|
School Budget Override
May Appear On November Ballot
 School district associate superintendent
calls financial situation ‘perfect
storm’
Economic conditions as they
affect the Apache Junction
Unified School District were
the central theme of the May
26 governing board meeting.
Dr. Jim Lockwood, associate
superintendent of business
services, explained to
the board that the current
economic situation facing the
district has all of the earmarks
of a “perfect storm.”
“Take the current economic
downturn, state budget deficits
and subsequent reductions
in state funding, then
decrease the student counts,
add further reductions resulting
from the phase out of a
Maintenance and Operating
Budget Override, and you
have all of the ingredients for
a recipe that leaves us little recourse
but to consider asking
voters for their help in meeting
these serious economic
challenges,” he explained.
That help would come in the
form of a Budget Override, a
ballot consideration AJUSD
voters did not approve in 2007, but
which now requires
another look. Following a
lengthy discussion, Governing
Board members directed
that the question be placed on
the June 9 agenda for a decision
that could place the issue
before voters in November.
“We heard voters when they
voted no on this issue,” said
Lockwood, “and that’s why
we did not call a special election
in November of 2008.
We understand what the people
of our district are experiencing
in this downturn. Like
them, we have been seriously
impacted by the economic
events of the past year and as
a result we have taken all of
the steps one would expect
us to take to control spending
and reduce operating expenses.”
See
A-1 and see
Override,
A-5
Man Receives Purple
Heart After 64 Years
 Wounded on Iwo Jima in 1945 - Apache
Junction’s VFW Post 7968 made it happen
By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski
The News
A retired U.S. Marine recently
received his Purple Heart
in the mail 64 years after he
sustained injuries at the Battle
of Iwo Jima. The East Mesa
man gives credit to Apache
Junction’s VFW Post 7968, to
which he belongs.
“We were at the VFW one
night and they were honoring
some fella,” said Christ Andrews.
“His daughter gave me
a number to call and I called it
and they traced it down. They
got it for me. It was nice.”
Andrews admitted he was
surprised it actually arrived.
“I kind of gave up hope until
(Veteran officials) called one
night and said it was coming.”
The Purple Heart medal is
awarded to service members
who have been physically
wounded in combat.
Andrews explained he was
Wounded on Iwo Jima in 1945—
Apache Junction’s VFW Post 7968 made it
happen
injured during the battle,
which took place in February
and March 1945 against
Japan over the tiny island. He
served in the 3rd Division,
2nd Battalion, 21st Marines.
He was treated for his back
injuries in Saipan, Hawaii
and mainland United States
before being discharged from
the U.S. Marines.
See
A-1 and see
Purple Heart,
A-9
Change In AJ ZIP Codes
85218 and 85219 to change— begins July 1
By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski
The News
Some areas of Apache Junction
will adopt a new ZIP
Code beginning Wednesday,
July 1, according to postal officials.
“As the state’s population
continues to increase,
many Central Arizonans will
be asked to make a simple
one-digit change to their addresses’
ZIP Codes starting
on Wednesday, July 1, 2009,”
said Peter Hass, U.S. Postal
Service spokesman.
The change is easy: If the
current ZIP Code is 85219,
the “2” in the ZIP Code will
be replaced with a “1.” Everything
else stays the same.
This applies to 85219 and
85218.
The new “851” ZIP Code totaling
just under 5,000 square
miles, from Apache Junction
at the north, to Red Rock in
the south, Maricopa to the
west and Winkelman to the
east.
“The change is needed to
provide expanded capacity as
population growth is anticipated
to continue in this part
of the state, and the Postal
Service was on the verge of
using up all possible fivedigit
‘852’ ZIP Code combinations,”
Hass said.
“Each ZIP Code has a limited
capacity of deliveries;
making this change now will
help USPS employees provide
efficient, effective delivery
of the mail for many years
into the future.”
A total of 30 existing fivedigit
“852” ZIP Codes in
Pinal County will become
“851” ZIPs on July 1. Every
postal customer in the affected
area will receive a written
notification of their address’
specific new ZIP Code by
May 30. Customers are asked
to notify regular correspondents
about their new ZIP
Code as soon as possible.
In order to assist businesses
and others make the transition,
including depleting current
supplies of stationery,
there is a one-year grace period
during which both ZIP
Codes will be valid for mail
delivery to these addresses.
Even so, the Postal Service
strongly encourages customers
to begin using their new
ZIP Code starting Wednesday,
July 1.
Lady Prospectors Off
To Impressive Start In Summer Hoops
 By Chuck Baker
The News
Apache Junction girls
varsity basketball team got
off to an impressive start in
the Mesa Skyline Summer
Hoops League, posting a
pair of easy wins last Tuesday
in the opening night of
league play.
Apache Junction defeated
Mesa Mountain View
38-24 in their first game
and then scored the first
15 points in their nightcap
against Mesa Westwood
on their way to picking up
a lopsided victory.
In the win over Mountain
View, the AJHS girls were
led by the play of Sierra
Aulik, who finished with
11 points, five rebounds,
four assists and four steals.
Katie Karbo contributed 7
points and three rebounds,
Jessica Iniguez netted 6 assists
and two steals, Emily
McGann also tossed
in 6 points, Sara Cranmer
added 4 points and four
rebounds and also had a
steal, assist and blocked
shot, Kylie Bocskay added
a bucket and grabbed
four rebounds, and Diana
Woodruff also scored a
bucket and handed out an
assist.
In their nightcap, the
Lady Prospectors scored
the first 15 points of the
game and rolled to the easy
win. McGann scored 12 of
her game-high 14 points in
the first ten minutes of the
opening half and sat out
much of the second half
with the huge lead.
Aulik netted 10 points, all
in the first half, and added
three steals, two assists and
two rebounds, Woodruff
tossed in 7 points, Karbo
netted 4 points and Monica
Geer, Cranmer, Bocskay
and Jade Yost all added
2 points. Melissa Ochoa
didn’t score but contributed
three rebounds, two
steals, an assist and a
blocked shot.
See
B-1 and see
Hoops,
B-6
|
