|
Gold Canyon Marijuana
Up In Smoke
“ There’s not going
to be any medical marijuana in Gold
Canyon”
Bryan Martyn, District 2 County
Supervisor, addressing ADOBE meeting
By Christina
Fuoco-Karasinski
The News
A medical marijuana dispensary
that has made overtures
toward moving into Gold
Canyon will be stopped, Pinal
County District 2 Supervisor
Bryan Martyn said during
a spirited, special ADOBE
meeting on Wednesday,
March 30.
“There’s not going to be any
medical marijuana in Gold
Canyon,” Martyn said about
the facility that is attempting
to open at 6900 E. U.S. Highway
60, in the same strip mall
as The Views at Superstition.
“I disagree with it 1000 percent.”
Martyn said a meeting that
was held two weeks ago with
the dispensary’s proposed proprietors
and residents within
1,200 feet of the proposed site was a
formality. It was the
first step in obtaining a special
use permit. The next step
is the proprietors will need to
present their case to the Pinal
County Planning and Zoning
Commission. A public hearing
will also be scheduled for
comments. During the meeting,
P&Z will make a recommendation
to the Board of Supervisors,
who will then vote
on the case. Those meetings
have yet to be scheduled.
“Two votes and you’re in,”
Martyn said about the Board
of Supervisors meeting. “You
have one ‘no’ vote.”
Martyn explained that a
large, yellow 4 feet by 8 feet
sign will be placed at the location
telling of the meetings.
The proprietors will also have
to pay to place an advertisement
in local newspapers.
“I am listening, more importantly
I am hearing you and I
am seeing you,” Martyn said.
“This one’s going to go down
in flames. You can breathe a
sigh of relief.”
See
A-1
and see
Marijuana,
A-8
Lost Dutchman State
Park’s Future Still In Limbo
 State’s budget proposal to have
consequential effect
By Michael Hartman
The News
The Lost Dutchman State
Park’s future is again in danger
this year due to a budget
proposal the Arizona State
Senate is considering adopting.
The budget would sweep
nearly $3 million in funding
from the state parks’ budget
and mandate that at least one
profitable recreation site be
privatized.
However, Governor Jan
Brewer’s office is working on
a plan that does not include parks-fund
sweeps or privatization,
opposing some of the
major issues of the Senate’s
budget plan.
“We need to let our elected
officials know that the Lost
Dutchman State Park is important,”
said Steve Filipowicz,
economic development
director for the City of Apache
Junction. Filipowicz is the liaison
between the Apache
Junction city government and
the state park’s board.
“Sweeps take money out of
the till, and not one penny of
general-fund revenue has
been appropriated to the parks
in a couple years,” Filipowicz
said.
In May of 2010, the Arizona
State Parks Board voted to
keep Lost Dutchman State
Park open during dire financial
times thanks to exceptional
management and financial
agreements with Apache
Junction.
See
A-1
and see
Limbo,
A-8
Ex-Councilman Charged
With Dodging Sales Taxes
 Relates to construction work Joe Severs
performed at a local restaurant
By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski
The News
Former City Councilman Joe
Severs and his wife, Brenda,
have been charged with failure
to make a tax return and
failure to remit full amount
of sales taxes due for work
relating to The Hitching Post
Pizza Pub, court documents
show.
For count one, on or about
Jan. 19, 2011, the couple is
accused of violating Apache
Junction City Code by failing
to make required sales
tax returns for the period of 2010, for
AFAB Bar and Restaurant
Design Inc. for work
performed at the pub, located
at 2341 N. Apache Trail.
For count two, court records
state that on or about the
same date, they did violate
Apache Junction City Code
by failing to remit required
sales tax payments for the period
of Feb. 1, 2009, through
Jan. 31, 2010, for AFAB Bar
and Restaurant Design Inc.
for Joe Severs’ work at the
bar. Both counts are class one
misdemeanor.
The couple is scheduled
for a pre-trial conference at
9 a.m. Friday, May 6, at the
Apache Junction Municipal
Court, 300 E. Superstition
Blvd. They earlier went to
court on March 25, however, pretrial
conference was continued.
A plea agreement was offered
to the defendants on
Wednesday, March 23, andSevers and his
wife retained
counsel, court documents
show. Pretrial interviews need
to be conducted.
Severs, who is now living
in Gilbert, served on
the Apache Junction City
Council from 2005 to 2008.
He abruptly resigned under pressure from
the public and
other city councilmembers in
November, 2008 when it was
reported by the Apache Junction/
Gold Canyon News that
he and his family had moved
to Gilbert several months earlier
and he was violating state
law by continuing to serve
on the Apache Junction City
Council.
Former mayor Doug Coleman
was appointed in November,
2008 to fill Severs
vacated council position.
AJHS Girls Split A
Pair On Diamond
 By Chuck Baker
The News
The Lady Prospector varsity
softball team split a
pair of run-rule ball games
this past week, crushing
Poston Butte 21-3 on Tuesday,
but falling 13-3 to
Queen Creek on Wednesday,
ending the week with
a 6-8 overall record.
The Lady Prospectors
were also competing this
past Friday and Saturday in
the Kingman Coca Cola Invitational
but results were
not available at press time.
On Tuesday against Poston
Butte, the AJHS girls
sent 17 batters to the plate
in the third inning and another
11 in the fourth inning
and combined to score
18 runs on their way to the
lopsided victory.
Lindsey Skinner led the
way for Apache Junction
with four hits in five at bats,
and four runs batted
in. Autumn Rhodes went 3-for-5,
including a three run
homerun, scored three
times and finished with
four RBI, Jennifer Gallina
went 2-for-2, scored three
runs and drove in three
runs, Jade Yost was 3-for-3
and also scored three times,
Skylar Saathoff was 3-for-4
with three runs scored,
Ashley Gonzales and Briana
Lapp both had a hit and
two RBI, Nikki Steen drove
home a pair of runs, and
Hailey Gonwa was 2-for-3
with two runs scored.
Steen pitched four innings
of five-hit ball and struck
Lady Prospector Skylar Saathoff rips one
of her three
base hits in last Tuesday’s 21-3 win
over Poston Butte
out four batters to get the
win on the mound while
Christine Emmons finished
up pitching a scoreless fifth
inning.
In Wednesday’s loss to
Queen Creek, the Lady
Bulldogs pounded out 17
base hits to improve to
10-9 overall. That record is
somewhat misleading when
you consider that eight of
Queen Creek’s losses have
come against 5A-Division
schools in various tournaments.
See
B-1,
and see
Girls
B-6
|
