Residents Speak To School Closures
Meetings held at GCES and TMMS
By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski
The News
At two town hall-style meetings last week, Gold Canyon and Apache Junction residents—some fighting back tears—aired their frustration about the possibility of the Apache Junction Unified School District closing Gold Canyon Elementary and Thunder Mountain Middle schools.
   Collectively, about 400 residents came together at Gold Canyon Elementary School on Tuesday, January 19, and Thunder Mountain Middle School on Wednesday, January 20. Most of them were concerned about class sizes, the effect the closing would have on their children and their community, and busing junior high school pupils with high school students.
   One Gold Canyon Elementary School parent, Jeffrey Fletcher, explained he was “vehemently” opposed to the closing of the school because, he believed, it would have a “deleterious” affect on children. He said his son was very upset about the possibility and was having problems sleeping.
   He also told the school board he didn’t think any parent would be in favor of their child attending classes with 35 or 40 other students.
   In response, Superintendent Dr. Chad Wilson said class sizes will go up whether or not the two schools are closed. He explained that $2.6 million has to be cut from next year’s budget because of declining enrollment, cuts in state funding and the failure of the M&O budget override in November. If the money is not realized from closing the two schools, he said, deeper cuts will have to be made in the teaching staff to realize the savings, leaving the district with fewer teachers to put in the classrooms.

See A-1 and see Schools, A-8

Girl Says She Escaped From Kidnapper
Investigators seeking information on Gold Canyon incident
By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski
The News
The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office is seeking the public’s help in identifying a man who allegedly tried to abduct a 12-year-girl from the 6000 block of South Russet Way in Gold Canyon on Wednesday, January 20.
   According to PCSO spokeswoman Tamatha Villar, officials were contacted at about 8 a.m. by a woman who reported that “someone tried to abduct her daughter.”
   Deputies responded to the family’s home and spoke with the woman’s daughter. She told them she heard a knock at the door at 7 a.m. and when she answered the door, an unknown man grabbed her by the arm and put her into his car. “The girl reported they drove around for a short time until she was able to get out of the vehicle near Amber Sun Way,” Villar said.
   “She informed investigators that she opened the door, rolled out of the vehicle and ran from the area. The girl’s parents reported they were home at the time of the incident but were unaware of what had happened.”
   The girl’s parents told investigators they had disciplined the girl earlier in the morning for her failure to complete her chores. At approximately 7 a.m. they heard the front door open and close and thought she had left to catch her school bus.
   They stated when they went into the living room, they noticed her backpack was still by the door and immediately left the residence to look for her, thinking she had taken a walk to “cool off” after getting in trouble. The girl was located by her parents in a subdivision a short distance from their home.  
   The suspect is described as a Caucasian male, approximately 6 foot 2 inches to 6 foot 3 inches tall, 20 to 30 years old with short dark hair, green eyes and a multi-colored circular tattoo on the right side of his neck. He was wearing a black T-shirt with jeans and was driving an older model tan or brown four-door sedan with manual door locks.
   Anyone with information regarding this case or anyone who may have been in the area during the time of the incident is urged to contact detectives at (520) 866-5112.

PD Benefits From Volunteers
Chief Monahan addresses city council
By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski
The News
The City of Apache Junction has weathered the economic storm as well as it has with the help of residents who volunteer within the city, City Manager George Hoffman told the Apache Junction City Council Tuesday, January 19.
   “A key to understanding and thinking about our budget is we’re a service industry and most of the services we provide are done so through paid staff,” Hoffman said. “But certainly not all of those.”
   Hoffman said volunteering is not a way in which to solve all the city’s “budget ills.” But the extensive use of volunteers is one of the reasons why the City has been able to “weather this storm” as well as it has so far.
   He made the comments in introducing Apache Junction Police Chief Jerald Monahan, who spoke to the council about volunteer efforts within his department. The presentation was the first in a series hosted by Hoffman during his city manager’s report. Library and Parks and Recre- importance of volunteering in their departments at future meetings.
   Auxiliary police volunteering efforts at the AJPD had a contribution value of $150,276, or 7,421.1 hours, in 2009, Monahan said.
   Monahan said it is impressive that city residents want to serve in a way that it enhances public safety. He explained that there are several ways in which residents can volunteer with the AJPD.
   The 31-person auxiliary patrol is a uniformed volunteer opportunity “that is a huge support to our patrol division.
   “They assist in securing crime scenes, directing traffic at accident scenes, transporting vehicles” for gas, maintenance and cleaning, he said. “Even though they’re not out there enforcing the law, they do provide a sense of safety.”

See A-1 and see Volunteers, A-5

Boys Soccer Falls 3-2 In Soaked Shoot-Out
By Chuck Baker
The News
While the rain last Tuesday held off long enough for the Apache Junction girls to host Scottsdale Saguaro at Davis Field in relatively dry conditions, the AJHS boys weren’t as fortunate taking on the Sabercats in Scottsdale on a soaked playing field. Still, the Prospectors made the most of it, giving the Sabercats all they handle in a 3-2 shoot-out victory for Saguaro.
   With Kevin Angulo and Kevin Martinez scoring regulation goals for Apache Junction, the two teams were tied 2-2. Instead of playing an overtime period, coaches and officials agreed to go directly to a shoot-out because of the inclement weather.
   In the shoot-out, Apache Junction took a 3-2 lead after their first three shooters, David Gamboa, Jesse Gonzalez and Jair Ortiz, all scored. But Apache Junction’s final two shooters were stopped and the Sabercats then put in their final two shots for a 4-3 shoot-out edge, officially recorded as a 3-2 Saguaro win.
   “I would say we dominated all but the first five minutes of the game,” AJHS coach Joshua Babcock said. “Both teams played very well and with a lot of heart.”
   Babcock also said his team played tough defense and that he was impressed by the goal scored by Angulo, a header that tied the score 1-1 in the first half.
   Angulo was also credited with the assist on the goal scored by Martinez.
The Prospectors were also scheduled to host Notre Dame Prep on Thursday but with half the field under water, the game was cancelled.

See B-1 and see Soccer, B-6