4th Of July In Apache Junction
City sponsored events & activities— Day-long celebration capped by huge fireworks extravaganza

For full schedule of events, see page B-2

Two Teens Arrested In Fatal Stabbing
Suspect found in Salt Lake City
By Meghan McCoy
The News
APACHE JUNCTION — A joint effort by multiple government agencies in both Arizona and Utah helped to find a 17-year-old fugitive who fled Apache Junction after allegedly killing another 17-year-old last week.
   The attack, which began in Gold Canyon and ended in the 1000 block of Tomahawk Road, occurred between 1 and 2 a.m. on Friday, June 20, 2008. Authorities suspect that the attack was the result of jealousy between two boys over a girl, Capt. Tom Kelly explained.
   The events of the incident unraveled after David Paulson, 17, allegedly told Meaghan Rice, 16, that he was going to kill Randall Davis-Mercier, 17, Kelly said.
   Rice was allegedly directed by Paulson to go and pick up Mercier, while Paulson hid in the back seat of a crew cab truck under a blanket. Paulson allegedly waited for Rice to utter a code word before he lunged from the back seat stabbing Mercier up to 20 times in the chest and leg, Kelly added.
   Mercier was able to escape from the truck after he was attacked, leaving him staggering down north Tomahawk Road and collapsing in front of his father’s home where he died in a ditch from a loss of blood, according to Kelly.
   Police Chief Jerald Monahan said the body was found in the early hours after the Apache Junction Police Department (AJPD) and Pinal County Sheriff’s Office were looking for the vehicle.

See A-1

City Revives Downtown Plan
Federal grant would help with planning
By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski
The News
APACHE JUNCTION- The city of Apache Junction is seeking a $260,000 federal Community Development Block Grant Regional Account to help energize a new plan for a downtown area, according to Brad Steinke, the city’s director of development services.
   The downtown plan, proposed in 2006, includes the area at the intersections of the Apache Trail, Highway 88 and Old West Highway. The first plan was dropped when city officials and the land owner, Downtown LLC, could not reach agreement over the terms and conditions.
   “It was going to be a mix of residential, office, commercial and institutional and recreational uses that are designed to create a synergy of interest and excitement,” Steinke said.
   The plan is to entice investers who can bring the urban element for a downtown along with preserving the desert landscape the city desires to keep. Steinke said it could take a year to plan a vision that would still include residences and entertainment. “The goal is to bring change to the downtown that will keep it alive and make Apache Junction a destination,” he said.
   “We have, for years, been trying to excite private redevelopment in the area, as you’ll see with Starbucks, fast-food restaurants and new banks,” he added.
   Steinke explained the land that formerly housed the Grand Hotel is the perfect spot for redevelopment.
   “All of us in the city, the business folks, the residents, have all been working for years to develop a strategy for how that would be developed,” he said.

See A-1 and see Downtown, A-3

AJHS Catcher Howard Can Pitch Too
By Chuck Baker
The News
The Summer baseball program may already be paying off dividends for first-year head coach Preston English. A Summer program, in addition to showcasing young players and future potential stars, is also a chance for a coach to play his players in different positions and with this in mind, Coach English may have found a new starting pitcher in catcher Ryan Howard.
   Howard, who started most of the games last year at catcher, got an opportunity to pitch some during last Tuesday’s scrimmage game against the Pro Scout League Academy held at Mesa Skyline High School and came up with a stellar performance. The junior- to-be tossed three innings of one-hit ball and struck out four without issuing a base on balls. Howard allowed just two baserunners, one reaching via a fielding error, and sat down the final eight batters in the scrimmage, which unofficially went as an 8-6 victory for the Pro Scout League Academy.
   Howard caught the first five innings and even gained the attention of the opposing team’s coach, a pro scout nonetheless, with several perfectly executed defensive plays behind the plate. He likely then caught the attention of his own coach with his three innings on the mound.
   Howard’s solid three innings from the mound followed another solid effort from southpaw Nathan Higginbottom, who is vying to become the team’s No. 1 starter. Higginbottom, who will be a junior this Fall, also tossed three innings, allowing just one earned run on three hits. The southpaw has already had a few good outings this Summer and may now have some competition from his battery mate for the No. 1 starter.

See C-1 and see AJHS, page C-6