Fire Leaves 8 Homeless
Blaze appeared to be electrical
By Meghan McCoy
The News
APACHE JUNCTION- A fire that broke out early Thursday morning left eight displaced from their home in Apache Junction.
   Both the Apache Junction Fire District and the Mesa Fire Department responded to the call on Thursday, December 27 at 4 a.m. regarding a fire that started at a mobile home located at 664 S. Deleware Drive. Fire Marshal David Montgomery said when the firemen arrived at the scene the fire was fully involved and very active.
   The Red Cross was called to help those who escaped the fire, according to Mesa Fire Spokesman Mike Dunn.
   Montgomery said an older single- wide mobile home with five people caught fire and spread to a parked recreational vehicle with three people inside.
   “The fire originated in the mobile home,” Montgomery said. He added that there was no power to the mobile home, and they were borrowing power from their neighbors.
   Those who were caught in the fire were able to escape before the firefighters arrived, Montgomery said. He added that no one was injured and the fire appeared to be electrical.
 

Pinal Debt Rating Raised To ‘A’
Standard and Poor’s ups county rating from A- to a solid A
From Staff Reports
The News
FLORENCE – Standard & Poor’s rewarded Pinal County’s Board of Supervisors and management with some much needed cheer by upgrading the county’s debt rating from A- to A.
   Standard & Poor’s says the upgrade was earned as a result of “continued economic growth and diversification and maintenance of a strong financial position with strong reserves.”
   An upgrade in the debt ratings means that when Pinal County issues bonds or debt obligations to fund major projects, it can borrow at more favorable rates. This means the county can complete the projects taxpayers require without high interest payoffs down the road.
   “Moving up to an A rating signals to investors and lenders that the county is a very good risk, meaning there is a very low probability of default,” said County Manager Terry Doolittle. “It means Pinal County is very creditworthy. This news is a bright spot for the financial world considering all the doom and gloom about the softening economy and shaky investments in the sub-prime markets.”

See A-1

A Look At AJ’s Interim Chief
Former DEA Special Agent in Charge takes charge of AJPD
By Jill Jones
The News
Police Captain Tom Kelly, 57, was appointed Interim-chief of the Apache Junction Police Department (AJPD) earlier this month, following the decision not to renew the two-year contract of former Chief Glenn Walp.
   Kelly came to the AJPD as a captain in January, 2007 with 34 years of law enforcement experience, including 22 years with the U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Agency where he was Special Agent in Charge of the Minneapolis district office.
   During his role as a government law enforcement agent Kelly’s special assignments included such noteworthy duties as providing security for both the late President Gerald Ford and Doctor Henry Kissinger.
   During the course of his career he has directed multi-agency task forces with various agencies, which included interfacing with representatives from across the nation and the globe. His special skills include electronic surveillance, financial investigation, intelligence analysis, diplomacy and financial administration.

See A-1 and See Police Chief, A-3

Top Sports Story Of 2007: Predators
By Chuck Baker
The News
On Saturday, November 10, a group of seven, eight and nineyear- olds from Apache Junction and Gold Canyon brought home a league championship in youth tackle football as the Mighty Mite Predators of the Black and Gold Youth Football League. The Predators defeated the Queen Creek Rams 26-19 in the championship game. It was the first championship title for a youth tackle football team from our community and for that reason, the success by the Predators has made them our Top Sports Story of 2007.
   Team members of the champion Predators included Cody Brown, Tihler Converse, Gage Cruz, Casper Daniel, Connor Dry, Jared Fuentes, Stephan Gomez, Nick Gregory, Harrison Hughes, Brandon Konecny, Kayd Lewis, Reid Machajewski, Dawson McCune, Devin McDaid, Jared McMinn, Austin Navarrette, Cody Norman, Dwight Norman, Elias Olmos, James Plante, Dillon Steward, Brandon Tomerlin, Mathew Turner, Bryan Wilson, and Noah Woods, and coaches Brandon Tomerlin, Brian Steward, Martin Navarrette, Billy Plante and Darin Wilson.
   The Predators, playing in the Arizona Gridiron Youth Football Federation, went 7-1 during the regular season suffering their only loss against the Rams. After winning two playoff games to advance to the championships, the Predators jumped out to a 19-0 halftime lead and held off a late charge by the Rams to win their championship title.

See C-1