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Happy
Birthday
U.S.A!
 Independence Day festivities at AJ
High School - Party starts at 8 a.m.
July 4th – Fireworks begin at 9 p.m.
By Sarah Owen
The News
APACHE JUNCTION- The fireworks
are coming! On Wednesday,
July 4, 2007, our nation will celebrate
its’ 231st year of independence. The
City of Apache Junction will honor
its own long-standing tradition of
fireworks and festivities held annually
at Apache Junction High
School's Davis Field. The day-long
celebration will begin at the city
pool at 8 a.m. and will culminate
with a fireworks display at 9 p.m.
According to Fireworks Productions,
the company supplying the
firepower, Apache Junction will
host the fourth-largest fireworks
display in the state. With nearly
5,000 aerial effects, including
ground displays and air rockets,
city representatives estimate the
continuous display will last more
than 30 minutes.
But it's not only the fireworks. A
volleyball tournament at the city
pool sand court kicks off the
festivities
at 8 a.m. The pool will be
open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with a
free swim meet and relay races at noon.
See
A-1
Council Adopts $55.9M
Tentative Budget
 13% increase over last year— Employee
salaries and development are priorities
By Sarah Owen
The News
APACHE JUNCTION- Members
of the Apache Junction City Council
unanimously voted to tentatively
adopt the 2007-2008 budget
at their Monday night meeting,
June 25, 2007.
At $55.9 million, the proposed budget
reflects a 13 percent increase
over last year’s $49.4 million budget.
A rise in departmental salary budgets
is responsible for more than
35 percent of that increase. In addition
to budgeting for approximately
17 new hires and employee
reclassifications,
the city is also attempting
to raise existing employees’
salaries to a middle-of-the-market
level.
The city completed a market study,
looking at such comparable cities
as Buckeye, Avondale, Casa
Grande, Gilbert, Queen Creek and
Mesa, and found that more than
$368,000 is required to bring
Apache Junction employees’ salaries
in line with the median.
The city anticipates that most of
our neighboring cities will also
award their employees a 3 percent
cost-of-living adjustment this year,
again raising their salaries higher
than those of Apache Junction’s
workers. To compensate for this,
the budget allows a 3 percent adjustment
in addition to the market
increase.
See
A-1
and see Budget,
A-5
Two Teen Boys Arrested
In Brutal Murder Of Queen Creek Girl
 Victim’s best friend may have planned
murder two weeks earlier
By Jill Jones
The News
QUEEN CREEK- Two sixteenyear-
old Queen Creek boys have
been arrested in connection with
the brutal murder of 17-year-old
Amber LeAnn Hess of Queen
Creek; a murder that authorities
believe may have been planned
weeks before.
Hess’ sixteen-year-old friends,
Nicolas Castillo and Todd Hoke,
the victim’s “best friend”, both of
Queen Creek, were taken into custody
by the Pinal County Sheriff’s
Office (PCSO) on Wednesday, June
27 and charged with the first-degree
murder of Hess, which allegedly occurred
on Friday, June 22.
Hess’ parents returned from a
weekend trip to Rocky Point,
Mexico on Sunday June 24, to find
evidence of a bloody struggle and
no sign of their daughter or her 2002
Mitsubishi Lancer, which was later
found near one of the suspect’s
homes on Tuesday, June 26.
Hess’ charred body was discovered
in the desert west of Anthem
at Merrill Ranch on Monday afternoon,
June 25. The body had been
partially burned, however items
found near the body led authorities
to believe they may have found
Hess, which dental records later
confirmed.
See
A-1
and see Murder,
A-3
AJHS Girls Runners-Up
In Summer Softball
 By Chuck Baker
The News
The Lady Prospector
softball
team finished runners-up in the
Tempe Summer League played
at Kiwanis Park posting a 7-2-1
overall record, their only two
losses coming against 5A-II
State Tournament semifinalist
Scottsdale Desert Mountain
(10-0 this Summer). This past
Tuesday, Apache Junction
swept their final doubleheader
of the league, defeating Chandler
Hamilton 6-2 in the first
game and downing Phoenix
Mountain Pointe 6-3 in the
nightcap.
Apache Junction was hoping
for one final crack at upsetting
Desert Mountain by playing in
the post league playoffs last
Thursday but first AJHS had to
get past the third place team, Gilbert
Desert Ridge, in their first
game. The tournament results
from Thursday were not available
when The News went to
press.
In the win over Hamilton,
Terra Ciesielski pitched two innings
of relief allowing just one
hit and one unearned run to pick
up the save and then blasted a
three-run triple at the plate to
lead the AJHS girls offense.
Lauren Jackson earned the win
on the mound, tossing three innings,
giving up three hits and
an unearned run and struck out
three batters. Jackson also
added a run-scoring single on
offense.
See
C-1
and see Softball,
C-3
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