P&Z Sends ‘Quik Trip’ Issue To City Council Without A Recommendation
Neighbors speak out against new convenience store/gas station
By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski
The News
APACHE JUNCTION— The Planning and Zoning Commission held a hearing Tuesday, July 22, in regard to a new QuikTrip gas station/ convenience store on the northwest corner of Baseline Avenue and Ironwood Road and forwarded the project to the City Council without a recommendation.
   A motion to deny was introduced by Commissioner Terry Parker, and seconded by Commissioner Sue Johns, but failed by a 4-3 vote. Commissioner Charles Bunten, Vice Chairwoman Tess Nesser, Chairwoman Pat Richmond and Commissioner Gary Grounds voted no, while Commissioners Gail Evans, Johns and Parker opted for yes.
   City Attorney Joel Stern said a report will be sent to the City Council saying the vote was to deny and it was not supported.
   During the public hearing, about 20 nearby residents spoke out against the Quik- Trip station for a myriad of reasons including its proximity to an adjacent Chevron and the possibility of increased traffic.
   Don Walker, who lives in the adjacent Desert Harbor mobile home park, said he doesn’t believe both gas stations can survive the weak economy. If one of them closes, he fears it will “introduce blight into the neighborhood.”

See A-1 and see P&Z Issue, A-3

Towing Company Loses City Rotation
Owner did not reveal past felony conviction
By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski
The News
APACHE JUNCTION— Phoenix Metro Towing, LLC has lost its rotation with the City of Apache Junction because one of its owners failed to reveal a felony conviction within the last five years as required by the city’s towing regulations, according to the city attorney.
   According to the Michigan Offender Tracking Information System (OTIS), Shannon “Shawn” M. McGregor, 37, is on probation for five years— through Dec. 2, 2010— for failing to pay child support.
   “As soon as we found this out, within a day he was dropped from the list,” said City Attorney Joel Stern.
   “I’m sure he wants to be on the list. He did come in here and said he had an attorney, but I cannot talk to him. I have to talk to his attorney.”
  Numerous attempts by the News to reach McGregor were unsuccessful.
   This is McGregor’s third felony conviction since 1993, when he was sentenced to one to eight years in prison for attempting to escape from jail and three to 20 years for larceny. He served almost four years of the concurrent sentences, receiving an early discharge.
   The felony child support conviction came to light when McGregor subpoenaed Stern on a matter involving the December 2007 towing of a van from Wal-Mart in Queen Creek to Phoenix Metro Towing’s lot in Apache Junction.
   “I don’t know why they towed it, but they did,” Stern said. “Maybe the owner left it there. I don’t know. Maybe Wal-Mart asked them to do it. I don’t know.”

See A-1 and see Towing Co., A-3

A Community Grows Into The Future
A report on Apache Junction city government for fiscal year 2007-2008, Part I
Expansion Was Key to Library’s Year
By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski
The News
When Carla Garner dropped out of school in the eighth grade, her mother had one bit of advice for her: Join a library.
   “My mother told me if you’re not going to stay in school, you better get a library card in whatever town you live in or you’ll grow up stupid,” Garner said.
   Thanks to the reference information and programs at the Apache Junction Public Library, Garner recently earned her bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies at Arizona State University.
   “I went back to school after age 40 with an eighth-grade education,” said Garner, who has aspirations to work as a museum archivist in Grand Junction, Colo. “Anything I want to learn, the first thing I do is run down to the library and get books. If it wasn’t for the library being part of the community, there’s a lot of us who would be uneducated bumpkins.”
   For fiscal year 2007-2008, the City Council approved a $2,005,746 operating budget for the Apache Junction Public Library. It also approved a $5 million capital budget that went toward the renovations and expansion.

See A-1 and see The Future, A-6

AJHS Volleyball Ends Summer With A Bang
By Chuck Baker
The News
A busy Summer of workouts, speed camps and practices got even busier for members of the Lady Prospector volleyball team in their final week of Summer prep with not one, but two tournaments played over six days involving more than 30 matches and with the AJHS girls bringing home two championship trophies.
   On Sunday, July 13, the Lady Prospectors headed to Laughlin, Nevada for the Colorado River Volleyball Camp and Tournament and played 21 “pool play” matches the first three days of the camp at both Needles High School in California and River Valley High School in Bullhead City.
   After going 9-12 overall in pool play, Apache Junction then competed in a single elimination, Silver Bracket tournament on Thursday, July 17 at Needles HS.
   The Lady Prospectors opened with a 25-10, 25-9 win over Chinle and then defeated Tempe Prep 25-18, 25-16 to advance to the championship match against Snowflake.
   In a very close match, the teams traded the first two games with A.J. winning 25-23 and Snowflake also pulling out a 25-23 win, and then in the third and deciding game, Apache Junction prevailed 15-13.
   “It was a nail-biter,” said AJHS head coach Mandy Gamboa. “The girls played their hearts out, especially when you consider that we were using a new lineup on the court.”

See C-1 and see VBall, page C-3