries Drive
Kicking off on Memorial Day, Monday, May 28, 2018, and continuing through Wednesday, June 20, 2018, Mountain View Funeral Home in Mesa and Superstition Cremation and Funeral Services in Apache Junction will be collecting personal hygiene items for a Homeless Veterans Toiletries Drive.
Community Contributors
The Apache Junction Chamber of Commerce held their 2018 Fry’s Food Community Awards Banquet at Roadhaven Golf & Tennis Resort in Apache Junction. The annual formal banquet honors outstanding small business, medium business, large business, non-profit, volunteer, teacher, firefighter, police officer and professor for their dedication and outstanding contributions to the Apache Junction community.
Flash Flood
As I rode northeastward toward Miner’s Needle Summit from the old Quarter Circle U Ranch, the furthest thing from my mind was a flash flood. I had ridden these draws and canyons of the wilderness for many years. I knew heavy rain could produce dangerous flooding conditions.
Free Summer Food Program
This summer, the Apache Junction Unified School District will partner with the US Department of Agriculture to offer free nutritious breakfasts and lunches to children age 18 and younger at three locations in Apache Junction. All children ages 18 and under are eligible for free meals regardless of family income.
AJUSD Honors Employees/ Volunteer of the Month
Apache Junction Unified School District Public Relations Coordinator Sally Marks presented awards for the Volunteer and Classified (support staff)Employee of the Month at the May 8, 2018, Governing Board meeting. The April awards highlighted the District Office.
Surviving the Sonoran Desert in the summer
Summer is almost here, and temperatures will soon be soaring above 100*F, and a review of some summer survival techniques might be appropriate at this time. Each summer we read or hear about a tragic death or deaths resulting from dehydration, exhaustion or sunstroke occurring during the hot summer months on the Sonoran Desert. These summer deaths could easily be prevented with the proper preparation and training.
Community Resource Center Opens
A community resource center has opened at The Genesis Project to connect the community with much needed support. Representatives from a variety of organizations offer on-site office hours to share information with those in need who are seeking help. Services include a mentorship program, health care, employment and signing up for benefits from the Arizona Department of Economic Security.
Dust Storms Or Haboobs
Summer storms in the desert are often known as the Monsoons. These storms bring massive thunderstorms with severe wind, heavy showers, lightning, dust storms and sometimes devastating winds called “microbursts.” During the summer months, most of the storms over central Arizona and the Superstition Wilderness Area result from warm, moist air flowing in from the Gulf of Mexico and the Sea of Cortez (Gulf of California).
Fair Housing Month
The city of Apache Junction, through a proclamation signed by Mayor Jeff Serdy, is celebrating Fair Housing Month in April. The National Fair Housing Law of 1986, as amended by the Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988, prohibits discrimination in housing and declares it a national policy to provide, within constitutional limits, for fair housing in the United States.
Shadowing Program
The light is shining a little brighter on possible career paths that AJHS students can explore after graduation, thanks to a new Shadowing Program launched in January. The Shadowing Program allows students to explore and plan their education and career choices by researching possible careers and spending a day observing a professional practitioner, artisan or worker in a field that is of interest to the student.
Texting to 9-1-1 is Here
People in Apache Junction, along with residents of much of the Phoenix metropolitan area, can now reach 9-1-1 emergency dispatchers by text message. The service was announced last week by the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) with representatives of the Maricopa Region 9-1-1, public agencies that work with members of the disability community, the Arizona Center for Disability Law and the National Association of the Deaf.
MGC Receives Shade Donation from Apache Greyhound Park
Got Shade? The City of Apache Junction got some recently, at a local playground. The AJ Multi-Generational Center (MGC) playground received a new shade structure after a very generous donation from Apache Greyhound Park.
$50,000 Raised for Pet Shelter
Members of Superstition Mountain Golf & Country Club recently held a benefit event for nearby Apache Junction Paws & Claws Care Center (PCCC). The event raised more than $50,000 for the animal shelter and will support the facility’s efforts to rescue, rehabilitate and adopt-out abandoned and surrendered animals.
Help Prevent Distracted Driving
Each year, the month of April is recognized as National Distracted Driving Prevention Month. The Apache Junction Police Department (AJPD) encourages all motorists to consider how they can practice safe driving habits throughout the year, not just for one month. Simple tasks that are attempted while driving can create deadly results. Adults with teenage drivers are asked to plant the seeds of road-focused driving upon these youngsters.
Quilts of Valor
The Apache Villa Quilters presented eleven veterans with Quilts of Valor in a touching ceremony on March 7. After the ceremony, Wayne Bates, who served and was wounded in the Korean war said “I sure wish I had this quilt to wrap up in when I was wounded and alone.” The Quilts of Valor Foundation was founded in 2003 by Blue Star mom Catherine Roberts.
City Council Meetings
The Apache Junction City Council met for a work session on Monday, March 19 and for a a regular session on Tuesday, March 20, 2018. On Monday, the council discussed an ADOT (AZ Department of Transportation) project that will include street improvements, sidewalks and bike paths on Winchester from 16th Street to Southern.
Police Officer of the Year
Detective Steven Jeansonne was recognized as Police Officer of the Year for his dedication to the task of examining and recovering digital evidence from electronic devices used in criminal offenses. Jeansonne has received praise from peers and outside law enforcement agencies that he has assisted. Jeansonne has been a member of the Police Department since 2006.
Growing Apache Junction from the Inside Out
Apache Junction is on a sure path for growth and, for some, that means outward growth—acquiring land beyond the current city boundaries and enticing development there. Just as important, and perhaps even more important, is the inward growth of the city. We don’t need to move or add a mountain to improve Apache Junction in a big way. This is the idea behind the city’s Strong Sustainable Community Initiative program.
Recent Drug Arrests
The Apache Junction Police Department announced multiple narcotics arrests in the past 3 weeks. AJPD’s Criminal Investigation Division executed multiple search warrants that netted a large quantity of methamphetamine, as well as thousands of dollars in US currency and resulted in the arrests of multiple suspects. These investigations are ongoing, and additional arrests may be forthcoming.
Don’t be a Snakebite Victim
Last year a sixty-seven year old man from California was visiting the Mirage area and while inspecting his RV, he was bitten by a Western Diamond Back rattlesnake. He had heard a strange noise under it. He crawled under the RV to inspect it and try to find the noise. A five-year-old girl was bitten by a Western Diamondback Rattlesnake in a dry wash along I-17 Highway north of Phoenix.
P&Z Approves CUP for Hitching Post
On March 27, the Hitching Post establishment received approval from the Apache Junction Planning and Zoning Commission for a conditional use permit (CUP) to hold various outdoor attractions by a vote of 6-1, with commissioner Michael Frank casting the dissenting vote.
Firefighter of the Year
The Superstition Fire & Medical District (SFMD) has recognized Firefighter / Paramedic Ken Simkins as the 2018 Firefighter of the Year. Ken hails from Minnesota, where he worked as a paramedic on an ambulance and volunteered with a Sheriff’s Search & Rescue team.
Chasing Ghosts In Haunted Canyon
There is an old Indian story about Haunted Canyon. It is a tale about where the sun introduces the sky to the wind. When the sun hides and the sky becomes dark, the wind blows through Haunted Canyon calling to the dead. My friends, that is enough of a ghost story told to me by an old Apache many years ago while he was gathering Jojoba nuts in Haunted Canyon.
Lost Dutchman Days Parade
The Lost Dutchman Days Parade was held on Saturday, February 24, 2018. The parade on Apache Trail began at 9:00 a.m. in downtown Apache Junction and featured many participants from the community including businesses, schools, organizations and entertainers.
Project Connect
The day before Valentines Day was a chilly and blustery day, but that didn’t keep the 18 service agencies from wrapping social services around individuals in need. The purpose of this event was to gather social services agencies all under one roof in an attempt to make it easier for guests to cobble missing pieces to their life puzzle.
Wildlife of the Superstitions
Prior to the turn of the century, desert bighorn sheep and the desert antelope could be found in plentiful numbers around the base of Superstition Mountain. Today the antelope has disappeared. The desert bighorn sheep have been reintroduced to the Superstition Mountain area.
The Tale of Hacksaw Tom
Tales can still be heard along the Apache Trail about the adventures of the legendary desperado called “Hacksaw Tom.” It was after the turn of the century this highwayman burned his name into the legends and lore of Superstition Mountain region. He preyed on the travelers of the Mesa-Roosevelt Road from his remote hiding place near Fish Creek Canyon.
Food Bank Calls for Volunteers
The Apache Junction Food Bank is on track again this year to provide food to nearly 40,000 area residents, but it needs more volunteers to do so. Data shows that it takes 3 volunteer hours to help each person given food by the Food Bank, and so far this year, volunteers have donated 10,488 hours.
The Ruth Conspiracy
Many writers have been compelled to address the so-called unsolved mystery of a man’s death in the Superstition Mountains of central Arizona in the summer of 1931. These writers have placed the discovery of Adolph Ruth’s remains in several locations in the region from Needle Canyon to Peter’s Mesa. The Ruth story is one of the most compelling stories of 20th Century about the missing in the Superstition Mountains.
Community Veterans Center
By Dana Trumbull
Apache Junction is home to more than 1500 veterans – the single largest concentration of vets in Pinal County. And that doesn’t count the influx of veterans among the city’s winter visitors. When veteran Mike Ferguson decided to cultivate his experience as a national councilman with the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) into a service that would be a direct conduit to veterans in Pinal County, Apache Junction was the logical place to be.
A donation of two rooms on the north side of the Desert Chapel United Methodist Church (462 N. Palo Verde Rd., Apache Junction) and generous support from the local veterans organizations made the Apache Junction Community Veterans Center a reality, and the center opened its doors on December 15, 2016.
Recognizing the varying needs of different generations of veterans, the center acts as a network hub, maintaining up-to-date information on benefits and helping veterans connect to and apply for a wide range of resources. Vets are also welcome to stop by to watch TV, read, use the computer, have some coffee and talk with other vets. “The services are whatever the veteran’s issue is,” offers Ferguson. “It could be anywhere from finding him a ride to helping her with the power bill. We had one veteran who had passed away in another area, and the family needed to ship his body to where he was going to be buried. So we got that set up and took care of the costs.” Often, older veterans come in, needing a copy of their DD214, knowing their family will need it to apply for benefits when they pass.
Neighborhood Partnerships
Want to learn more about your city? Have some questions about city programs, policies or procedures? Here is your chance to ask.
When the meetings are established, initial concerns and requested topics and speakers are solicited. City officials will provide a brief update and then field questions from residents in an interactive forum.
Housing Rehab: Homeowners Wanted
There is still time to apply for federal funds—received by the city of Apache Junction—as part of the owner occupied housing rehabilitation program. The program provides deferred payment loans from $1,000 to $55,000 for heating, air conditioning, plumbing, roofs, ADA accessibility, code violations and health and safety issues.
Help Prevent Mosquito Related Illness
Last week, during routine mosquito surveillance, the Pinal County Public Health Services District (PCPHSD) detected the first West Nile Virus (WNV) positive mosquitoes in the county this season, more specifically in the San Tan Valley area. West Nile Virus (WNV), which is spread through the bite of certain mosquitoes, is now common in Arizona.