Dickson Files Claim Against County
Lieutenant has been on paid leave for a year, lawyer says
By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski
The News
A member of the Pinal County sheriff’s command staff who has been on paid administrative leave for a year has filed a $1.75 million claim against the organization.
   Lt. Kaye Dickson, who is receiving $80,000 a year, was in charge of the Communications, 9-1-1 and Evidence Division until July 2009 when Sheriff Paul Babeu accused her of “criminal wrongdoing as well as internal policy violations.” She has yet to be told of her “wrongdoing,” according to the complaint.
   Dickson’s lawyer, Gary L. Lassen of Phoenix, sent a six-page letter dated July 21, 2010, to Babeu, Chief Deputy Steve Henry, Capt. Jeff Karns, Administrative Lieutenant to Sheriff Babeu Blake King, as well as the three Pinal County supervisors, Pete Rios, Bryan Martyn and David Snider.
   “Lt. Dickson was ostensibly placed on leave pending an investigation into possible criminal misconduct according to the information published by the sheriff,” Lassen wrote. “No such criminal improper misconduct exists. The fact that Lt. Dickson was placed on leave and continues as such without any factual basis violates the terms of her employment, constitutes adverse employment and constitutes a violation on her constitutional rights as a permanent public employee in Arizona.”

See A-1 and see Dickson, A-3

Schools Adopt Customer Service Measures
All employees must go through training
By Betty Swanson
The News
All employees of the Apache Junction Unified School District will go through mandatory customer service training this fall, and both parent and student complaint procedures have been standardized in an effort to furnish better service to parents and students.
   According to a presentation given to governing board members by Human Resources Manager Dottie Hunt at the July 27 meeting, some parents feel that their voices aren’t being heard. Now, written complaints will be sent to the district office for resolution if not resolved at the school level to the parents’ satisfaction.
   Students will have a “Student Concerns, Complaints or Grievances” form to fill out and give to a school administrator. They will then be contacted within two days to discuss the concern with the school administrator. If the concern involves a staff member, a copy of the form will be sent to Human Resources the same day.
   Also at the meeting, board members approved entering into an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) with Central Arizona College allowing Apache Junction High School students’ dual enrollment in college-level courses at CAC which may be counted toward both high school and college graduation requirements.

See A-1 and see Schools, A-5

Biker Rides Cross-country For Charity
Charity trip went from Fla. to Alaska in 14 days
By Betty Swanson
The News
It’s 8,200 miles from Key West, Fla., to Homer, Alaska. And, between June 20 and July 4, East Valley resident Sam Jeppsen saw every mile of it up close and personal from the back of his Harley- Davidson motorcycle as he participated in the Hoka Hey Challenge 2010.
   He did it both for a charitable cause and to fulfill a dream he has had since he was 14 years old—riding a motorcycle cross-country to Alaska.
   His principal sponsor was Superstition Harley-Davidson Motorcycles in Apache Junction and his effort was endorsed by mayors of four East Valley cities, including Mayor John Insalaco of Apache Junction. Of the 750 riders that started, 200 finished the challenge and Jeppsen was one of them.
   The charities that will benefit from the money he earned are several children’s organizations including Sunshine Acres and the Child Crisis Center of the East Valley, as well as Lost Dutchman State Park. He guarantees that 100 percent of the money raised will go to the designated charities.
   He collected—and is still collecting—pledges for every mile that he rode. Pledges are being taken at the website www.arizonacharityriders.com until August 15.

See A-1 and see Harley, A-6

A.J. Softball All-Stars, Klitzke And Reid
By Chuck Baker
The News
Only two players from Apache Junction Little League, Majors softball All-Stars Bailey Klitzke and Katie Reid, had the opportunity to play in a State Tournament game this post season.
   Klitzke and Reid, who played for an Apache Junction Little League All-Star team in the District 7 Tournament, were both picked up for “sectionals” and “state” competitions by the Red Mountain All-Stars from Mesa. They competed this past Monday in the state tournament against an All-Star team from Camp Verde and lost an 11-0 decision and were eliminated from the tournament. After Red Mountain won the District 7 Tournament, Little League rules allowed them to pick up three players from other teams as they advanced to play in sectionals.
   This year’s sectional tournament was played July 17-23 in Maricopa and despite losing their very first game, the Red Mountain All-Stars then won their next four games to finish runner-up and advance to the state tournament.
   Bailey was one the team’s top pitchers and also batted clean-up in the Red Mountain offense. Katie was the team’s starting second baseman and batted seventh in the lineup. Both players came up big in sectionals for Red Mountain, at the plate and on defense.

See B-1 and see All-Stars B-6