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City Council To Adopt
Work Plan
 Fiscal year plan is on consent agenda
for Tuesday, Aug. 18
By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski
The News
The Apache Junction City
Council is slated to approve
its Fiscal Year 2009-2010
Work Plan at its Tuesday, August
18, regular session.
The Work Plan is broken
into six areas: Development
of Community, Community
Infrastructure, Public Safety,
The City: Internal Issues,
Economic Development and
Revenue Development.
The breakdown is as follows:
DEVELOPMENT OF
COMMUNITY
-
City General Plan
A comprehensive update to
the city’s General Plan will address 11
plan elements and
provide an inclusive public
participation process. The
city anticipated starting the
process on June 9th and targeting
October 2010 for City
Council approval.
-
Public Spaces in Downtown
Council has asked that the
City review ways to enhance
public spaces in downtown.
-
Rural Character Plan
Development of a policy or
plan to establish certain standards
and/or criteria to protect
our rural and western heritage
within the City’s low density
residential zoning area. This
discussion would logically
follow completion of the
horse boarding ordinance and
is targeted for City Council
direction to staff in November 2009, and
completion by
June 2010.
-
Regulated Shade for
Equine
A review our current equine
shade regulations regarding
required offsets and building
permit requirements. This
discussion would logically
follow completion of the
horse boarding ordinance and
is targeted for City Council
direction to staff in September
2009, and completion by
April 2010.
-
Silly Mountain Park Improvements
The Parks and Recreation
Department has partnered
with the Superstition Area
Land Trust in making improvements
at Silly Mountain
Park. Staff is proposing
presenting information to the
City Council on the improvements
and successful partnerships.
See
A-1
and see
Work Plan,
A-9
Area Volunteers
Help Mexico’s Poor
 Medical personnel, aides fly to Baja
monthly
By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski
The News
Gold Canyon Dentistry’s Dr.
Pamlea McMahon calls her
charity work with Mexico’s
poor “a spiritual rejuvenation.”
She and a host of other
volunteers from the area, who
dub themselves the “Flying
Samaritans,” provide medical
treatment to folks living in a
small fishing village in south
Baja.
“The gratitute and the thankfulness
and the hugs, the
homemade pastries,” McMahon
said. “When we go there,
they treat us like family. They
are so loving and welcoming
and opening. It’s an amazing
experience.”
The Flying Samaritans is
a volunteer, nonsectarian,
health- oriented organization
serving and working with the
medical, optometry and dental
personnel in remote areas
of Baja California, Mexico,
to help supplement medical
care for the local populations,
according to its Web site,
flyingsamaritans.
com.
The Flying Samaritans is a
not-for-profit organization
and includes 10 chapters
which operate approximately
16 clinics in Baja Mexico.
The Los Amigos Chapter,
based in the Phoenix area,
was formed in 1991. The Los
Amigos Chapter provides
medical and dental care in
Baja California Sur, Mexico at Lopez
Mateos.
McMahon got involved with
the Flying Samaritans thanks
to her mentor, Dr. Howard
Downs, the original owner of
Gold Canyon Dentistry.
“I purchased Gold Canyon
Dentistry in 2001,” she explained.
“Dr. Howard Downs
came down to introduce himself
and we had seen his name
on records and charts. I was
really impressed with what a
sweet man he was.
See
A-1
and see
Samaritans,
A-8
Charges Filed In Death
Of AJ Teen
 Man moved body after overdose
By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski
The News
An Apache Junction man has
been charged with abandoning,
moving or hiding a dead
body—a class 5 felony—
after a teen died in his home
on May 30, Apache Junction
Police Department said.
Rayford H. Wilson III, 25, is
being held in the Pinal County
Detention Center, according
to Capt. Tom Kelly.
During the early morning
hours of May 30, Apache
Junction police responded to
a 9-1-1 call for a person not
breathing outside of a residence
at 1420 S. Warner Dr.
Police and fire personnel arrived
and attempted CPR on
a person later identified as
18-year-old Shawn McGann.
At the time of the emergency
call, there were no immediate
witnesses and no one was at
the home where McGann was
found.
A search warrant was prepared
and subsequently
executed at the residence
whereby clothing belonging
to McGann is recovered.
The initial assessment of the
crime scene indicated that Mc-
Gann had a drug-related overdose
and that he or with help
may have tried to cool himself
down prior to his demise.
No signs of a struggle were present that
indicated Mc-
Gann was assaulted. Detective
Michael Ramirez of the
Criminal Investigation Division
later uncovered, through
various interviews, that Mc-
Gann had had several contacts
at friends’ home prior
to his death. All interviewed
indicated that they were all
told, to some degree, that he
had ingested methamphetamine
and wasn’t feeling
well.
Wilson was told to do something
to help McGann and he
initially tried CPR but realized
that McGann was dead.
Wilson was alleged to have
moved the body outside the
home and then left.
Pima County Medical Examiner
Office confirmed the
cause of death to be due to
methamphetamine intoxication.
Fall Sports ‘09
 By Chuck Baker
The News
The football team at
Apache Trail High School
along with the volleyball,
cross country, swimming,
cheer, golf and football
teams from Apache Junction
High School were hard
at it last week with practices,
gearing up for the 2009
Fall sports programs.
On pages B-1, B-2, B-3
and B-6 in this week’s edition
of The News, we have
listed the 2009 schedules
for the sports teams along
with pictures taken last
week of some of the athletes
and coaches participating
in their pre-season
preparations.
Apache Trail High School
is a member of the “Class
B” division of the Arizona
Charter Athletic Association
that includes nine
schools. The Wolfpack play
eight-man tackle football
and in their inaugural season
in 2008, Apache Trail
went 2-6 and had a chance
to qualify for the post season
playoffs in their final
game of the season.
For more details and information
about the Arizona
Charter Athletic Association,
visit their website
at www.azcaa.com.
Apache Junction High School is a member
of the re-organized 4A-I division and
Desert Sky Region which includes 2008
region holdovers Scottsdale Saguaro,
Cave Creek Cactus Shadows, Tempe McClintock and Apache Junction,
along with newcomer
Queen Creek, moving up
from 4A-II a year ago.
Three other east valley
schools, Gilbert Campo
Verde, Combs and (San Tan) Poston Butte
are all
first-year members of the
Desert Sky Region in 2009
but won’t play a varsity
schedule until the 2010 season.
For more information
about AJHS sports teams
and their schedules, visit
the website
www.ajhs.
ajusd.org
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