Overnight Road Closures Set
Construction is on S. Ironwood
By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski
The News
The Public Works Department advises motorists that Ironwood Drive/Southern Avenue and Ironwood Drive/16th Avenue intersection closures will be in effect Tuesday, July 6, through Wednesday, July 7.
   Workers will finish grade paving to Ironwood Drive only at night between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m., so drivers will have access during the day to the roads.
   Southbound lanes will be paved on July 6. Traffic will not have access across fresh asphalt during closure times. Please see detour map for alternate routes.
   Northbound lanes will be paved on July 7. Traffic will not have access across fresh asphalt during closure times. Please see detour map for alternate routes.
   According to City officials, night time closure will have less of an impact on the driving public.
Closing half of the intersections will allow the contractor to pave through the intersections in a continuous pass, ensuring a better quality finish and product.  

See A-1

School Board OKs Override Election
Will be on Nov. 2 ballot
By Betty Swanson
The News
Against a backdrop of having to consider a 2010-2011 school district budget that was slashed $4.5 million from last year, the Apache Junction Unified School District Governing Board members voted unanimously Tuesday, June 29, to put a 10 percent M&O Override budget question to voters on the November 2 election ballot.
   This will be the school district’s fourth attempt in three years to gain local voter authorization to levy for the override funding. Last November’s effort saw the question go down to defeat by a mere 49 votes.
   A financial boost from M&O Override funding was first approved by AJUSD constituents in 1999, and then renewed in 2003.Two unsuccessful efforts in 2007 and the one in 2009 necessitated the phase-out of those monies that was completed in this budget year, making a financial situation already challenged by declining student enrollment and decreased state funding even more difficult.
   During his presentation, Associate Superintendent Jim Lockwood called the 2010- 2011 budgetary proposal “a numerical representation of many budgetary and educational challenges facing the district.” He said that the necessary cuts were made with an eye toward providing the best educational environment and learning opportunities for students.

See A-1 and see School Budget, A-3

Special City Budget Hearing Tuesday
Public hearing starts at 7 p.m.
By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski
The News
The Apache Junction City Council will hold a special public hearing at 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 6, in chambers to allow residents to voice their opinion on the fiscal year 2010-2011 budget.
   Apache Junction City Manager George Hoffman presented a draft general fund budget proposal for fiscal year 2010-2011 to the City Council on Monday, June 14, that calls for no layoffs or pay reductions.
   The general fund, which makes up 55.4 percent of the $41,250,360 total budget, shows a $1,803,990 decrease from fiscal year 2009-2010, according to finance director Donna Meinerts.
   During his prepared speech at the work session, Hoffman touched on revenues and expenditures; the City’s level of on the horizon that can impact the City’s budget?; public safety/city attorney/court employees; roads; investments/ maintenance for the long run; grants and Superstition Vistas.
   “What we do know closer to home is that that our revenues have fallen dramatically in past years and that we’ve had to cut expenditures accordingly,” Hoffman said.
   “We’re cautiously optimistic that our sales tax numbers are beginning to bottom out. We do know that, because they’re lagged, stated shared income tax will continue to decline, both for fiscal year 2010-11 and fiscal year 2011-12.”
   For the current budget, the City budgeted almost $3 million of its savings, Hoffman said.

See A-1 and see City Budget, A-10

Majors, Juniors Little League All- Stars Begin Tournament Play
By Chuck Baker
The News
The Boys Baseball Majors All-Stars (11 and 12-yearolds) and Baseball Juniors All-Stars (13-14) from Apache Junction Little League kicked off their District 7 tournaments this past week at two different locations in Mesa.
   The Majors All-Stars, playing at Countryside Park, dropped their opening “pool play” game to the Westwood All-Stars by a 12-2 score. The Juniors All-Stars, made up of 13 and 14-yearolds, dropped their opener to Mesa Westwood by a 14-0 score, then lost a heartbreaker to Mesa American by the score of 6-5 in their second game. The Juniors All-Stars will play their final pool play game this Wednesday, July 6 versus Red Mountain National at 6:00 p.m.
   In last Friday’s 6-5 loss to Mesa American played at Gene Autry Park, the A.J. All-Stars out-hit their opponents eight to three but also gave up six unearned runs on six errors.
   Cameron Herrera pitched the first five innings for the Juniors and allowed just an infield single. Mesa American scored five runs off of Herrera, all unearned.

See B-1 and see All Stars B-6