See A-1 and see Freeway Art, A-3

State Seeks Suspension Of New Sheriff’s Officer
Commander lied about drug use— 2nd serious personnel problem for rookie sheriff in less than 6 months
By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski
The News
PHOENIX—The Arizona Peace Officers Standards and Training Board (POST) is seeking the suspension of a Pinal County sheriff’s commander’s certification after he lied about the use of illegal drugs on polygraph tests and job applications.
   According to documents by The Apache Junction / Gold Canyon News obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, Commander Joseph M. McAuliffe admitted during a December 2008 polygraph examination that he tried cocaine in college by rubbing it on his gums at a party.
   He admitted the use after he denied using the drug during a polygraph. He also lied about using illegal drugs on applications for state certification and on job applications with the Chandler Police Department, his previous employer.
   Sheriff Paul Babeu is also a former Chandler police officer. McAuliffe worked patrol for Chandler for 11 years and joined Babeu’s command staff in mid-January.
   Lt. Tami Villar, his public information officer, provided a statement from the sheriff.
 “The sheriff has said that all staff and most certainly command staff will be accountable for all their behavior,” he said through Villar. “I take these questions of truthfulness and disclose very seriously. After all the facts and information have been gathered and completed, I will decide at that point what action is necessary to be taken.”

See A-1 and see POST, A-9

Mayors Speak On State Budget
State budget could drastically impact cities & towns
By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski
The News
A coalition of Arizona cities and towns, including Apache Junction, held a news conference Wednesday, June 17, in Gilbert to discuss how the Arizona State Legislature’s approved budget would impact the operations of local cities and towns.
   Speakers at the news conference at Gilbert’s Freestone Park Amphitheatre included Apache Junction Mayor John Insalaco, Queen Creek Mayor Art Sanders and Gilbert Mayor John Lewis. The format included brief remarks from each participant, followed by a question and answer session.
   The Arizona State Legislature has approved a budget for the 2009-2010 fiscal year that includes drastic changes to the budgets of local cities and towns that will directly affect the public’s health, safety and quality of life, according to a press release from the Town of Queen Creek.
   As part of the $8.2 billion budget, the Legislature has attacked local government with a multifaceted proposal to take away a variety of local revenues to support the state’s budget, it reads.
   If the budget approved by the Legislature is adopted, cities and towns will be forced to eliminate vital programs and services, increase a wide range of fees and sell assets such as parks, city buildings and vehicles to pay for debt incurred over the past several decades by communities that were building infrastructure to meet the needs of growing populations, according to the press release.

See A-1 and see Mayors, A-6

Little League All Stars Hit The Field
9 & 10 Baseball All Stars go 2-2 in District 7 play
By Chuck Baker
The News
The 9 & 10-year-old Minor Boys Baseball All Stars from Apache Junction Little League kicked off 2009 District 7 Tournament play this past week going 1-2 overall in their tournament played at Countryside Park in Mesa.
   The A.J. boys opened with an impressive 13-3 victory over Mesa Westwood but then dropped a 12-1 decision to Four Peaks and a 12-5 decision to Red Mountain American ending their season.
   In their big win over Westwood, Stephan Gomez was a two-way star for Apache Junction, tossing four and two-thirds innings from the mound, allowing just two hits and one run while striking out twelve, and then going 3-for-4 at the plate with three runs scored, and two runs batted in, including a solo homerun over the fence in center field. Gomez also got plenty of support from his teammates.
   On offense, Prescott Horn was 2-for-3 with two RBI and two runs scored, T.J. Duarte had a double, drove in two runs, stole three bases and scored three times, Clayten McCarthy, Josh Gonzales and Cameron Kunkle all added run-scoring singles, Hunter Paul and Justin Anderson each had a hit and scored two runs, and Nick Mohn also scored a run.
   On defense, Shea Casarez made two nice plays for outs at first base and Paul fielded a sharp ground at second base for an out at first base and then took a relay throw deep in the outfield and fired a strike to Gomez at third base on a “bang-bang” play as Gomez tagged the Westwood baserunner out for the final play of the game.

See B-1 and see AJLL, B-6

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