AJ Board Votes To Close 2 Schools
Thunder Mountain Middle and Gold Canyon Elementary schools to be shuttered July 1
By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski
The News
The Apache Junction Unified School District Governing Board voted unanimously Tuesday, February 23, to close Thunder Mountain Middle and Gold Canyon Elementary schools effective July 1.
   Board member Jeff Cranmer made the motion to approve the Gold Canyon Elemetnary School closing and Vice President Debbie Skinner seconded it.
   Board member Linda Newkirk said she took the decision personally.
“This is a very difficult decision, with me having worked for Gold Canyon Elementary School,” Newkirk said. “To take part in this vote is unbelievable.”
   Skinner agreed, saying her children went to the school and she was so active that she practically “lived there.”
   “My mail was practically delivered there,” Skinner said. “This is not something that comes lightly but something we had to do.”
   Board member Lucy Young said it “breaks my heart” to vote to close Gold Canyon Elementary School because she, too, worked there. She gave kudos to Principal Brenda Farris and her staff. They received a standing ovation as tears welled up in some of the employees’ eyes.
   Superintendent Dr. Chad Wilson said no school closure is the result of any teacher, principal or other employee.
   As for Thunder Mountain Middle School, Skinner made the initial motion with Newkirk seconding. Before the vote, Wilson thanked TMMS Principal Mark Blomgren for his professionalism in handling the situation.
   Wilson has said 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.

See A-1

Men Wanted In Shooting
Police want help in locating suspects
By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski
The News
Apache Junction Police are asking for the public’s help in locating two men it believes are responsible for a Wednesday, February 17, shooting in the 1500 block of South Lawson.
   According to Capt. Tom Kelly of the AJPD, a 25-yearold man was shot in the South Lawson residence during an altercation. One man attacked the victim and the other began to strike the victim with a handgun. Moments later the victim was shot and the offenders fled the area.
   Police described the two suspects. Stephen J. Illies Jr. is 23 years old. He is white, 5-feet 9-inches tall and 160 pounds. He has brown hair and hazel eyes. Illies has numerous tattoos and should be considered armed and dangerous.
   Twenty-six-year-old Joshua L. Larson, is 5-feet 8-inches tall and weighs 160 pounds. He has brown hair and blue eyes.
   On Wednesday, February 24, Kelly said his department believed Illies was at a residence on South Cedar. Surveillance and a perimeter was established around the targeted location. Investigators obtained a search warrant for the residence and the Apache Junction and Mesa Police Department Special Weapons and Tactics Teams were deployed. Several hours of attempts to call Illies out of the residence went by until safe entry could be made by SWAT personnel. Upon entry, Illies was not found.
   Anyone that may have any information on the whereabouts of these two men is requested to call the AJPD Criminal Investigation Division at (480) 982-8260.

Legion Holds Awards Ceremony
Honor teacher, firefighter, police officer of the year
By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski
The News
The American Legion Apache Post 27, at 1018 S. Meridian, held its Americanism Dinner on Saturday, February 20, and handed out its awards for Teacher, Firefighter and Police Officer of the Year.
   Amber Moore, a third-grade teacher at Four Peaks Elementary School, was selected as the American Legion Teacher of the Year. Moore, a former substitute teacher, is in her second year of teaching at Four Peaks. She earned a bachelor of arts degree from Portland State University and completed her teaching degree through Rio Salado’s program.
   Capt. Joseph Garcia was named American Legion Firefighter of the Year. A nine-year Apache Junction Fire District veteran. Garcia was born and raised in Arizona.
   Garcia graduated from Apache Junction High School in 1991, after which he joined the U.S. Marine Corps. He served his country until 1996. Three years later, Garcia started with the fire district as a reserve firefighter and was hired full-time in July 2000. Garcia was promoted to rank of fire engineer in 2003 and then to fire captain in 2008. He was unable to attend the awards ceremony on February 20.

See A-1 and see Legion Awards, A-9

AJHS Softball Off And Swinging
By Chuck Baker
The News
The Lady Prospector varsity softball team opened their 2010 season competing in the Mesa Dobson/Tempe Marcos De Niza Tournament against some tough competition last week and managed to pick up one win in five tournament games, all against 5A division schools.
   The Lady Prospectors put together a 17-hit attack and blanked Mesa Westwood 12-0 in the tournament opener last Wednesday but then dropped an 11-0 decision to Glendale Mountain Ridge in the late game. Apache Junction also suffered a 4-1 loss to Marcos De Niza on Thursday, a 10-0 loss to Phoenix Horizon on Friday and lost a 3-2 decision to Chandler Hamilton, the pre-season number one team in the 5A-I division, also played last Friday.
   In the 11-0 win over Westwood, Jade Yost banged out three hits in five trips to the plate and drove in four runs for Apache Junction. Victoria Marquez went 4-for-5, scored three runs and drove in a pair, Ashley Gonzales was 3-for-4 with a RBI, Chelsey Streibich had three hits and also knocked in a run, Melissa Ochoa went 2-for-3 with a RBI, Lindsey Skinner was 2-for-5 and two runs scored, and Autumn Rhodes had a double that drove in two runs.

See B-1 and see Girls, B-6