ROX! Magazine April 2014

A p r i l 2 0 1 4C o m p l i m e n t a r y

EVERYTHING ABOUT ARIZONA’S GOLDEN CORRIDORARIZONA CITY • CASA GRANDE • COOLIDGE • ELOY • FLORENCE • MARICOPA

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YOU HEALTH, WEALTH & EDUCAT ION

8 R O X ! T A L K1 0 - 1 1 C O M M U N I T Y C A L E N D A R

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1 6 A C C E S S A R I Z O N A1 7 P A S S E N G E R R A I L

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3 4 W H Y S O L A R I S S W E E P I N G A R I Z O N A

4 0 - 4 1 P I N A L C O U N T Y W A T E R - P A S T , P R E S E N T , F U T U R E

4 4 E D U C A T I O N R OX5 4 - 5 5 COME ON I N5 8 A N I N T R O T O

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R E Q U I R EG R E A T

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Medical ROX56-85

A P R I L 2 0 1 4 • 7

L E T T E R F R O M T H E E D I T O R

Bea

When people say the idiom ‘time flies when you’re having fun’ – they aren’t kidding around! First

quarter 2014 is well on the way to second quarter. The first day of spring has sprung and summer is mere minutes away.

Life here at ROX! is anything but sedate. We leap from deadline to deadline, project to project with nary a blink between. If you aren’t up to the task of multi-task-ing, this is not the place to be. Truth be told, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

This edition we’ve touched on our typical myriad of subjects: water – the lifeblood of area agriculture, PhoenixMart – baby steps forward, and passenger rail – when and where. Pinal County is such a unique place to be as we, the residents, define our future. Are we rural or suburban, agricultural or manufacturing - or a yet to be defined enterprise? Located between the two pow-erhouse counties (or is it countries) of Maricopa and Pima, Pinal County is still perceived as a stepchild by the political powers of the state. But as our population grows, as entrepreneurs discover all that Pinal County has to offer, our future as a leader within the State is becoming more apparent. And we are ready to accept that challenge!

To continue our themed publication format, we are featuring Medical, Health and Wellness. People are more knowledgeable about what ails them – and do more to prevent illness than ever before. Eating right, exercise and alternative medicine is no longer a fad but mainstream. Going forward, we will be including some tidbit from the alternative healthcare community. Acu-puncture and oils are just a few topics to come!

To show my multi-tasking ability to change the subject without any warning – let’s talk two subjects near and dear to me: marketing and advertising.

Marketing: the action or business of promoting and selling products or services, including market re-search and advertising.

Advertising: the paid, public, non-personal an-nouncement of a persuasive message by an identified sponsor; the non-personal presentation or promotion by a firm of its products to its existing and potential customers.

As I said earlier, summer is almost here. Now is your opportunity to attract new clients and to reward your current clients for their loyalty and patronage. The next edition of ROX! Magazine is our Travel and Auto-motive edition, followed by our Business and Dining edition. Take the opportunity to present your business, your products and services to the year round residents.

Tell me what you want to read about in upcoming editions of ROX! Magazine – [email protected]

I love reading your comments!

Oh, How Time Flies.


PUBLISHERRock Earle

Editor-in-Chief Bea Lueck

Contributing WriterHarold Kitching

MEDIA COORDINATOR Angela Johnson

MARKETING/ADVERTISING EXECUTIVESJamie WagnerLeslie Garcia

Marketing Assistant Tami Deeks

GRAPHIC DESIGNKyle Bogan

CHIEF OF OPERATIONS & FINANCEElaine Earle

Advertising [email protected]

Comments & [email protected]

Calendar [email protected]

(520) 426-20743151 N Piper Ave., Suite B117,

Casa Grande, AZ 85122

gcROX is published by RAXX Direct. Editorial content is provided by affiliates of RAXX Direct, community members and local organizations.

The publishers of gcROX assume no responsibility for errors or omissions of any advertisement beyond the actual cost of the advertisement. In no event shall the publishers be liable for any consequential damages in excess of the cost of the advertisement. gcROX shall not be liable for inaccuracies, errors, omissions, or damages from the use of information

contained herein. Submitted articles do not reflect the opinions of the owners or management of gcROX. Information contained within submitted articles had not been verified for accuracy and readers are responsible for forming their own opinions. Real estate information is as of 3-21-14 and is subject to current availability and pricing.

It s about LOCAL‘

A P R I L 2 0 1 4 • 9

- Rock Earle

If you’ve taken my recent advice (to contemplate the perfection of shadows) then I must believe that you have come to enjoy the most robust health, both body and mind, in this flight of fancy - this adventure - we call Life!

Good health is obviously important, yet we Amerikans pay it short shrift, engaged as we are in the headlong rush to get ahead. Yes, we can’t help but hear about it - from the menus in fast food restaurants screaming out calorie counts to glossy magazine covers showing runners’ bodies none of us mere mortals could possibly ever hope to have. Nonetheless, we grow ever more sedentary as our worlds turn from proactive 3-D reality to reactive virtual worlds courtesy of glass screens and the devil that lurks behind them.

The concept of (good) health is great, but in this day and age it needs to be planned for. In this issue of ROX! Magazine, we take up the clarion call to inform our readers about local roads to healthy lives: our options here, from doctors to clinics to lifestyles to treatments and philosophies, including - yes - even medical marijuana.

Just as our bodies and minds crave healthiness, so does our local economy, and they both need to be intended. Business environments grow, get sick, recover and - sometimes - die, based on the care and concern of its constituents: us. One of the wisest characters ever, Pogo, famously said “we have met the enemy … and it is us!” And here we are, all together in our own part of the swamp, fighting over “the same” crawfish.

Though it may seem like it at times, our local economy is NOT a zero-sum game, that is, for every winner there does NOT have to be a loser. It is quite possible for any community to win together by not only cooperating at home, but also by looking out into neighboring territory, and all winning together by ENLARGING THE GAME.

This endeavor is called Economic Development, and the institutions we have currently at play do a great job of it. In a sense, all of the interlocking parts of that puzzle - cities, counties, and regional associations, here generally led by ACCESS ARIZONA - are the health care professionals of

our economy. They do a great job, and without them we may certainly fall ill and worse.

We at ROX play a large role in cheerleading these endeavors - even lending a hand when we can. We are also quite focused on listening well, and repeating good news when we hear it. That’s why we are very excited to say that our commercial real estate brokerage business, in the doldrums since 2007 or so, (really not a business during the Great Recession!) is picking up. Businesses are [finally] making decisions to expand and need new sites and therefore pick up the phone and call us. In fact, we have experienced more interest in the last several months than in all the last five years! Why this renewed interest in business expansion? Because not even a corrupt, clueless and confiscatory federal government can keep a nation of entrepreneurs down forever.

So we are accelerating our efforts to get back from vacation, so to speak, and create the area’s first real dedicated, full-service commercial real estate brokerage to serve the area’s business community with the right real estate for the intended commercial use, be that retail, office, industrial, lodging, multi-family, medical - whatever.

As a “welcome back” to our local business community, also in the pages of this issue you will find various pieces, from “WHY COLDWELL BANKER ROX?” to information on commercial sites that we are currently marketing. For more, just go to our commercial real estate website, www.cbroxcommercial.com. Enjoy!

MINE, YOURS, AND OURS

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4/1 Downtown St. Scene-Feria:Latin Spring Festival 5:30-9:00pm @ Historic Downtown 520-836-8744

4/3-4/4 Spring Play 7:00pm @ CAC Pence Center $5 520-477-7469

4/3 Bus Career Exploration Workshops & Seminar 9:00am-12:30pm @ CAC 520-477-7469

4/5 4th Annual Garden & Landscape Tour 8:00am-2:00pm, Various Locations 520-316-0215

4/5 Spring Play 3:00pm @ CAC Pence Center $5 520-477-7469

4/5 Honoring Hiring Helping Our Heroes of Pinal 7:00am-3:00pm @ Fairgrounds 520-374-3095

4/5 Marty Haggard-A Tribute to Merle Haggard @ Paramount Theatre $25 (520) 836-1030

4/5 CG Rotary Denim and Diamonds 6:00pm @ St. Anthony Comm Ctr 480-540-7237

4/5 Bellini & Brushes with Amanda Hoffman 11:00am @ In a Pear Tree $50

4/5 First Saturdays on the Patio 7:00pm @ Main Street Patio 520-836-8744

4/6 SGT Tate Lynch & Law Enforcement Memorial Run 12: 00pm @McMashers $20 per vehicle 520 251-1446

4/6 Marty Haggard-A Tribute to Merle Haggard @ Paramount Theatre $25 (520) 836-1030

4/10 4/13 Country Thunder USA @ County Thunder West, Florence AZ 866-802-6418

4/12 Golden Jubilee Night at the Museum Fundraiser 7:00pm @ CGV Historical Museum 520-836-2223

4/12 Boys & Girls Club Annual Golf Tournament 8:00am-2:00pm @ San Miguel Golf, Eloy 520-876-5437

4/12 "Mums the Word" with Cindy Patterson 10:00am @ In a Pear Tree $38 pre-registration necessary

4/12 Car Racing @ Central Arizona Speedway 5:00pm www.centralarizonaspeedway.com

4/12-4/13 Marty Haggard-A Tribute to Merle Haggard @ Paramount Theatre $25 (520) 836-1030

4/14 Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra 7:00pm @ CAC Pence Center, $22 520-477-7469

4/16 Down at the Depot Speaker Series-Quilting Craft 2:00pm @ Senior Adult Ctr 520-836-2223

4/17 Spring Band Extravaganza 7:00pm @ CAC Pence Ctr 520-477-7469

4/18 Party in the Park Concert Series-Neil Diamond Tribute 6:00pm @ Peart Park 520-421-8761

4/19 Spring City Wide Clean-Up 8:00-11:00am @ Various Locations 520-421-8677

4/19 United Way of Pinal County's Spring Golf Tournament @ Robson Ranch Golf 520-836-0736

4/19 Family Easter Celebration-City of Casa Grande 9:30-11:00am @ Paul Mason Park 520-421-8677

4/19 Seeds of Hope 6th Annual Dinner 5:30pm @ First Presbyterian 520-836-6335

4/22 Chat Chew & Chocolate Signature Event 5:30-8:30pm TBD in Casa Grande 520-361-1221

4/26 Market on the Move-Volunteers Needed 7:00-10:00am @ Outlets at Casa Grande 520-836-2125 $10


4/29 Visual Arts Gallery Opening - Annual Student Exhibition 6:00pm @ CAC 520-477-7469

4/29 Jazz Night @ CAC Pence Center 7:00pm 520-477-7469

4/30 Pinal County Business Education Summit 8:00am-12:30pm @ CAC Corp Center 520-866-6957

5/1 Student Art Gallery Opening 3:00pm @ CAC 520-477-7469

5/2 Cinco de Mayo 2:00-4:00 pm @ Senior Center $3 - $5 520-421-8760

5/3 Cinco De Mayo Celebration 10:00am @ CAC Family Event 520-477-7469

5/3 First Saturdays on the Patio 7:00pm @ Main St. Patio 520-836-8744

5/6 Guitar Recital 7:00pm @ CAC 520-477-7469

5/6 Downtown St Scene-Summer Splash 5:30-9:00pm @ Historic Downtown 520-836-8744

5/8 Choral & Handbell Concert 7:00pm @ CAC Pence Ctr Fre 520-477-7469

5/12 ROCKTACULAR Rock Concert 7:00pm @ CAC Concert Events 520-477-7469

5/15 Night in the 40's Dinner and Dance 7:00pm @ Paramount Theater $24 or 2 for $40 520-836-4200

5/16 Party in the Park Concert Series-That Kool Band 6:00pm @ Peart Park 520-421-8760


5/20 Pinnacle High School Graduation 6:30pm @ CAC 520-423-2380

5/26 Visual Arts Gallery featuring Neil A. Miller 6:00pm @ CAC 520-477-7469

5/27 Chat Chew & Chocolate Signature Event 5:30-8:30pm @ TBD in Casa Grande 559-361-1221

5/31 Market on the Move-Volunteers Needed 7:00-10:00am @ Outlets at Casa Grande 520-836-2125 $10


Community CalendarApril - may 2014

If you have an event that you would like listed in the ROX! Magazine Community Calendar, please send all your available information (who, what, where, when) to [email protected].


From time to time you hear of people living “The American Dream” albeit far and few between in today’s world. Our interviewee this issue is one such person. Growing up in family that immigrated to our country, French was the only language spoken in her home until she entered the public school system in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. From that point on she excelled at whatever she chose to do. A single mother raising her children, she put herself through college eventually obtaining her doctorate in education. As our luck would have it, fate intervened and she moved to Casa Grande to eventually become president of Central Arizona College. This is an interesting story where we only scratched the surface.

Brett EiseleChief Operating Officer – ROX GroupMarch, 2014

ROX INTERVIEW

DR DORIS HELMICHPRESIDENT OF CENTRAL ARIZONA COLLEGE

GCROX: Doctor, Where were you born, where did you grow up?

DR. HELMICH: I grew up in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, a little city.

GCROX: Pawtucket Red Sox?DR. HELMICH: Yes, very good! They

were in my back yard and we went to the Pawtucket Red Sox home game every 4th of July, followed by fireworks.

GCROX: Any siblings?DR. HELMICH: I have two sisters and

four brothers, so we're a large family.GCROX: Where do you fall in the line?DR. HELMICH: I'm the middle child and

first—generation college student. Of course, my father graduated from high school, but

my mother never made it past the eighth grade.

Two of the seven have college degrees, my oldest brother and me and we both have Doctorates. He was the chair of the linguistics department at the University of St. Louis his entire career.

GCROX: What do you remember about growing up in Pawtucket?

DR. HELMICH: I remember the snow. The blizzard of '78 is something that we all lived through. I remember snow days where you didn't have to go to school and you would stay home and watch the snowfall from your bedroom window. With seven children though it was a bit stressful for my

mom, but she seemed to enjoy it most of the time unless we were pulling on her apron strings.

GCROX: Were you a tomboy?DR. HELMICH: I was! I had a bicycle,

but mostly I had a tennis racket. I grew up playing tennis. My dad taught me to play when I was about 10 years old and I also played basketball with my brothers.

GCROX: You were an accomplished tennis player, weren't you?

DR. HELMICH: Yes. I was a ranked tennis player in the State of Rhode Island, but the sport I excelled at was racquetball. I was nationally ranked in racquetball and sponsored by Reebok.

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GCROX: In tennis did you turn professional?

DR. HELMICH: I taught on a professional level, but I never played on a professional level. I did play throughout my college years.

GCROX: Was your dad a task master when it came to tennis?

DR. HELMICH: No. Actually he played recreationally and only taught me to play for recreation. I just had a knack for it and enjoyed the game so much I would do my daily chores, get on my bicycle, strap my tennis racquet to the bicycle and cycle to the closest park and play tennis all day long.

GCROX: Did your tennis help you in college, were you offered a scholarship?

DR. HELMICH: No. I played for a Division Three school where scholarships were not given for sports, but I think it helped me socially, because I, believe it or not, was a quiet child. I was very quiet. English was not my first language. My first language was French.

GCROX: Do you speak fluent French?DR. HELMICH: I used to, but I don't

speak much anymore. As a child when I went to school, it was English only. You could not speak French.

GCROX: Did you speak French in the home?

DR. HELMICH: Yes, we all spoke French until my oldest brother went to school. He could only speak English in the school and brought it home to us, so we began speaking English.

We lived in an apartment building that my grandparents lived in and owned and they spoke only French. It was French in the home and very broken English, you know, "Throwing up the stairs my shoes?" and it made me very shy. I did not speak much in school until my high school years. Once I found tennis and I found something I was really good at, but it started with basketball. There was a formal basketball league in my high school which I joined and became a star player even as short as I am!

GCROX: Did you do well in high school, National Honor Society?

DR. HELMICH: Yes, and graduated third in my class. I wasn't quite that interested in academics at the time to study hard enough to be first.

GCROX: Because you were third in your class, were you offered scholastic scholarships?

DR. HELMICH: No, because my parents being immigrants were not willing to let me move away to go to college, so I went to the State college, where they didn't offer scholarships.

GCROX: What college was that?DR. HELMICH: Rhode Island College

where my major was physical education.GCROX: Was your father okay with

that?DR. HELMICH: Yes, because it involved

teaching which was a traditional women's field. If I was not going to be in teacher, I probably could not have gone to college.

What I really wanted to do was be a meteorologist. My mother did not want me to go to college so I had to apply without her knowing and I applied to the State college because I knew I could get in. I also applied to Georgetown because they had this great meteorology program and lo and behold I got accepted, but could not attend. My parents were not going to hear of it.

GCROX: Why meteorology? Where did that come from?

DR. HELMICH: I was very interested in things I didn't really understand, and I wanted to understand more about weather. For instance, why couldn't meteorologists predict the weather? What was wrong with them that they couldn't predict weather better in New England? You know what they say; “hold your breath and the weather will change”. That's what happens in New England, it changes often and I thought I could do a better job than what they were doing.

GCROX: Did you buy books or go to the

library and read about it?DR. HELMICH: I did. My electives were in

meteorology, so I took some calculus classes and some meteorology classes because I was interested in it, but just as electives. I had to concentrate on being a teacher and physical education, which I loved.

Times were changing and now you could actually teach students how to be creative through physical education. This was experimental learning and I was fascinated by it. I swore I could teach students how to speak French in a Phys Ed class because they just loved being creative.

GCROX: Where was your first job?DR. HELMICH: In a public school in

northern Rhode Island, Burrillville, Rhode Island.

I also worked for Mansfield Public Schools in Massachusetts. It was a very difficult time because I was part of the baby boom generation and teaching jobs, especially if you were a specialist and physical education was considered a specialty, the school might have only one opening for a PE teacher.

Proposition 3 1/2 was approved and taxes to support the public schools were cut and a lot of teachers lost their jobs. It was very hard to break into teaching, so I moved around quite a bit.

GCROX: Did you eventually move on to teach in middle school?

DR. HELMICH: I did. I moved on to middle school and then high school and eventually taught college.

GCROX: You keep mentioning Massachusetts. Did you ever move there?

DR. HELMICH: Yes. I lived in Massachusetts when I first got married and had my children. I raised my children in Attleboro, Massachusetts which was just over the Rhode Island line.

GCROX: Did you ever want to do something else?

DR. HELMICH: Yes, I liked the teaching job I had because while raising my children, it was a great schedule. As soon as they were old enough to be left alone, I was looking to increase my education and change what I was doing. I had a real interest in nutrition by this point, so I received my Master's in health education and was hired as a health educator for Bryant College, which is now Bryant University. I worked there for 12 years as a health educator at first, but after about seven years of doing that, I got restless again and went back to college to be an administrator and, in fact, prepared to be a college president.

GCROX: When did you begin studies for your Doctorate?

DR. HELMICH: About 1995. Again, I was at Bryant College and they had a program where if the Doctorate would help you improve your current skills related to your job, they would pay for it. They paid for everything; my classes, my books, even the paper that my dissertation was printed on. It


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was too good to pass up and start to finish it only took me three years!

GCROX: What did your mother think of all this?

DR. HELMICH: Now she is very happy for lots of reasons. When my children were 18 months and three years old, I was divorced, and I had to earn enough money so the three of us could live. From that day forward my mom has been very happy that I had a college education. My father passed away before I became a college president, but I was a dean at the time he passed away and my mother continually says to me, "Your father would have been so proud of you," and I never thought I'd hear those words. Especially coming from a parent that just didn't want me to go to college and then to see what I've been able to do.

GCROX: In only three years? That was quite an accomplishment. What was your thesis on?

DR. HELMICH: My thesis was on a premise that although you expose students to the same college environment, they all have a different experience.

I proved through research that not all students who were exposed to the same college environment had the same experience. I picked those groups of students that had a different experience.

Bryant College was part of a “satisfaction” study that was going on nationwide, Noel—Levitz is a big company that does national surveys of college students, and the president of our college continually said: “Oh, look how satisfied our students are with the college”.

My involvement was to have a relationship with the students that was different from the college presidents and I wasn't hearing all students were satisfied, not to the extent that he was touting, so I decided to delve into the research deeper and conducted some tests that had a very strong correlation.

What I found was while the averages showed students were satisfied, minority students were not. If you looked at students who were juniors or seniors, they were not satisfied either. We learned some really valuable information about the institution. As a result we were able to put some programs in place.

GCROX: As a result of your thesis?DR. HELMICH: Yes. I received a

promotion because of all I did. It's the same thing with Central Arizona College, we conducted this national survey about student engagement, and it reveals many of our students are engaged, but as we disaggregate the data, we also found that many students are not engaged. One of the facts we found early on about our minority students and our commuter students was the further away they traveled to the campus, the less engaged they were. Because they would come in, take the class, and then have

to get back to their life. We put some programs in place to try

to keep them on campus, try to get them to meet other students, because interaction is a valuable piece of education.

GCROX: Did you have to retrain faculty at the College to understand what your idea was?

DR. HELMICH: Yes. And, you know, I've been at it for some time. I've been at the college since 2001, and I started this whole idea of looking at data since 2001. Even though I wasn't the president then, I still had an impact, and it was valued in terms of looking at the data because the data doesn't lie. But you do have to know which tests to apply to the data and what to look for. I've used everything from my Doctorate, and I just keep using it over and over again. It's been very valuable.

GCROX: After you had earned your Doctorate and had been promoted, what made you decide to leave it all and move to Arizona?

DR. HELMICH: I think what brought me out here was my husband to tell you the truth. I think I probably would still be back east, but he was in a very bad car accident and as a result had a lot of arthritis in his leg. His Doctor said maybe he should start looking for a dryer, warmer climate.

I had never been to Arizona, but my husband had and he really liked the climate. One day during a snowstorm, I went job hunting on the Internet, and lo and behold I find a position at Central Arizona College I thought had my name written all over it. They were looking for a director of a grant to do X, Y, and Z, and I had done it all. It was a large grant and it was a Hispanic Serving Institution Grant, which was seed money to improve the achievement gaps of Latinos. As a result of my research back east it was a good fit. Back east I had put some programs in place where students were assigned mentors in their freshman year and the mentors were a combination of staff and older students.

We managed to engage the students and help them enough during their freshman year that we actually improved the retention rate.

GCROX: Was the change noticeable?DR. HELMICH: It was very noticeable.

We went from 67 to 83 percent retention. This was over a three—year period.

I knew I could probably employ the same concept here and they would have an improved retention rate.

That's how I sold myself to the institution during my interview, plus, I had been involved with orientation of college programs which they did not have at CAC.

GCROX: You’re having gone to school in the east and you’re growing up in the east, you know the mind set and way of life are totally different.

When you came out here was there culture shock? Or did you adapt right away?

ROX! Interview • Continued from page 13

Continued on page 50

A P R I L 2 0 1 4 • 1 5

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The nation’s explosive region for growth.Multimodal access. Solid infrastructure. Skilled workforce. Collaborative local leadership.

ACCESS ARIZONA:

PINAL COUNTY IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS TO EVERYONEBy Jim Dinkle, Executive Director

ACCESS ARIZONA joined the Greater Phoenix Economic

Council (GPEC), the Arizona Technology Council, the Arizona Small Business Association, the Arizona Tourism and Lodging Association, American Airlines, Apple, Intel, Delta Airlines and many other business interests in urging Governor Jan Brewer’s veto of Senate Bill 1062. Simply stated, Pinal County is open for business to everyone.

The GLBT community objected fiercely to SB1062. This segment accounts for 1.4 million business owners in the United States. The total buying power or disposable personal income of the adult U.S. LGBT population is projected at $830 billion.An estimated 16 million Americans identify themselves as being LGBT.

According to the Human Rights Campaign, 87 percent of LGBT adults would consider a brand that has equal benefits for LGBT employees. In addition, 47 percent of LGBT adults are more

likely to purchase a company’s products or services when an advertisement has been tailored to an LGBT audience. Further, 23 percent of LGBT adults have switched products or services in the past year because a different company was supportive of the LGBT community.Even if a brand is costlier or less convenient, 71 percent of LGBT people would remain loyal to that brand should they be supportive of and friendly to LGBT issues. This is clearly a consumer segment wielding enormous economic power.

According to Business Insider, the LGBT community has a 23 percent higher median household income and 24 percent more equity in their homes than the American general market. A survey conducted by Prudential in 2012 found that gays were more likely to have higher educations, to carry less debt, to have more savings and were less likely to be jobless

with an unemployment rate of almost a point below the national percentage.

Many local employers and corporations doing business in Pinal County know the value of the LGBT community by having domestic partner benefits programs. These include, but are not limited to, Abbott Laboratories, Frito-Lay/Pepsico, Central Arizona College, Casa Grande Regional Medical Center, Daisy Brand, Monsanto, APS, Hospice of the Valley, Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Walgreens, Target, J.C. Penney, Kohl’s, Staples, Wells Fargo, Chase Bank, Fry’s, Verizon and AT&T.

I remember a quote from Bishop Desmond Tutu, who said, “Isn't it amazing that we are all made in God's image, and yet there is so much diversity among his people?”

Pinal County is open for business to everyone. We embrace diversity.

accessarizona.org

The nation’s explosive region for growth.Multimodal access. Solid infrastructure. Skilled workforce. Collaborative local leadership.

A P R I L 2 0 1 4 • 1 7

Passenger Rail Corridor Study

Continued on page 28 Graphic provided by ADOT

Shaping the Vision – Public Participation

Spring 2014

Tucson and Phoenix are Arizona’s largest metropolitan areas and they are connected by Interstate 10 (I10). It is the most heavily traveled corridor in our state and it is reaching capacity. Previous studies have shown that I-10, even with additional lanes, is not sufficient to meet the future travel demand.

The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) Passenger Rail Corridor Study; Tucson to Phoenix has narrowed down possible rail routes to three alternatives to potentially meet the need for future transportation options between Tucson and Phoenix.

Arizona’s population is projected to nearly double in the next 40 years. Rising from 6.2 million to 11.6 million, most of the increase will result from growth in the Sun Corridor, which encompasses Maricopa, Pinal, and Pima counties. The need for passenger rail is based on the anticipated travel patterns and growing congestion on the highway network. This is a result of population and job growth projections.

PASSENGER RAIL SERVICE COMES INTO FOCUS

Arizonans want flexibility in use of a future passenger rail service – it’s not just about getting between Tucson and Phoenix, but also moving from place to place along the way. The concept of a “blended service” would provide a local and express service that would operate on the same tracks but at different times of the day. Local service would be intended for moving around the corridor, while an express option would focus on providing more direct service with fewer stops and faster travel times.

Train stations are vibrant community gathering places. The study team met with several communities throughout the study area to talk about what it takes to build a successful station. Communities want a mix of commercial and residential development, the ability to walk and bike to and from the station, parking, and plenty of options for traveling to your final destination once you depart the train.

Building rail infrastructure is only as valuable as the riders who use the system. As part of this study, ridership numbers are forecasted based on several inputs including anticipated population growth, development, and employment areas.

WHAT YOU HAVE TOLD USADOT has reached out to communities

at dozens of events and festivals between Tucson and Phoenix. In 2011, ADOT asked Arizonans their general thoughts regarding rail and the use of rail in Arizona. In 2012, ADOT presented seven route alternatives and asked Arizonans to provide their opinions on each alternative. A total of 6,675 comments were received in the form of paper surveys, online surveys, and general emailed comments.

Overall, support for a rail system is


CITYSPEAKBy Robert “Bob” Jackson, Mayor, City of Casa Grande

Good Quality of Life is a major goal for our City Council. The Community Services

Department has been very aggressive in planning and implementing programs that appeal to all ages and lifestyles while being innovative and timely in introducing new ones.

We have received various state and national awards for many of our programs and continue to adapt to our changing citizen needs. One program that has really flourished is our “Let’s Move!” program. The idea started from First Lady Michelle Obama and is intended to address the childhood obesity issue nationwide.

THE FIVE GOALS IDENTIFIED IN THE PROGRAM ARE:Goal 1: Start Early, Start Smart. It is intended to provide preschool children

with a healthier start and incorporates best practices for nutrition and physical activity. Casa Grande received a silver medal for this goal in 2013.

Goal 2: My Plate, Your Place. This goal encourages parents, caregivers

and local elected officials to prominently display My Plate in all municipal or county venues where food is served. In Casa Grande this includes schools and the Dorothy Powell Senior Adult Center. Casa Grande received a gold medal for this goal in 2013.

Goal 3: Smart Servings for Students. This goal provides healthy food in schools and commits local elected officials to increase participation in the School Breakfast Program and National School Lunch Program. In 2013 we received a bronze medal for this goal.

Goal 4: Model Food Service. This goal implements healthy and sustainable

food service guidelines that are aligned with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans in all municipal and county venues that serve food. We received a gold medal in 2013.

Goal 5: Active Kids at Play. This goal is meant to increase physical

activity by mapping local play spaces, completing a needs assessment, developing an

action plan and launching a minimum of three proven policies, programs or initiatives aimed at increasing access to play. In 2013 Casa Grande received a gold medal for this goal.

Partnerships for all these programs are the key. We were fortunate to have a willing partner in the Casa Grande Elementary School District. Working together we created the “SenSational” salad bar at all of the Casa Grande Elementary Schools. It has been a huge hit and has been nationally recognized for its innovation. One of the spin off programs provides fresh fruits and vegetables to participating schools. The program is sponsored by the US Department of Agriculture. In Casa Grande, Palo Verde and Saguaro Elementary Schools participate and introduce students to a variety of fresh produce daily at no cost to the district.

Our annual Day of Play, Playtopia is one of the programs that have helped us receive a gold medal in Goal 5. It encourages all ages to enjoy outdoor activity and takes place in the fall.

One of our newest undertakings is the Community Obesity Task Force. This group formed after a community health survey by Casa Grande Regional Medical Center and Sun Life Family Health Center identified obesity as one of the major health issues in the area. This task force is just getting underway but their goal is to develop a measurable way to determine if Casa Grande, and later other communities in western Pinal County, will improve our long term health. It is through Public/Private partnerships like this that we can make a difference and improve the quality of life of our citizens.

This is the perfect time of the year to get out and get some exercise, enjoy the City parks, hike the trails at Casa Grande Mountain, take a bike ride or just get out and play. Strong cities are built on a foundation of strong families and empowered neighborhoods that support every child. We have 360 days of sunshine every year, go out and enjoy it with your family and friends.

CELEBRATE CASA GRANDE

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There is a movement underway in Casa Grande and Pinal County to create a culture of wellness.

A Let’s Move Coalition was created by eight community organizations to develop a program first in the Casa Grande area and later expand the program throughout Pinal County. The eight partners are: Casa Grande Regional Medical Center, Casa Grande Elementary School District, City of Casa Grande, Greater Casa Grande Chamber of Commerce, Nutrition Therapy Clinic, Pinal County Health Department, Sun Life Family Health Center and the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension.

The Coalition began as the result of a community-needs assessment conducted by Casa Grande Regional Medical Center, Sun Life Family Health Center and Pinal County Department of Health which identified obesity as one of the three most significant health problems facing our community today.

The City of Casa Grande has had a program in place “Let’s Move” through the national program. The City has walking path routes through historic areas and downtown Casa Grande, programs for employees of the City and the annual “Playtopia Day” scheduled in September this year.

Future goals of the Let’s Move Coalition are to: support and encourage citizens to participate in the current “Let’s Move” program; create and maintain a dedicated website; create a master calendar to list free and inexpensive health-related classes; provide links to other health resources; use social media to have citizens post personal testimonials and photos of walks; provide information and encourage businesses to create a ‘buzz’ within their business to inform and motivate employees. The formation of new health habits of our citizens will result in a decrease in obesity and an increase in a healthier community.

Helen Neuharth, President/CEO Greater Casa Grande Chamber of Commerce


CG NewsHOME CITY NEWS BUSINESS

SPOTLIGHT

By Harold Kitching

The Casa Grande Art Museum is open again, with the help from two retired Army medical officers turned artists, and is preparing for a major art show and sale of paintings by the late Paul Modlin, a noted Casa Grande artist.

It was announced in September that the museum would close because of maintenance problems and lack of money. Volunteers were also needed, Regis Sommers, a Friends of the Arts board member, recalls. That has been turned around with the arrival of Bob Spille and Roger Olson, the retired military men who essentially moved into the museum at 319 W. Third St., trading the space for their help in maintaining the building and greeting and guiding guests.

“It’s been a long road”, Sommers said. Because of the problems at the

museum, “we were not financially capable of having a regular seasonal show or shows,” she said.

Olsen saw in the Casa Grande Dispatch newspaper that the museum was closing, leading his wife, Gloria, to call Sommers and tell her that Olsen and Spille would like to rent the building for painting studio space.

“I wear rose-colored glasses when it comes to things like this, so I thought it was a win-win for the museum,” Sommers said.

“To make it all work,” Olsen said, “rather than us in a renting situation we’re become the full time volunteers, manage and run

For more than 11 years, Harold Kitching reported on city government for the Casa Grande Dispatch newspaper before resigning. He continues that type of reporting on his private website. The website is not affiliated with the Casa Grande Dispatch nor has it been endorsed by that newspaper.Harold Kitching


all the volunteer time, and in addition we’ll become caretakers, recommending to the board what needs to be done and doing everything from washing windows to planning this, that and the other thing. That gets us over the complication of renting it, and we get the space here.”

As Spille adds, “We’ll be here, we’ll set up your permanent hours and we will be here during those times and we will be here, more than likely, in addition to those times. And when we are here, we’d be very happy to open the museum for anyone that would like to come and wander in.

“I expect that this is probably going to be more like 25, 30 hours a week that the

museum will be able to be open. That’s one of the complaints I’ve heard from people in the community, saying I’ve been over there three or four times and it’s never been open. So we’re just hoping this is going to definitely be something that will assist the board.”

As it now stands, Sommers said, the museum is open Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 11 to 3 p.m. “I’m just tickled

pink, and the board of directors is tickled pink,” she continued. “My last words to the Friends of the Arts board were, “We’re no longer dark. The lights are on.”

Spille said that one of the difficult things about keeping docents and volunteers “has been the fact that somebody comes in here and sits for four or five or six hours and they just about go stark raving mad, sitting around wondering is anybody going to drop today or not.”

With each man having a room for his painting, he said, “We’re going to be here, we’re going to be busy whether there’s anyone here or not.

“We figure we’ll find out what the arts all about, what the museum’s all about and be able to pass that along. That’s one of

Nude - A nude statue by Tim McFarland is

carved entirely from basswood.

The Naturalist - The Naturalist is a copper repousse by Richard Leibold.

An example of Paul Modlin’s work, from 1986, is displayed at Elli’s Artisan Gifts, 417 N. Florence St. (It is not for sale.)

A P R I L 2 0 1 4 • 2 1

cgnews-info.webs.com

EVENTS COMMUNITY POLICE

A $6,000 community catalyst grant from the Arizona Commission on the Arts will go toward the initial costs of a Railroad Art Plaza on Washington Street south of the railroad tracks.

That redevelopment is known as Life on Main and has been in the process for a couple of years, envisioning restoring the old Casa Grande Hotel and Shonessy House, renovating the park and eventu-ally having shops and business areas.

The Arts and Humanities Commis-sion is considering proposals for the plaza and the Historic Preservation Commission will eventually make a rec-ommendation to the City Council about renaming Washington Street back to its historic name of Top and Bottom Street.

Catalyst grants support partnerships between arts and non arts organizations in small and rural Arizona communities. The Casa Grande Arts and Humanities Commission has partnered with Casa Grande Main Street "to envision con-

structing a public plaza to commemo-rate the railroad’s history and impact the railroad had and continues to have on our community, while at the same time attracting more visitors and merchants to our city and downtown area," the staff report for the agenda item at the last City Council meeting says.

"The purpose of the grant is to de-velop a scope of work for the 'call to art-ist' to create a conceptual design and plans for the future Railroad Art Plaza, a project of the Arts and Humanities Com-mission listed in their Sixth Municipal Arts Five Year Plan (2013-2017). Through the community catalyst grant, the artist to be commission will develop the proj-ect design concept and plan of the rail-road art plaza based on the elements and culture that were woven together to make the community."

The city owns about 15 acres in the area, which it wants to develop into a business park and other attractions to

both draw residents and unite south of the tracks with the downtown shopping areas.

“Central to the proposed plan is preserving the Casa Grande Hotel and Shonessy House while enhancing these historic structures with a flexible, active plaza with space for art fairs and farmers markets,” an earlier city announcement said.

“Other life enhancing ideas to the area include expanding Elliot Park to in-clude neighborhood amenities such as a dog park and a ramada for gathering, grilling and neighborhood events; a live-ly, mixed-use neighborhood with oppor-tunity for outdoor cafés intermixed with shops, retail and offices, and approxi-mately 30,000 square feet of space for light-industry and manufacturing.

“Concept plans also include a dis-trict gateway arch feature to welcome people to the neighborhood and a pe-destrian bridge spanning the railroad


Railroad Art Plaza: New Life on Main


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Business owners, please raise your hands if the following is your answer to an obvious

survey question, “My business is operating at peak efficiency and I cannot think of a result that I would change.”

We hear much said about “consumer confidence”. Does consumer confidence influence the economy or does the economy drive consumer confidence? Is consumer confidence a result of news stories about the economy? Or, is consumer confidence a result of continually expecting one level of service from businesses and equally as often getting something less satisfactory? Can we continually try to convince consumers that the economy is improving while consumers are exposed to businesses that do not deliver the goods?

The good news is that the workforce is beginning to recover. This does not necessarily mean that the jobs that disappeared are beginning to reappear. It may very well mean that the workforce is beginning to recognize how it will have to adapt to support the lifestyle that once was and still is within reach. Without launching into political discourse we simply need to understand that the influences that shape the workforce and influence hiring are different now than they were five or 10 years ago.

What does a healthy business look like? A healthy economy is built on healthy businesses. Then why do businesses fail to reach their potential or fail entirely?” I’ve heard that about two thirds of startups last only a couple of years. Someone also said that less than half make it four years. I don’t know the exact figures but those involved in business development could probably tell you that many new businesses die before they realize the dreams of the owners.

In working with several hundred business owners over the last 10 years or so I’ve discovered that lack of focus is one of the most common weaknesses. In Pinal County most business startups are short on resources, especially funding. With resources in short supply the discipline of sticking to a well-defined vision is critical for startups. It’s unfortunate when new business owners move in too many directions at once and end up with nothing to show for it. Discipline is a key characteristic for new business owners. Also, lack of discipline accompanies the very reasons entrepreneurs become entrepreneurs: unbridled ambition. Entrepreneurs do not like to be restrained.

If you are starting out, here are some ideas on staying focused:

• Perfect your best idea before going onto the next one.

• Don’t chase too many issues at one time.• Identify the real opportunities and ignore

the feel-good directions.• Stick to the things you know how to do and

are good at.We’ve been talking about a healthy business

community and its potential impact on the economy. Now is the time to begin preparing for a vibrant economy. The economy in Casa Grande and in Pinal County is about to take off. There may be some truth to the statement “a rising tide lifts all boats”. However while all boats may be lifted some will soar. Some businesses will be fine-tuned to take advantage of every possible opportunity. The owners will be fully engaged and will miss no advantage.

No two businesses may operate exactly the same. That said, there are commonalities from business to business that merit the attention of the owners if the businesses are to thrive. While the techniques for thriving may differ from business to business, the time necessary to manage a thriving business may not be appreciably more than the time it takes to manage a marginal business. The difference is where the owner chooses to spend time.

Here are some areas of concentration that we have discovered to exist in most successful businesses.

• A business plan. It’s in writing. It’s on the corner of the owner’s desk. It is dog-eared, highlighted, and has pages added with scotch tape or paper clips. Employees understand it. In the absence of the business plan, any direct it’s not in writing are mere hallucinations.

• There is a written budget. This is very much like a business plan expressed in numbers. As a control, actual expenditures are tested against the budget and corrective action is taken when necessary.

• The company is able to attract and retain good employees. Turnover is not an operations problem. When surveyed, employees consider their workplace to be desirable.

• Employees know, in writing, what is expected of them. Employees receive feedback on their performance and they can accurately describe what they do.

• Discipline is used when appropriate. Employees are informed on their performance is below that required by the job description.

• Supply chain procedures detail persons authorized to purchase goods or services. A supplier relations policy is in writing.

• A routine maintenance policy ensures that company equipment will support company operations.

By Jim Rhodes, Director, Small Business Development Center at Central Arizona CollegeHealthy Businesses

EconomyWhat does a healthy business

look like? (Yours?) Is your business operating according to your plan? (Plan?) Are you leaving money on the table?

(Receivables, holes in supply chain cost control, waste,

logistics issues, etc.)


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Casa Grande is seeking a professional fire and building code consultant to be

involved with designing the proposed 1.7 million square feet Phoenix Mart project.

Fire safety is the prime concern because the site, north of Florence Boulevard east of Overfield and Signals Peak roads, is beyond recommended response time for firefighting equipment.

During earlier PhoenixMart discussions, Fire Chief Scott Miller presented a memo pointing out that the closest fire station is more than five miles away, at Ninth Street and Peart Road.

Depending upon traffic conditions, Miller wrote, it would take a fire engine from Ninth and Peart between nine to 11 minutes to reach Phoenix Mart. If an engine had to respond from the downtown station or Station Four on East McCartney Road, he added, another three to four minutes would be required.

Longer response times, Miller wrote, put areas into a category of higher insurance costs and create problems for people needing emergency medical attention.

Eventually, the city will need a fire station in the area east of Interstate 10, Miller wrote.

“A financial commitment was made by the City Council to provide Fire Department infrastructure to protect this business initially and at full buildout with the one or two 13-story hotels and a water park,” he continued. “Included in this initial infrastructure would be a new fire station on the east side of I-10, manpower to staff this facility and a fire truck. Once a 13-story high rise hotel opens at PhoenixMart a fully staffed ladder company would also be needed at that fire station.”

Miller estimated the eventual costs to taxpayers to be $4.5 million for the station, $750,000 for a fire engine with equipment, $1.5 million for a ladder truck and $2.2 million

recurring costs for personnel.The request for qualifications says

PhoenixMart would be a retail sourcing center facility that is expected to include space for 1,600-plus vendors located in a building of approximately 1.7 million square feet. The building is proposed as one-story with a mezzanine and an estimated occupancy of approximately 22,000.

The request says the request is for "professional fire and building code consulting services relating to the preparation of a performance-based design for the construction of a proposed Type 1 construction building."

Type 1 buildings are described as primarily concrete and steel framework, able to better resist fires.

"The scope of work consists of the tasks necessary to develop acceptable criteria for the design of a safe building," the request says. "Development and evaluation of design criteria to determine what a tenable environment for the evacuation of occupants will be and establish minimum requirements for the design, installation and testing of smoke control systems to meet the need.

"The criteria and requirements shall be generally accepted and based on well-established principles of engineering and relevant standards, including but not limited to National Fire Protection Association standards for smoke control and the Society of Fire Protection Engineers Handbook for Fire Protection Engineering.

"The goal of the criteria is to result in a performance-based design and construction documents with a design that demonstrates compliance with the intent of the fire and building codes."

The deadline for proposals was the middle of this month. They will be considered by city staff and a recommendation made to the City Council, which has final say.

PhoenixMart: Still on the horizonBy Harold Kitching

On March 11th, the Casa Grande Board of Adjustment approved a temporary use permit that allows PhoenixMart developers to install

signage and landscaping on 7 acres of the proposed gateway

into the facility. The monument type signs will

feature a pair of L-shaped concrete walls approximately 10 foot tall by 60 foot wide, framing

the entrance. As negotiations with the Arizona Department of

Transportation regarding right of way and road improvements is not

yet finalized, developers feel this setback will allow sufficient space

for turning lanes. The next major hurdle will be the building plan application,

anticipated in May.

EDITORS NOTE:

Phoenix Mart

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I N S U R A N C E R O X

Aahhh…the freshness of spring! Here in southern Arizona, the season catapults

us into a flurry of activity. Beautiful days encourage getting up close and personal with nature. The guys, (and a few gals), are out in the garage wiping the cobwebs off the boat seats. Others are shining up their motorcycle. And don’t forget those ATVs. A second group smell spring in the air and start dreaming about that new toy they’re determined to own before the season is over. Adventure awaits! But wait…not so fast…hold on there. What about insurance? Did you cancel the coverage when you put your boat in storage? How much will that motorcycle insurance empty out your pockets? Do you even need to insure your ATV?

Of course, Arizona dictates who does and does not need to meet legal require-ments inorder to operate their pleasure vehicle. In the event that Arizona says you must carry liability insurance to satisfy the law, take a moment to make sure that’s all you need. For instance, if you own an old-er model motorcycle, you may decide you can save some pennies by just carrying the minimum required amount of insurance. But let me ask you a question – Which of

these two scenarios is more probable?A: You’re enjoying an invigorating ride

on your motorcycle when, BAM!, you rear end a car. You’re okay, but you owe them a new bumper and the driver has whiplash or B: You’re making a legal left hand turn at a four-way intersection and an oncom-ing car runs the stop light and broad sides you. Your bike is destroyed and you have grave injuries. If you guessed the correct answer: B., what does your minimum re-quired coverage, penny pinching liability only policy do for you? Nada. Zip. Zilch! You are at the mercy of the at-fault driver’s insurance choices. What if he also decid-ed to save some money and only has the required 15/30/10 liability? Since $15,000 is the maximum you can collect for injuries, you won’t even have enough money to pay for the ride to the hospital in the medivac helicopter. The only other obligation the at-fault party has is to pay for the damage to your bike. That will be the actual cash value, but no more than $10,000.

This same dismal story can apply to you dare devil’s out there on dirt bikes and ATVs. If you have no insurance or mini-mum insurance, you will find yourself in the same life changing predicament.

Love Those ToysBy Lisa J. Atkinson, ROX INSURANCE Casa Grande

Passenger Rail Corridor Study • Continued from page 17

520-836-7660

overwhelming. Fewer than 5 percent of the comments have indicated opposition to the project.

What you said was most important when considering an alternative route:

• Fast travel time• Service to and around the high

activity centers within communities• Connections between airports

and universities• Connections with population

centersWhat would be your preferred travel

choice between Phoenix and Tucson?• 78.9% - Train• 19.4% - Personal vehicle• 0.8% - Air• 0.6% - Bus• 0.2% - BikeWhat do you need to have available

at the rail station to arrive at your final destination?

• 72.1% - Connecting light rail• 73.1% - Bus• 53.5% - Local shuttle service• 37.7 % -Taxi• 32.8% - Local street car• 38.4% - Rental car

• 54.6% - Bike rental, bike amenities & Pedestrian Pathways

AlternativesSeven route alternatives were

developed and evaluated. Three of those seven alternatives will continue to be studied and evaluated. ADOT took into consideration comments received from Arizonans, environmental concerns, financial feasibility, community acceptance and accessibility, operating characteristics, mobility, and safety of the system. The three routes will be the Green, Orange and Yellow routes (see map).

Green Route: Use of UP Tempe Branch and I-10 rights of way. Length is 113 miles and the travel time between Phoenix and Tucson local service will be 83 minutes and assumes 6 stations, express service will be 73 minutes and assumes 3 stations. Estimated Cost $5.2 – 7.9 Billion.

Orange Route: Mostly elevated alternative with use of SR-202L, SR-101L, US-60, Ellsworth Road, planned North-South Freeway and I-10 rights of way. Length is 132 miles and the travel

time between Phoenix and Tucson for local route is 111 minutes and assumes 11 stations, express route is 88 minutes and assumes 4 stations. Estimated Cost $6.5 - $9.8 Billion.

Yellow Route: Use of existing Union Pacific right of way north of Eloy and I-10 rights of way south of Eloy. Length will be 120 miles and travel time between Phoenix and Tucson local route will be 126 minutes and will assume 11 stations, express route is 110 minutes and assumes 5 stations. Estimated cost $3.6 - $5.4 Billion.

Watch for public hearings on a final recommendation in late 2014. If you would like to submit your comments please provide them no later than May 31, 2014.

ADOT Passenger Rail Study

3217 E. Shea Blvd, Ste 620

Phoenix, AZ 85028

Email - [email protected]

Fax 602-368-9645

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Distinctive Earthscapes at the Avocado Nursery is Pinal Counties premier creative nursery. We specialize in native plant selection and design to fit your needs. We can also install

trees and shrubs purchased through us. The Avocado has been selling and planting in the Casa Grande area for over 32 years. If you have only driven past us, it's time to come in and visit our 10 acres. We're sure that you will be pleasantly surprised.

Distinctive Earthscapes staff is a very knowledgeable and experienced crew. There are 5+ University of Arizona taught Master Gardener's on hand to address all your gardening needs and questions.

Distinctive Earthscapes has a creative market each month. Come down and take a look. Our next market date is April 12 and located at the Avocado.

Master GardenersAT YOUR SERVICE!

Thanks for considering us for all your gardening needs!

520-723-4480

• Cactus • Agave & Yucca• Sonoran Desert Plants• Honey & Seasonal Produce• Community Garden Specialist

Come join us at our Farmers

Market2nd Sat in

April & May!

Come join us at our Farmers

Market2nd Sat in

April & May!

Phil, Adel, Joyce U of A Masters

Gardeners

6855 N. Overfield Road, Casa Grande

(check our facebook

page for schedule!)

A P R I L 2 0 1 4 • 3 1

The material in this article follows the format of a healthy business consulting inquiry used for several years by the author.

• Written training manuals exist for operational processes. Training is a regular occurrence.

• The company conducts market research and is familiar with its competition. The company tracks sales including sales trends. Company sales are sufficiently robust to maintain its market position.

• The company has an effective marketing campaign. The company knows everything necessary about its customers. Company is familiar with its competitors. The company’s marketing plan supports the requisite sales volume. Advertising and promotional efforts are routinely evaluated.

• There is an accounting system in place. The company has identified an employee or a firm that is responsible for the accounting

functions. The accounting function pays attention to Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable and inventory/order entry. The books are up to date and financial statements are generated at least on a quarterly basis if not more frequently.

• The company manages cash flow and profitability in such a manner as to avoid problems in those two areas. The company can survive a downturn in sales or in some other unforeseen event.

• The bank statements are reconciled monthly. Accurate expenses and income statements are prepared monthly.

• Requisite federal withholding and Social Security tax deposits are made in a timely manner.

• The company issues credit according

to a written credit policy. The company has a plan for cash management and financial planning.

These statements and questions are not meant to be all-inclusive as a management text. They are however meant to represent the range of factors that ought to be generally considered by a fully engaged business owner. They work as agenda items for an executive Roundtable to facilitate intelligent and planned discussion of common executive management issues. An engaged business owner will have a conversational familiarity with each of these items. Further the same business owner will have a much easier time totally satisfying the customer base. The business owner will be prepared to enjoy the emerging economy.

Healthy Businesses • Continued from page 24

Casa Grande Office1175 E. Cottonwood lane, St 3

Casa Grande, AZ 85122Phone (520) 494-8201

Fax (520) 494-8203www.securitytitle.com

for all your support & making our 3rd Annual Walk So We Can Run A HUGE SUCCESS!for all your support & making our 3rd Annual Walk So We Can Run A HUGE SUCCESS!for all your support & making our 3rd Annual Walk So We Can Run A HUGE SUCCESS!for all your support & making our 3rd Annual Walk So We Can Run A HUGE SUCCESS!

SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS!

Arizona www.SOAZ.ORG

GOLD SPONSORSMcMashers Sports

Bar & GrillCasa Grande Smart

ShopperRox! MagazineDM Family DentistryN&D DesignsPinal Hispanic CouncilGold Rush JewelersInk AddictionLoose EndsThe Geo GroupCasa Grande Police Dept.-Supervisor

Assoc.

Casa Grande Police Dept. - Officers Assoc.

Sargent Tate Lynch Foundation

Casa Grande Jewelry & Pawn

The Garnet of Casa Grande

Joe Chavarria-DJ K9Achieve Human

Services Inc.Khol’s CareVista Grande High

SchoolThe Knights of

Columbus

The Phoenix Coyotes - Howler

SILVER SPONSORSLazy Dog RentalsMarie GalindoCasa Grande Kiwanis

ClubBRONZE SPONSORSLiberty Tax Services -

Florence BlvdRusty Taylor - PhotographerTriple D. Dairy Inc.RAFFLE PRIZESLiberty TaxesDM Dentistry

Nordella, Roy & Rusty Taylor

Mary K-Bea PresslerGold Rush JewelersInge’s FashionsMi Amigo RichardosRed Tail BooksAmy’s Jewelry &

BoutiqueCasa De BlingD&J Trends-Veronica

FigeroaJoy ReimerInk Addiction

Supply 29Sweet Ms. Body

TreatsNorris Pool & SpaLeslie GarciaSprint-Casa GrandeLynn-Sanka Cooke

A Big Thank you to all the walkers! Thank you for running the Registration/Raffle tables!

WE COULDN’T HAVE DONE IT WITH OUT YOU!

We will see you for our 4th Annual Walk So We Can Run next year. If you’d like to be a part of this amazing event please contact Leslie

Garcia @ 520-450-0195


One of the most questions that I often get asked is for advice on how to save on

taxes. Unfortunately, but for most taxpayers, there are just not very many strategies that can be implemented to reduce your tax bill. However, one area that sometimes gets missed by tax and financial planners is using a Health Savings Account (also known as HSA’s). These savings accounts allow you to set aside funds in a tax deferred account. Earnings on these funds grow tax free (similar to an Individual Retirement Account), and if you use the funds to pay for qualified medical expenses, you can withdraw them tax free as well.

Of course, there are some limitations to making HSA contributions. Health Savings Accounts are used in conjunction with a High Deductible Health Insurance Plan (HDHP). These types of plans are becoming more common among the health options employers are offering their employees, as well as an option for self employed individuals. As a participant in the HDHP, employees and employers can make contributions to a Health Savings Account (HSA). These accounts are different from accounts known as Flexible Spending Accounts used in a standard cafeteria plan

by employers regardless of the existence of a HDHP. This is where the retirement planning attractiveness of these plans comes into play. The balance carries forward if not spent. This allows you to grow another tax-deferred account for use in retirement or for future medical expense.

Most HSA accounts allow you to invest funds after your balance exceeds a minimum level, thus giving you another retirement investing account very similar to your IRA or 401(k). In addition, where your 401(k) or IRA deduction is pre-income tax, HSA contributions made through your employers cafeteria plan are both pre-income tax and pre-Social Security and Medicare taxes. This can make it worth considering maxing out your HSA contribution before your 401(k) contribution. Of course, if there are matching considerations with your 401(k), you should take those factors into account when making your retirement decisions.

The amounts that you can defer using a HSA depend on your HDHP coverage. The amounts are also adjusted annually.

Now comes the really cool part. If you have other funds outside your HSA account available to pay for your medical expenses, you can do some planning to continue

to grow funds in your tax deferred HSA account. There is no requirement that you withdraw your qualified medical expenses in the current year. As long as you do not deduct the medical expenses on your tax return (and in most cases, even if you included the expenses in your itemized deductions, you would not receive any benefit due to the 7.5% Adjusted Gross Income floor), you can use the expense to make a withdrawal in the future. You can let your money grow tax deferred in your HSA until you need the money in retirement, then pull out those old qualified medical expense receipts and use them to make a tax free withdrawal. You have effectively grown your money tax-deferred and withdrawn it tax free.

While this strategy may not be available if you are not a participant in a High Deductible Health Insurance Plan, knowing that there is a benefit to having a Health Savings Account could make your decision to go with a HDHP easier.

Daniel Mace, CPA is a manager in the Casa Grande office of Henry & Horne, LLP specializing in individual and small businesses. He can be reached at [email protected] or 520-836-8201.

Health Savings Accounts (HSA’S)

As A Retirement ToolBy Daniel Mace, CPA

L E G A L R O X

A P R I L 2 0 1 4 • 3 3

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Why Solaris sweeping Arizona!is sweeping Arizona!Why Solar

As a top real-estate professional for 17 years, I can recognize a great deal

when I see one - which is why I went solar on my home. My electric bill went from an average of $280 a month down to a combined average of $160 which means I pay an average APS bill of $40 and a solar lease payment of $120. When was the last time you paid nothing, and saved over $1,400 a year on energy costs and in-creased the value of your home by $5,000 or more? I never had. Generally when I paid for more insulation, low E windows or a new high efficiency A/C, the amount saved on energy usually took around 10 years to pay for itself or more. To me it was amazing and I fell in love with solar and particularly with Solar City. In fact I loved it so much I became a direct energy consultant for the company helping many people make a smart decision just like I did.

Each home will be different and the savings will largely depend on how much energy you use and what time of year you use it. Let’s say you had an average monthly electricity bill of $200, or spend-ing $2,400 a year for your power. This is about 16,800 Kilowatts of power used during the year. In this case, Solar City would provide you a solar system on your roof at no cost to you, which is guaran-teed to produce 14,000+ KW a year or about 85% of your total annual electric usage. Your new utility bill would then drop to around $40 a month or to $480 a year; the lease for this size system would cost $112 a month or a total of $1,344 a year - for a new combined annual electric cost of $1,824. That’s a savings of $576 for the first year, with savings increasing over time as utility rates increase. This is only an example and the numbers would change if your usage was lower or higher. Leases can be as low as $32 a month for small systems that produce 4,000 KW per year. If you would like to see what exactly Solar city can do for you and your home give me, Peter Fife, a call direct at 928-499-1688 or email me at [email protected] and I can analyze your usage and custom design a system for you and your home all by phone consultation, no pres-sure, no hype - just the facts.

How it all works. First, most people can’t believe that going solar costs them nothing for the system and for installation. They ask what is the catch and how does it work. Here is how and why it works; it is a beautiful symbiotic win/win for all involved. Solar City or their partners purchases the solar system on your roof and get a 30% tax write off from the federal government. They also get a low risk monthly return on their investment through the lease pay-ment. You win by saving on your electric bill. The investor wins by getting a return on their investment. The utility - like APS, wins because during peak times there is less stress on the power grid. And finally, the environment wins since there are no pollutants going into the air. So what is the catch you might ask? Truly there is no catch, however you must qualify with a FICO score over 680, you must be the home owner, and the home must be a site built home with an East, West, or South facing roof that is free of shading.

Why it works so well. First Solar City maintains the system for the full 20 years; if it breaks we fix it. Solar City only asks you to spray the panels off a few times a year to remove dust from the panels to be more efficient. Solar City has the best installation practices in the industry with the fewest penetrations in the roof, using our own professional, licensed and bonded installation crews. Next, Solar City places a warranty on each system that is independent of the company which will guarantee maintenance for the system for the full 20 years even if the company where to fail. What if you need to re-roof? The charge is $499 for us to remove the system and re-install it. What if you move? You can either take the sys-tem with you for a cost of around $1,000 (provided you stay with the same electric company provider) or the system lease can be assumed by the purchaser of your home - which by the way is a big selling point years down the road when you are paying 30-40% less than the going utility rate which can increase the desirability of your home to a buyer.

Call me Peter Fife Direct Energy Con-sultant for Solar City at 928-499-1688 or email me at [email protected]

By Peter Fife, Direct Energy Consultant for Solar City

A P R I L 2 0 1 4 • 3 5

CG NEWS • Art Museum - Continued from page 21the things people want to come in here for.”

Olson’s suggestion is that perhaps “makes it so it’s self-guided tours, have a little write-up on (artwork). I like to go to museums and I like to go where it’s racket-free but there’s echoes going in here, so why not have people just come in and read it rather than having to say the same story over and over?”

That’s the future. “But now, for me, they are the voice

and the face of the museum,” Sommers said. “They love this building as much as we all do and they’ve grown very fond of it over the last couple of months.”

The agreement to use the building, built in 1929 by Gus Kratzka, runs through the end of May, Sommers said, “then we will revisit and we’ll see if this is going to work next season. We came to an agreement in a meeting that if it does happen that we can bring in artists, that these two guys would double up in a room and we’d be able to hang another show. We’d be able to hang several shows during that time.”

Spille said he and Olson want to “assist in some outreach to the community and community members and businesses to see if we can’t drum up some additional donations from people. This is a worthwhile experiment and we want to be active along with the board in helping provide that. In the past, we had talked about doing workshops here. Through our contacts with other artists in the state and around the area, possibly we can get people to come in and provide workshops and that’s another way to earn money.” Sommers added, “We

made a bold statement in September to go dark. And it was a bold enough statement and the reason behind it that it worked, because these two guys stepped forward. We knew it would be a reaction from the community about going dark that we hoped it would help financially, but these two brought something totally different to the table.”

It’s real simple, Olson said: “Do the volunteers and do the work.”

Sommers said the museum board is looking into applying to Native American tribes for grants from Indian casino money. “You can get money from them for operational costs, but along with that you have to embrace them,” she said. “So my idea is to get a Native American to do the mural on the wall of the sign shop, do a mural here and then they can have an art show here. We can have dancers out here on the patio, we can have speakers.”

Spille said he had received a call from a woman interested in a writing workshop.

“I told her I’d be happy to bring whatever ideas she might have to the board. I said as far as I know they embrace the arts in general, not just visual. They’re talking 15, 20 people and again that would be a way to get some money.

“Roger and I have already discussed would there be any objection if we could find the right kind of person to do some painting workshops in here in the next two months, three months. It would have to be March, April. I think it would be a perfect place to have a workshop.” A volunteer is now cataloging and photographing all of

the art at the museum, some in storage, for use in a brochure.

In the meantime, Sommers said, persons wishing to volunteer for grounds and buildings work may call Olson at 421-7323 (home) or 610-8169 (cell). Those wanting to hang a show or volunteer in the museum may call Spille at 252-6563 or Sommers at 836-2044. “Please call Bob or me,” Sommers said. “That way that keeps the board involved.”

Spille added, “We think there’s a lot of potential volunteer help in this community that’s just not being found.”

And that brings it around to the April 11 Modlin art show. Hours and other details are yet to be announced, but Sommers said “there is an estate that has a collection of 10 Paul Modlin paintings, small, large, medium. They want to come into the museum and hang the show and sell those paintings and then the museum gets 20 percent. So we’re in the works on that.”

Modlin, who died in 2008, “did some very nice things,” Spille said.

“He did,” Sommers agreed. “Our family has a couple of them.”

Modlin, who came to Casa Grande in the early 1950s, drew caricatures for the Casa Grande Dispatch and for the walls of Quick Draws bar and restaurant, which he owned. He branched into painting, with a style that captured everyday life. He was involved in starting an Art Fiesta and later Art in the Park. An example of his work is displayed at Elli’s Artisan Gifts, 417 N. Florence St. (It is not for sale.)

tracks along East Main Street near Top Bottom Alley that connects the area to the historic downtown business district.”

The railroad plaza would be along Washington Street between the old hotel and the Shonessy House, Planning and Development Director Paul Tice told the council.

At an earlier Life on Main orientation meeting, Tice said, “The thing that’s pret-ty exciting to me about the plan is the concept of creating this historic plaza between the Shonessy House and the Casa Grande Hotel that really ties them all together.”

“There’s the existing Washington Street between the two structures. The idea is to vacate that road in that one block between Main Avenue and First Av-enue and to create a historic plaza that can be used as a civic space, a gathering space that really just starts to tie those two historic buildings together.

“The other design element in the his-toric plaza is a pedestrian overpass that starts on the north side of Main Street, really in the alignment of an old road that was platted as Top and Bottom Street

(now Washington Street). It looks like an alley today, but it’s actually platted his-torically and named historically in the 1800s as Top and Bottom Street.

“So it would be an extension of Top and Bottom Street with a pedestri-an overpass that went over Main Street, went over the railroad tracks, went over Main Avenue and came down at this his-toric plaza. It would be sort of the Top and Bottom historic plaza, if you will, with a pedestrian connection, another good way to connect this area back to the downtown area.

“And again, this part of the plan would have to be publicly funded by the city, again using probably grants, CIP, other funding sources that we might be able to identify, but certainly something that would have to be funded publicly and then we could lease space in the Shonessy House, lease space in the Casa Grande Hotel to private users that were appropriate for those historic struc-tures.”

Top and Bottom? Where did that come from?

Well, it's an old story.

The Casa Grande Valley Historical Society gives this explanation:

This is one of the three oldest streets in the Old Townsite (the other two are Main Street and Main Avenue) and may have started out as nothing more than a path. Traffic leaving the passenger side (east end) of the depot would have had to turn either right or left thus creating a road in front of the railroad station.

Local legend has it that the street's name came from one or more card sharks operating in one or more saloons fronting on the street who were so dex-terous in dealing out cards that the un-wary could not tell whether they came from the top or the bottom of the deck.

Card sharks were known to trav-el the railroad lines and ply their trade with unsuspecting greenhorns wherev-er they could find them, so the legend could well be true.

At any rate, the street was renamed Washington by the newly organized city council in 1916, "to the relief of many who wondered how it got that name in the first place," so the local paper reported.

CG NEWS • Railroad Plaza - Continued from page 21


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As a local business person myself, I know how business owners can

sometimes feel a bit conflicted about how to best manage their company’s finances. On one hand, they want the resources and backing of a big bank. Yet, on the other, they crave the familiarity and trustworthiness that comes from working with a local bank.

Foothills Bank addresses both. That’s because we get to know your business—what makes it tick, how it can be improved, and where your

By Shea Nieto, Vice President & Regional President, Foothills Bank

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nearest competition is located—all from a local perspective. Because our bankers are also your neighbors, they’re

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Being local helps us do something that’s essential for any small to medium-sized business: Be responsive. We are always reachable for the questions you may have and we make loan decisions quickly on your behalf. And, no, we don’t think it’s at all cliché to say that “time is money.”

While we pride ourselves on being local and having one-to-one relationships with our customers, we also realize that savvy business owners want the same tools and technology that bigger banks offer. From cash management and merchant services to business debit, credit cards, and checking products, if you need it, we have it. That includes commercial, equipment, construction, and working capital loans, and revolving lines of credit.

Since our opening in 1997, the key to our success has been our personal touch. Today we’re proud to have eight branches: four in Yuma, one in Casa Grande, two in Prescott, and one in Chino Valley. Each one is staffed by smart, friendly, local folks who know and love the area, understand the local business landscape, and are dedicated to providing a level of partnership we don’t think you’ll find anywhere else.

Looking for a true partner who’s also a good neighbor? Consider it done.

And in the spirit of true partnership, please don’t hesitate to contact me directly at 520.423.4910 to answer any of your questions.

Warm regards,

Shea NietoVice PresidentRegional PresidentFoothills Bank


I’m excited for Kiva Insurance & Financial Services LLC to be a featured article in this publication. It provides the people and businesses of Pinal County the opportunity to get to know who we are and what we do. I moved from the Phoenix area to Coolidge in 1990 after marriage to my husband Chuck, a Florence native. We have three beautiful daughters and at recent count, six (of course equally beautiful) grandchildren. I started my insurance career in Casa Grande in 1993 as an agent for a local insurance company. After 8 years of service with that company, I decided to form my own agency. I thought if I was going to work, I might as well own the business, and believed I could do better for my clients by providing them more than one option for an insurance carrier. Kiva, therefore, is an independent agency. “Independent agency” means we are not dependent on just one source to write insurance through. We contract with leading national insurance companies that provide us the capability to select a company to best fit our client’s specific insurance needs and price. People often ask me “Why the name Kiva? What’s the significance of that name?” When I was forming the agency I wanted it to have a Southwestern name. A kiva is known as a community gathering place, or safe house – we strive to mirror that. Our agency’s commitment

Kiva Insurance &Financial Services LLCBy Debie Neely

is to be of service to the community; and the products we offer help people protect, preserve and grow what they spend a lifetime accumulating. Although I am licensed to do business in states other than Arizona and travel throughout the state working with people, our core attention is devoted to Pinal County, where I live and recognize as my home and community. We specialize in home, auto, business, agribusiness, life and retirement products. Our office is located in the Palm Center extending convenience to the entire Tri-Valley area. I have an excellent office

staff working with me who daily assist our clients and routinely perform the necessary “behind the scenes” tasks that make our clients’ experience with our agency operate like a well-oiled machine without complications.Kiva Insurance & Financial Services LLC is your agency for:

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A P R I L 2 0 1 4 • 3 9

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Water has been, now is and in the future will be the single most

important ingredient for living successfully and prospering in Arizona’s arid climate. Our state’s history is intertwined with boom and bust water history. Early day residents coined the saying “Whisky is for drinking and water is for fighting.” In years past, Arizona has produced notable leaders able to address water shortages by constructing dams for both water storage and flood control and channeling Colorado River water into Central Arizona.

Early on, Pinal County flourished agriculturally with completion of the San Carlos Dam and Irrigation System in the early 1900’s. Fertile land and good farmers have created bountiful yields. In the last report in 2010, Pinal produced just under a billion dollars in annual receipts from sales of crops and livestock. Agriculture has sustained and grown Pinal County’s Economy over the years and is currently an extremely vital component.

The Central Arizona Project, fathered by Carl Hayden was intended to bring Colorado River Water into central Arizona to augment agriculture and bolster Phoenix and Tucson’s water needs. Secretary of the Interior, Cecil Andrus insisted a groundwater management system must be developed before funding the project. The 1980 Arizona Groundwater Code was adopted and management areas for five different locations pumping significant groundwater were developed.

They are the Phoenix-Maricopa County area, Tucson-Pima County area, Prescott-Yavapai County area, Santa Cruz County area and the Pinal County area. Goals were developed for each to incorporate the unique character of each management area and its water users.

Pinal’s management area was recognized as differing from the other four because of its agricultural economy. The goal was: “In the Pinal Management Area, where the economy is primarily agricultural, the goal is to preserve that economy for as long as feasible, while considering the need to preserve groundwater for future non-irrigated uses”. That goal is being completely complied with. The agricultural economy is still robust and as essential as ever to the cities and county. Non-irrigated uses are very visible with urban growth taking place, and a huge amount of investor acreage is being kept in farming until the time to develop arrives. The investor acreage is as vulnerable as the farm land if the reduction-elimination of conversion credits occurs as proposed by the Arizona Department of Water Resources.

In each management area, a five member Ground Water Advisory Council makes management recommendations to the Arizona Department of Water Resources which are routinely adopted. The five people recommended by Arizona Department of Water Resources serve an unspecified term at the pleasure of the Governor and aren’t directly accountable

to stake holders as they are un-elected. Agency appointees generally share like policy and operational perspectives as agency personnel, but not necessarily those of the stakeholders they represent. Many agencies tend to clone themselves.

Within the Pinal management area when farm landowners extinguish their agricultural use and switch to development, land owners were allowed to convert part of their former water use (about 1/3) with extinguishment credits (1 acre foot) issued for the extinguishment of grandfathered groundwater rights in the Pinal AMA. The amount of credits issued is to remain the same each year with no reduction over time. This was the original agreement with the Arizona Department of Water Resources.

In 2007 a study group, mostly water folks, came up with a new rule making. The new model would reduce annually the amount of water credits given for extinguishment of agricultural grandfathered water rights in the Pinal AMA and eliminate them completely in the future without compensating the land owner. Reacting to the explosive real-estate growth going on between 2003 and 2007, the study group was convinced that level of growth would continue into the foreseeable future unabated. The next paragraph read that “due to the downturn in the Arizona real-estate market, development in the Pinal AMA has slowed dramatically”. The reduction-elimination

PAST, PRESENT, FUTUREPINAL COUNTY WATER –

By Dick Powell

A P R I L 2 0 1 4 • 4 1

plan, never the less, was made part of the new rule.

In 2009 the irrigation districts requested the reduction-elimination rule be delayed five years. The reason was some large landowners were threatening to immediately fallow their farmland, being held for future urban development, and receive full conversion credits. This could be catastrophic to the districts that were still paying off bonds (farmers helped pay for the Central Arizona Project) and could put them in default.

The agreement to delay the implementation by five years, until January 1, 2014, had to be signed by the irrigation districts. It required they would not seek any additional amendments to the allocation factor for extinguishment credits nor would they encourage other persons to seek such an amendment or assist any other person in seeking such an amendment. This requirement was considered a gag order by many if not most district personnel.

In the fall of 2012 during a Pinal Farm Bureau Banquet, Tiffany Shedd alerted farmers about the pending rule making but most dismissed the warning believing their conversion rights safe as promised. In the spring of 2013 it was determined, after a visit with the Arizona Department of Water Resources Director, that indeed the warning was correct. Most farmers were never informed that reduction and elimination of their conversion rights

would begin January 1, 2014. Immediately, huge opposition to the plan developed.

Questions of legality arose. The State is required when dealing with property rights to comply with the right of Due Process as set forth in the 5th and 14th Amendments of the Constitution. This requires the State provide for each affected stake holder the right to:

1) Notice, normally written. 2) The right to Grieve (complain or

disagree). 3) The right to Appeal.The Arizona Department of Water

Resources, The Pinal Groundwater Users Council and the irrigation districts all failed to notify all affected stakeholders or follow the required procedures. Failure to comply constitutes a Due-Process violation.

There is also a “Taking Issue”. The reduction of the amount of conversion credits (which have value) without due compensation, reduces the farmland equity and value. Prop. 207 provides that “if the existing right to use, divide, sell, or possess private real property are reduced by…any land use law enacted after the date the property was transferred to the owner and such action reduces the fair market value of the property, the property owner is entitled to just compensation.”

Pinal agricultural acreage was frozen in 1980 and has diminished over time. It was the only groundwater use frozen contrary to “Equal Protection under the Law.”

The uproar in the Pinal AMA led Representatives Pratt and Shope to create a study committee representing various groups of stake holders with the Governor’s approval. The beginning date for reduction and elimination was moved to September 1, 2014. Since then, the Arizona Department of Water Resources has promised the committee a new rule making pushing back the reduction and elimination date by five more years. This would provide adequate time for the committee to work through problems and challenges within the Pinal AMA and develop real solutions.

We do not have enough water in Arizona to accommodate the growth expectations of many planners without new sources of water. The inclusion of agriculture in our future is not only profitable for Arizona but also helps to counter heat islands over density areas with lower rural temperatures, control dust from fallow areas and provide a buffer in times of urban water shortages (farm water-use can be reduced or cutoff).

We need responsible growth planning in Arizona to determine just how many residents we can sustain with present water supplies. We don’t want to invite fifty guests to a party with only thirty seats at the table. The ancient HoHoKam disappeared from Arizona in the 1400’s due to over-populating their food and water supply. Let’s not let history repeat itself!

PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE

Dick Powell is the author of this article and the content reflects solely his opinion.


Is it a show on the Discovery Channel, History Channel, Food Network? Its the

Oh!fficial TV Show Guide To Casa Grande! Ramb-oh! as he is known, has been on east coast TV everyday going on 22 years. Like many of us snow birds, he discovered the beauty and charm of our wonderful part of Arizona. Seven years ago he said we need a show for our area. First it was on TV in Casa Grande and now the whole world can see online at the site www.seelocal.tv Just go there 24/7 and click on Casa Grande!

Fascinating stories about people, places, current happenings and local busi-nesses. Events such as the Casa Grande

Street Fair, Cowboy & Indian Days ,Cactus Fly-in, the Battle of Picacho Peak. Taste a slice of local life, like a day in the life of Mayor Bob Jackson, Wildman Phil and his friends or a search for the best Chili in AZ or hunting for "spirits"! Get to know the people shaping this areas future, like Nick Faldo and his golf academy and the folks from PhoenixMart. Shopping, dining, where to go and what to do.

A unique feature is the spotlight on local business. An opportunity to show lo-cals, and potential visitors anywhere, their location, what they do and the people that make their business so special. This gives

a personal connection to the viewers and a local bond. On right now is Villas by Mary T on E. Cottonwood Ln in Casa Grande. A wonderful community of senior living choices. Ruth and Gina will fill you in on what a tax credit property is all about and see the fun activities at Villas by Mary T.

Ramb-oh would love to hear from you and what you'd like to see on the show. Just send a SEEmail- contact him at [email protected] This uplifting and informative show changes regularly and whenever you watch you're sure to get a real feel for the area. See it anytime at www.seelocal.tv-Ca-sa Grande...and that's OH!fficial!

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In recent years schools have been required to meet Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) and Annual Measurable Objectives (AMO) or they

are subject to accountability consequences. These consequences were laid out over several years and were, at first, merely labels to let the public know the school was "Failing to meet AMO" or "In Warning Year Status." If a school continued to fail to meet these benchmarks, the state would give the district a couple of options:

1. The school could be shut down2. The school could follow the "Turnaround" model and terminate

the principal and make significant changes to the instruction and support within the school

3. The school could follow the "Transformation" model and terminate the principal and 50% of the teachers or

4. The school could convert to a charter school.In recent years however, there has been a trend in Arizona

district schools, both secondary and elementary, to move to charter status. This last option, to convert to a charter school, has traditionally been seen as a type of consequence or punishment to district schools who were not meeting performance objectives, yet now is being looked at as an answer to poorly managed school districts. It is important for the people of Arizona to know the benefits and drawbacks for each school that transition in this way before making the decision, but also to know the impact that it has on the education and budget system in Arizona.

Currently there are two key pieces of state legislation: one that allows district schools to transfer to charter status, and a second that grants charter schools a higher amount of per-pupil funding.

This second piece of legislation was originally designed to offer charter schools a chance to compete with traditional schools that are given state provided buildings, the ability to pass budget overrides, and the ability to pass bonds for school improvement - all of which charter schools are not eligible for. The schools that have transitioned to charter schools in recent years or are considering it now are exploiting several loopholes in this system.

When a district school converts to a charter school, under these rules they receive the benefits of increased per-pupil funding as well as the drawbacks of losing funding associated with their transportation program and school improvement funds (funds that charter schools do not receive). These schools are also not accountable to any of the Arizona Charter Board accountability measures for charter schools, because they are district-charters. For a traditional school with a population of around 1800 students the benefit of switching could mean an additional $1.8 million in funding for the school. While on the surface this seems like a great option for traditional schools to increase their budgets and do more for students, it impacts the state budget in a big way. This additional money comes out of an account designated to fund schools. When schools exploit this loophole and "steal" these additional funds they are essentially robbing the other schools across the state. Since the state does not have additional money to give these schools, it is forced to "redistribute" funds across the board, effectively lowering per-pupil funding for everyone. Traditional schools that don't convert and non-district charter schools then lose funding they had received in the past.

By Matt Chesney, Principal, Mission Heights Preparatory High SchoolPUBLIC or CHARTER: who pays?

A P R I L 2 0 1 4 • 4 5

"Ten bucks is ten bucks...and I will give you a $10 gas card when

you let me quote your insurance."

520-836-7660Stop by 442 W Kortsen Rd Suite 101

(behind Walgreens at Pinal & Kortsen)Offer limited to the first hundred responders (recite Offer# given beneath image of gift card). Offer open to Arizona residents only and subject to rules and regulations of Arizona Dept of Insurance. Offer valid for households that have not received a new quote from ROX Insurance in the past 9 months. Limit one gift card per household. Offer expires May 31, 2014.


By Legacy Traditional School

GOING TO

Local School Newswire

It is natural for adults to experience some apprehension when placed in a

situation that is unfamiliar or outside of their comfort zone. Imagine suddenly finding yourself in a foreign setting surrounded by strangers and with no point of reference.

Now imagine—or better yet, remember—what it’s like to be five or six years old on the first day of kindergarten. In the words of five-year-old Lola, in author Lauren Child’s book by the same name: “I am TOO absolutely small for school!”

With the growing trend toward full-day kindergarten (the percentage of children enrolled full day increased from 28 to 76 percent from 1977 to 2012 according to the non-profit research center Child Trends), both children and parents benefit from strategies to ease the transition from home to school.

Tiffany Voyles, lead teacher for Legacy Traditional School District’s kindergarten programs, offers these suggestions for parents in the months

leading up to the first day of school:• Take your child to the library, or

to swimming or dance class—places where your child can get accustomed to being around other kids and adults.

• Practice basic pre-school level skills children are expected to know upon entering kindergarten, such as letters of the alphabet; basic shapes and colors; writing numbers from 1 to 10; following simple three-step directions; and self-help skills including washing their hands, blowing their noses, tying their shoes and opening their own snacks.

• Attend your school’s introductory or open house event where your child can become familiarized with the classroom and get acquainted with the teacher.

Voyles and fellow kindergarten teachers even wear the same outfit on the first day of school as on “meet the teacher” night in order to enhance their familiarity to the children.

Voyles says that, when the first

day of school arrives, the best thing parents can do is to project confidence in their choice of school and to say “goodbye” calmly and quickly.

“I tell parents don’t be concerned if your child cries,” said Voyles, who has taught kindergarten for the past nine years. “I tell them to give it two weeks. Children will be tired as they adjust to the new schedule, but they do adjust.” She said she knows this from personal experience as well, remembering how it felt to sit in her car crying after taking her own kids—now 17 and 13--to kindergarten.

In the children’s book, Lola’s brother Charlie points out the advantages of kindergarten—of learning how to read, write and make friends—other than the invisible kind. Lola soon discovers for herself that there was nothing to be nervous about at all.

That’s a good thing for kindergarteners—and parents of kindergartners—to know.

Legacy Traditional School District, the largest K-8 charter school district in

Arizona, has been awarded, a district-wide accreditation. Legacy Traditional joins just 13 other school systems in the state to be fully accredited and became the first K-8 school in Casa Grande to receive this honor.

The decision came following an extensive review process conducted by a five-member external review team from AdvancEd, the world’s largest educational community. During the weeklong review process, the team observed the learning environments at the district’s campuses and collected thousands of documentary records. In addition, the team conducted 169 interviews with founders, board members, administrators, teachers,

support staff, students and parents.According to Bill Bressler, the

district’s Chief Academic Officer, this evaluation was unique in that the External Review Team members had no previous experience evaluating charter schools and their backgrounds were exclusively in district public school education.

In its written findings regarding Legacy Traditional, AdvancEd states, “Operations staff members, teachers, administrators, students, and parents work collaboratively, deliberately, and effectively to create and maintain learning environments that are clean, orderly, aesthetically attractive, and conducive to student learning and success.”

Bill Bressler said he believes the

designation confirms parents growing confidence in Legacy Traditional Schools as well as charter schools throughout Arizona.

“This achievement supports our vision to positively impact every student,” he said.

As defined by AdvancEd, accreditation “is an international protocol for institutions committed to systemic, systematic and sustainable improvement.” In determining Legacy Traditional’s qualifications for accreditation, AdvancEd evaluated the district in five major areas: purpose and direction; governance and leadership; resources and support systems; teaching and assessing for learning; and using results for continuous improvement.

LEGACY TRADITIONAL SCHOOL – CASA GRANDE AWARDED ADVANCED ACCREDITATION

KINDERGARTEN

A P R I L 2 0 1 4 • 4 7Positively Impacting the Education of EVERY Student

A Legacy of… Confidence“Our son loves routine and has always been resistant to change. We were concerned how difficult it would be for a 6-year-old to transfer to a new school in November, but the Legacy teachers and staff made it an easy transition. He is loving school and, after just two days, came home reading his first book! He was full of confidence and proud of his accomplishment. He already has absorbed more knowledge in six days at Legacy than during the entire three months at his previous school. We cannot praise this school enough.”

~ Shelly B.Legacy Parent

Visit our website to view a infofilm of our campus.

Learn More at www.LTSEnrollment.org or Call 1-480-385-1551


DR. HELMICH: I think the culture shock was more of the current culture here trying to adapt to me, because I had a very fast pace back east, we do everything very quickly. Here, the pace is slower. The weather doesn't really change. People aren't used to change, so I think that was difficult.

One of the things I really believe that helped me was the acceptance by the Latino culture. They've been very accepting of me. They've been very appreciative of what I could bring to them.

I tried to remove barriers for students.GCROX: Were you surprised?DR. HELMICH: I was surprised. I didn't

expect to be as welcomed. I thought I'd have to prove myself first, but it was instantaneous. I love the students at CAC. The community college student is very different from the student that I had at a private four—year institution.

GCROX: How far into your career at CAC did you become the Dean?

DR. HELMICH: I think a year—and—a—half after I arrived.

GCROX: I would say that's on a fast track.

DR. HELMICH: Yes, first I was an interim Dean. The dean left suddenly and they asked me to take it as an interim but told me they would be doing a national search and that if I was interested, to apply. I did and I was appointed Dean of Student Services.

GCROX: All of this happens in the course of six years, seven years. How did you feel about that?

DR. HELMICH: I never really wanted or thought I'd be a college president. When I went through my Doctoral program, although they prepared us to be college presidents, at the time I was an assistant to a vice—president. I thought maybe at some point I might be an assistant to a president. I never really thought I'd be a president.

GCROX: There is a big difference between being a dean and president. A dean’s job is specialized, but now you're the college president and you are involved with the entire realm. You have everything; the whole spectrum was opened to you. Did that excite you?

DR. HELMICH: Yes.GCROX: Where you nervous?DR. HELMICH: No. I actually love to

learn, but there were some areas that I felt I needed to pay more attention to, especially at the beginning.

I felt very comfortable on the academic side, I felt very good on the student services side, but the HR side and the finance side were areas that although was well trained or educated in the Doctoral program, I hadn't used it for a few years. I had to go back and really look at all of the State statutes that were required.

GCROX: Good thing you like to read.DR. HELMICH: Oh, yes. I did lots and

lots of reading, but I asked a lot of questions too. And I had a great VP of business affairs.

That was helpful, because I selected my own VP and at the time I didn't know I would be doing it, right? And he came from the College of DuPage in Illinois, which is much larger than we are. So he has a very broad background, and I asked him a lot of questions.

I was pretty well connected at the State level too.

GCROX: Have you testified before the legislature?

DR. HELMICH: Yes, I have. I went there a year or two, before becoming president, to testify on community colleges being allowed to offer four—year degrees.

GCROX: You appear to be very organized and I would think you knew going into this as president there were goals you wanted to accomplish to better the college. How far along are you in the big picture? Have you done what you wanted to do?

DR. HELMICH: Not there. No.GCROX: Is one of your obstacles the

legislature?DR. HELMICH: Yes. My obstacles right

now are really resources, because my goal would be to increase the number of Pinal County residents that have at least some college. Because the Secretary of Labor is saying that 75 percent of all jobs are going to require some college in the near future.

If we want to attract industry to Pinal County we need to have an educated workforce, because no longer does business and industry do on—the—job training. In Pinal County, we have about 26 percent of folks that have some college and that's not enough. I'd like to get it up over 50 percent. In order to do that, I need resources to reach out to more students.

One of the important facts to know about the college is we are not at the top of our tax levy. We're almost a dollar below where we could be. The Community College Board is fiscally responsible, and when we did not need to have a high tax rate, they brought it down. But they brought it down at a time when the economy was tanking. To bring it back up now, there will be resistance. There was no appreciation that when we didn't need it, we conserved. Now that we need it and would like to go back up, there is resistance. I wanted to do a pretty significant increase in the tax rate last year, because I knew assessed value was going down and that in the end people would not be paying more taxes, it would be about the same.

It was received with a lot of resistance and so I had to open two campuses last year with only $100,000 of new money.

GCROX: But you inherited that didn’t you?

DR. HELMICH: Yes.GCROX: It was all done with bond

money, but the bond money is not going to run those institutions.

DR. HELMICH: That's right. It doesn't pay for operations, so we needed an

increase in the budget to pay for operations and you don't want to open a brand new college in a brand new city and not have the staff or security.

You certainly need a budget for utilities. They don't go down from year to year, they only go up.

We had many challenges, and we had to really weed our garden, which we did and now it’s another year and assessed value has not gone up this year. We were asking for a 55—cent increase, and in the end we met the vocal few halfway and went up 28 cents, which stopped us from losing money, but we didn't gain.

GCROX: I haven't checked the course catalog lately, but you once had an incredible nursing program.

DR. HELMICH: Yes. We still have two core cohorts a year.

GCROX: Do you work well with the hospital?

DR. HELMICH: Yes. We work with Casa Grande Regional, which will now hopefully be Banner Health, which will help us place students throughout the state. We do get students as far as way as our Aravaipa Campus that will come and stay in resident halls and take the nursing program and then go back and work in their communities, so they may want a job at a different hospital, like Casa Grande Regional.

But what's happening with nurses is an interesting phenomenon right now.

There is an over—abundance of nurses in the field, the nurses that are getting Baccalaureate degrees are the ones that the hospital is now hiring, not the ones with the Associate's degree, which are the RNs. In order to get a job in a hospital, they need to continue on with their education.

GCROX: You have some interesting things going on having to do with the Chinese.

DR. HELMICH: We do! In 2007 we had a Chinese national that worked for the college, and he had a conversation with me about starting an exchange program with his home country.

I thought it was fascinating for a community college to actually have a student and faculty exchange in a foreign country.

I convinced the administration at the time this would be really beneficial to the college to explore.

The college sent me and a few other administrators to China to explore the idea of an exchange program. They don't have community colleges in China, and they really enjoyed working with the college because there is not a lot of bureaucracy.

Over the years a dozen faculty and a dozen students come back and forth and study here, and our faculty and our students have visited China as well. We sent two students in February to spend a semester studying there.

I've had administrators from China

ROX! Interview • Continued from page 14

A P R I L 2 0 1 4 • 4 9

• Casa Grande Elementary has more A+ Schools and A+ Programs than any other school district in Pinal County

• The District has a proven, rigorous instructional program built upon “Success for Every One”

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come here, and we've had some very interesting conversations about how the Chinese education has evolved.

They aspire to be like the U.S., but of course they've surpassed the U.S. now in terms of the number and percentage of people that hold college degrees, and their students do tend to score higher on math and science tests than our students do.

GCROX: It's a more regimented system isn’t it?

DR. HELMICH: It used to be. They used to teach to test, and they were excelling, so the U.S. started teaching to the test, but we didn't excel.

But then they saw what the U.S. had begun doing, teaching for critical thinking and innovative creative thing. Creative product that was coming out of the education system, and they said, you know what, we want that.

They have changed their education system and they teach for critical thinking and problem solving. And it's all practical application of whatever they're learning.

GCROX: Because they have no entrepreneurs. We have entrepreneurs.

DR. HELMICH: Yes. And that's what they want.

GCROX: How about PhoenixMart? Are you tied in at all with PhoenixMart?

DR. HELMICH: Oh, yes. Actually the new CEO, Jeremy [Schoenfelder] is a graduate of NAU and graduated with a couple of our employees, so we've been in conversation with PhoenixMart, just recently received a list of vendors they would like to partner with in this area.

And so we are now looking at whether or not we have those degree programs, because that's where the jobs will be. There are some that we really have to ramp up, but they're expensive to start, so logistics is one. We could do so much in logistics and advanced manufacturing.

GCROX: Why do you think they chose Casa Grande and not Phoenix or Tucson?

DR. HELMICH: They picked Casa Grande because in the other two models, the one they have in China and the one in India, they did the same thing; they picked a very rural area where they would have room to expand and wasn't that far from an international airport. Sky Harbor is 45 minutes away which is not in the back yard, but its close enough and they liked that. The City is also close to I—8, I—10, and the railroad. Everything about the location is exactly what they were looking for.

GCROX: PhoenixMart is going to be beneficial to the college?

DR. HELMICH: Oh, yes. The partnership will be just wonderful. It will be such a great opportunity for students to learn.

The college will be renting one of the suites within PhoenixMart. We've already secured our suite. We'll sell online

education and workforce development to the companies they're alluring.

GCROX: Is online education a good profit center for CAC?

DR. HELMICH: Yes. In fact, a third of our education is done online.

GCROX: And the students are disciplined enough to complete the courses?

DR. HELMICH: Yes. Actually the retention rate has increased quite a bit with our online education because that's one area that we recognized we weren't doing a good job with and we put a lot of support mechanisms in place so students could be successful.

GCROX: You have come a long way, what are you most proud of?

DR. HELMICH: I think I'm most proud of being able to remove barriers so students can accomplish their goals. I talked about looking at the research; when you look at the research and you find things out, you need to pay attention and do something about it, not ignore it.

We knew that we needed to do a better job with student retention, and we also knew what some of the barriers were. We now have online tutors so students don't have to come to campus; they can do it online. We have a totally online library and now I'm trying to remove the barrier of the high cost of books for students. I've had a conversation with faculty about looking for E—textbooks. Also, my vision is to get rid of grades and move to a competency—based program. Right now we have all these prerequisites regardless of what the student wants to do. Math is the biggest stickler for students and I think if students have not been able to be successful at math, a lot of times they'll drop out. We are looking at creating math—specific classes for industry, math for welders, let's say. Why does a student need algebra if they want to be a welder? But they do need math.

How do we create this curriculum that is more focused, rather than focused on these learning outcomes that don't mean anything?

It's called "Competency—Based Education." I've introduced the idea and I'm really excited about it. We have a goal of fall of 2015 as our first competency—based program.

An example would be a workplace readiness certificate where it would involve all of your basic math, reading and writing in a workplace readiness program so they're ready to go into the workplace.

GCROX: You're changing the face of education in Pinal County.

DR. HELMICH: I would like to. I really have the goal of creating a higher percentage of Pinal County residents with some college.

GCROX: What an interesting journey, thank you.


R E A L E S T A T E R O X

Contributed by Staff Reports

The first day of spring has officially passed and summer is not too far off.

If you are thinking of listing your home for sale, here are a few tips to maximize your sale price.

• CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN – nothing takes money off faster in the minds of buyers than a dirty house. A thorough, deep cleaning will create a positive impression in the minds of those who look at your home. Pay attention to the details: dust and clean the baseboards, remove cobwebs, have the carpets professionally cleaned and the tile grout steamed. Don’t forget to wash the windows so they sparkle.

• DE-CLUTTER and DE-PERSONALIZE - while you love your collection of every Beanie Baby ever made, the potential buyer may not be able to see past the three room display. Pack up unnecessary personal items and store the boxes out of sight, preferably in a storage facility. To make rooms appear larger, store unused furniture, especially oversized, ornate pieces. A few photos of family on the wall are much better than most of the wall covered in family photos.

• CONSIDER HIRING A PROFESSIONAL HOME STAGER – a consultation with a

professional stager or interior designer can take your home from bland to WOW for minimal cost. Most work with your existing furnishings and can offer suggestions on inexpensive decorating ideas to improve that first impression.

• LET THERE BE LIGHT – open the blinds and let the sun shine in! Natural light brightens rooms and makes the rooms more spacious

• PAINT, the MAGICAL FIX – a new coat of paint, in a neutral shade is a relatively inexpensive way of improving the appearance of the home. Avoid bold, personal color choices. While you love your RED kitchen, some people can’t imagine living in vivid Technicolor.

• FIX THE PROBLEMS – before you list your home, go through and repair or replace all the things you have been putting off. A long list of broken items screams NEGLECT to the buyers. Their home inspector will find these problems and more. Don’t forget to get your HVAC system serviced. Consider purchasing a home warranty with seller coverage. This way, if anything covered breaks before the home is sold, you’re covered. An added bonus, the warranty is transferrable to the buyer!

• FRESHEN THE LANDSCAPING – reseed the thin patches of grass, spray the weeds and trim the trees and shrubs back from the jungle. If your backyard is a blank slate (i.e. bare dirt), at least make it a clean blank slate. Remove all weeds and trash. Don’t forget to pick up after your pets! A few colorful plants near the entrance make great curb appeal. Fix any leaking sprinklers.

While cleaning and minor repairs will boost your resale value, not all improvement projects are worth the cost. Your real estate professional can share with you information on comparable sales in your area. Some upgrades such as granite or tile flooring, while desired, may not increase the resale value of your home. But not having them in other neighborhoods could actually hurt your ability to sell.

A good suggestion when thinking of listing your home, take a drive and visit a few open houses in your area and see what your competition looks like. Listen to your real estate professional’s suggestions. They preview lots of homes and hear the comments from buyers. Use this information to your advantage and make your home the buyer’s first choice.

SPRING FORWARD

to Selling Your Home

A P R I L 2 0 1 4 • 5 1

to Selling Your HomeACTIVE ADULT COMMUNITIES 55+

IRONWOOD VILLAGE, Casa Grande – gated community, conveniently located near shopping, dining and medical. Amenities include pool and hot tub, clubhouse with library, crafts, game room, full kitchen and more.

ROBSON RANCH, Eloy – Fabulous amenities await just minutes from I-10, featuring swimming pools and spas, golf course, tennis courts, pickle ball courts, softball field, upscale restaurant and lounge, clubhouse and more!

1919 N. Trekell Rd., Casa Grande520-423-8250

Each office is independently owned and operated. Colleen Gunderson, Designated Broker

1580 E MANOR DR • MLS#5026924 $225,000 • 3BD/1.75BA 1761sf

This 3 bedroom beauty is fully furnished & ful-ly upgraded! A leaded glass inset front door is the perfect entry to the open concept floor plan which has 9’ ceilings, plantation shutters & reflective film on windows, neutral paint, 3 bay windows, lovely patterned ceramic tile, sculpted carpet in 2nd & 3rd bedrooms! Granite counters, 42’’ upper cherry cabinets with crown molding, stainless Whirlpool Gold appliances, under & over cabinet lighting, tile backsplash & R/O system fill this dream kitch-en. The master suite has a coffered ceiling, double sinks & mirrored doors on the roomy closet. Double doors open into the 2nd bed-room. The 3rd bedroom is tucked down a hall-way for privacy. 2 car garage has insulated doors & pavers on the slab. Perfect...only 2 nail holes in the walls!

5336 W GULCH • MLS#4982821$343,900 • 3BD/2.75BA 2017sf

BEST VALUE FOR YOUR DOLLAR WITH A PRI-VATE CASITA!!!Beauty, wonderful community amenities and fabulous neighbors; what more could you want? Pamper yourself with this gem of a home that boasts all the upgrades. Integra Block construction, added insulation, soft water, non-laminate counters, Plantation shutters, guest suite, built in gas BBQ grill, bay windows in both bedrooms, a garage for your golf cart and the list goes on and on

5441 W GULCH • MLS#5022154 $419,900 • 3BD/3BA 3020sf

EXQUISITE HOME WITH A ONE OF A KIND IN LAW SUITE/GUEST SUITE. In addition to the special builder features (10’ ceilings and Integra block construction), the own-ers have extensively upgraded the property. The front and back yards have been completely landscaped with paver walkways leading you from one charming area to another. There is a pergola over the back patio and an inviting front patio/courtyard as well. The home is locat-ed on one of the largest lots in Robson Ranch. The 750 s. f. guest house is accessible through the front patio area and is completely private - the perfect space for house guests or in-laws. The three car garage affords lots of space for parking cars, golf carts and that workshop you’ve always wanted.

4764 W NOGALES WAY • MLS#4925411 $248,800 • 2BD/2.5BA 2250sf

Luxurious Living at a FABULOUS price! This BLOCK CONSTRUCTION, immaculate home has been lov-ingly cared for and shows great pride in ownership. Beautiful open kitchen with ample cabinets and a built in desk/work station, separate laundry room, three bay garage with built in storage cabinets, huge master bedroom with large W/I Closet, separate tub and shower, double sinks, 2nd bedroom with sepa-rate bath, den/office, plantation shutters, large open living/dining, covered porch and large landscaped back yard for enjoying those Arizona nights!

1577 E MANOR DR • MLS#5030964 $189,900 • 2BD/1.75BA 1510sf

Model home perfect, this 1,510 sq. ft. beauty is ready for you to move right in! So many thoughtful upgrades including lovely, neutral 18’’ ceramic tile, upgraded carpet & 2’’ blinds throughout. The open concept great room has a bay window in the dining area & dramat-ic vaulted ceilings. The kitchen will delight any cook with raised panel cherry cider cabinets, black appliances, roomy pantry & breakfast bar. The bedrooms are spacious with ceiling fans & the split master has a bay window. The master bath features his & her vanities. Front loading washer & dryer, laundry sink, water softener & Multi-Pure water filtering system, too. The covered patio is extended & backs onto a green belt. Beautifully furnished, dish-es, linens, small appliances, TV, DVD & sur-round sound all remain

1576 E MANOR DR • MLS#5020802$184,000 • 2BD/1.75BA 1283sf

Beautiful 6’’ Driftwood wood floors in all the right places. Granite counters, tile back splash & knotty alder cabinets enhanced by black appliances in the galley kitchen. Features in-clude: custom paint, 9’ ceilings, ceiling fans, upgraded carpeting, surround sound, low E windows, 2’’ blinds & lovely custom stained glass panes & chandelier. The elegant master suite is split & has a bay window. 20’’ceramic tile floors, marble counters & surrounds, com-fort height vanities in both baths. Privacy on the extended patio which overlooks the green belt. Insulated garage ceiling & doors keep it cool.

MISSION ROYALE, Casa Grande – Meritage Homes active adult community features clubhouse, golf course and pools. Close to Promenade Mall and I-10211 N SAN JUAL TRL • MLS#5009432 $249,995 • 3BD/2BA 1998sfBeautiful San Paulo model on the 9th fairway in Mission Royale. 20'' tile throughout this split floor plan. Vaulted ceilings & Hunter ceiling fans. Energy Star appliances, LowE windows, 12 Seer heat pump with an electric heat override, attic insulation rated R-38 with every effort made to keep this home ''green'' & energy efficient. Upgraded kitchen cabinets, engineered stone counters, new L.G. stainless steel appliances & under cabinet task lighting. Adjustable

pantry shelving in the laundry room. The split master suite has a bay window with views of the mountains. The huge master bath has separate tub & shower. Comfort height vanity has double sinks & roomy walk-in with mirrored doors. Lovely patio & backyard. Floor to ceiling garage cabinets & epoxy coating. Perfect home...perfect location


LAND & LOTS: 9280 W Wenden – AZ CityMLS#5059659 $24,900.34ac Golf Course Lot

1136 E Main St – Casa Grande

MLS#5064644 $65,000.41ac Commercial Lot B-2

8128 N Calle Hermosa Cir – Casa Grande

MLS#5079098 $55,0002.01ac Los Montanas

COMMERCIAL LISTINGS: 2106 E Florence Blvd

MLS#5040262 $600,0001.51ac Corner Lot

HWY 84 – Bianco RdMLS#5070112 $3,840,000

192ac ¼ mile frontage

805 N Pottebaum AveMLS#5079097 $640,000

2.46ac just off Florence Blvd

1582 E Jardin – Casa GrandeMLS#5082535 $224,950

4BD/3BA 3436 SFMonterra Village: Cul de sac lot, many upgrades: maple cabinets, lots of stor-

age, tile, downstairs bed/bath

20884 E Reunion – Red RockMLS#5064325 $100,000

3BD/1.75BA 1605 SFRed Rock Village:Great community ameni-ties! Home features den, great room and

even producing citrus trees!

1310 E 10th Pl – Casa GrandeMLS#5078769 $108,500

2BD/2BA 1212 SFAcacia Landing: Well cared for, tile in main living areas, carpet in bedrooms,

landscaped

1165 E Avenida Grande – Casa GrandeMLS#5068963 $117,900

3BD/2BA 1358 SFRancho Grande: updated kitchen, move in ready! Diving pool, paver deck, RV gate/parking and NO HOA

2106 N St Pedro – Casa GrandeMLS#5077844 $159,000

3BD/2BA 1667 SFMission Valley: Appliances included,

loads of cabinets and storage, backyard with fountain

2054 N Parish – Casa GrandeMLS#5068817 $150,000

4BD/2BA 1907 SFMission Valley: home features tile, open kitchen/family room, Corian counters, backs to common area

*list price $150,000 or higher, credit on settlement statement at COE, value not to exceed $395. Must present coupon at time of listing agreement.

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HUD HOMES: 3721 N Colorado – Florence

2BD/2BA Manufactured Home$59,000

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Don’t let the middle of the night phone calls keep you awake!

Our professional staff will handle all aspects of your rental properties including: tenant find and screening, accounting, collections, evictions and repairs.

Call 520.423.8250 or email: [email protected]

We Do Property

A P R I L 2 0 1 4 • 5 3

3818 W Fairway – EloyMLS#5077655 $154,900

2BD/2BA 1758 SFVillage at Grande Valley Ranch: Fur-nished golf course home, custom tile,

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2117 W Wilson – CoolidgeMLS#5068357 $123,900

4BD/3BA 2287 SFHeartland: Squeaky clean with all

appliances, backs/views common area, bedroom/bath downstairs, lg loft

2138 N Lake Shore – Casa GrandeMLS#5073119 $259,999

4BD/3BA 3099 SFCasa Grande Lakes: view of lake, large

lot with pool, marble flooring, granite counters, downstairs master bedroom

1487 E Anna – Casa GrandeMLS#5083414 $142,000

3BD/2BA 1603 SFIronwood Commons: Model perfect! Den/office, lots of tile, split master,

extended paver patio

8773 W Troy – Arizona CityMLS#5070090 $89,900

3BD/2BA 1326 SFA Gem! All appliances, vaulted

ceilings, lots of cabinets, fenced yard with double RV gate and parking.

7672 W Randolph – Casa GrandeMLS#5082873 $245,000

5BD/2BA 2252 SFLake in the Desert: Custom home on fenced 1.25ac horse property. 3car garage, lots of upgrades. NO HOA

1919 N. Trekell Rd., Casa Grande

520-423-8250Each office is independently owned and operated.

Colleen Gunderson, Designated Broker

COOLIDGE • 3BD/2BA $750 MONTHCASA GRANDE SK RANCH - 3BD/2BA $800 MONTH STONERIDGE

- 4BD/2.5BA $995 MONTH MCCARTNEY CENTER - 4BD/2.5BA $1050 MONTHFLORENCE • 5BD/2.5BA $1200 MONTH *purchase price $150,000 or higher, credit on settlement statement at COE, value not to exceed $395.

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By Bea Lueck

Comeon in!House flipping is all the rage, with several ‘reality’ television programs to show you how it’s done. The question is – how much is reality and how much is taped forentertainment value?

Before

AfterBefore photos courtesy Colleen Bechtel, Keller Williams Legacy OneC

ome onin!

A P R I L 2 0 1 4 • 5 5

in!There are several methods of purchas-

ing property with intent to ‘flip’. Each comes with its own risks and rewards. Buying at auction - either at trustee sales or private auctions, or through the use of a REALTOR® are the usual methods of ac-quiring these properties. The TV shows portray the buyer being shocked at what they find when they unlock the door (UN-LOCK?? They get keys??? My buyers have to drill out the locks!) Truth is – lo-cal investors have done their homework and know what they are getting. There are no surprise swimming pools in the backyard. Investors buying at trustee sale use every resource for information such as Google images to see satellite images of the backyard or just the old fashion detective skills of peeking over the fence, opening a gate and looking in windows to get an idea of what’s inside. Auctions, either online or in person allow for a preview period prior to the auction. And of course, working with a REALTOR® allows for the most in depth inspections.

Flip homes are not without pitfalls and the occasional O.M.G. moment. Air conditioners sometimes have to be re-placed. Plumbing or electrical issues ar-en’t always apparent until you start work.

Even little things can add up to a lot of money so investors need to be prepared for the unseen. Working with contrac-tors that know where to get good deals on supplies is a must! Knowledge of what features the new buyers want and are willing to pay for is also very important. You don’t want to over or under improve for the neighborhood or you won’t get a good return on your investment.

This house in Casa Grande was pur-chased by a local investor through a RE-ALTOR®. The buyer was able to preview the home prior to purchase and had a good idea of what was needed. At the time of purchase, this lender owned prop-erty had the “EWWWWW” factor: grimy carpet, dirty walls with a few holes in the drywall and a generally dated, unat-tractive appearance. Did I mention the smell? Imagine pet urine combined with sewer gas from drains long since dry. This is the type property investors seek – the ones no one else can look beyond the cosmetic to see the Diamond in the Rough!

Everything with this house was pret-ty straight forward. The first step was gutting the kitchen, removing the old cabinets, appliances and flooring. While

most of the slate flooring came off eas-ily, thanks to a poor installation – there were those few that required hours with a chipping hammer to remove. The cab-inets and counters were both dated and in poor condition – so out to the roll-off dumpster they went! The arches and col-umn created the visual barrier separating the kitchen from the living room. GONE! Once everything was removed, the room seemed so much larger.

New tile with a medallion at the door create a dramatic first impression. New cabinets, granite counter tops, travertine tile back splash and new stainless lighting and appliances complete the look. The granite counters were continued in both the hall and master baths. Why? Because you buy the whole slab – you might as well use it! Not to mention it looks great! New paint inside and outside, new carpet, new landscaping – the key word is NEW NEW NEW. Smart investors know not to cut cor-ners – the difference between cheap and nice is apparent at a glance.

The whole house now looks and smells clean and is move in ready for the next buyer. This two bedroom, two bath prop-erty is currently listed with David Schlagel with Coldwell Banker ROX Realty.


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ealth &

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58 HavasuLivingMag.com

BENEFITS FOR THE ENTIRE FAMILY

Omega-3:

S top by a health food store or pick up a health-related magazine and you’ll more than likely see

omega-3s talked about. But just what is omega-3 and why should you consider it as part of your family’s nutritional plan?

Well, there are many health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids. There is strong evidence pointing to the fact that omega-3s EPA and DHA can help lower triglycerides as well as blood pressure. In addition, further studies have suggested that other diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and depression can be

helped by consuming omega-3 fatty acids.But the words “fatty acids” sound counterproductive to good health. So, what are omega-3 fatty acids? Here’s a brief look at omega-3 fatty acids.

Facts on omega-3 Fatty Acids There are several types of omega-3 fatty acids. Two crucial ones -- EPA and DHA -- are primarily found in certain fish. Plants like flax contain ALA, an omega-3 fatty acid that is partially converted into DHA and EPA in the body. Algae oil often provides only DHA.Omega-3 fatty acids are considered

essential fatty acids. Because essential fatty acids (ALA, DHA, and EPA) are not made in the body or are inefficiently converted from ALA to EPA and DHA, we need to receive them from our diet. Omega-3s have a number of health benefits. Omega-3s play an important role in reducing inflammation throughout the body -- in the blood vessels, the joints, and elsewhere.

Benefits of omega-3 Fatty Acids Blood fat is known as triglycerides, and according to a number of studies, fish oil supplements can lower elevated triglyceride levels.

By Charles Novinskie, Managing Editor, Lake Havasu LIVING Magazine

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60 HavasuLivingMag.com

When you think of under-nourished children, you think of kids in some

underdeveloped nation that don’t receive enough food to eat. But you might find it surprising that experts estimate that over 50% of all Ameri-can children don’t receive the right amount of several key nutrients from the foods they eat. Why? The average child’s diet may be rich in calories, but short on vital minerals and vitamins. Here’s a rundown of the benefits that kids can receive from taking supple-ments.

Calcium: Very important in the growth of muscles. It is also stored in teeth and bones and is crucial to keep them strong as kids grow.

Fiber: Fiber helps curb appetite and cut down on over eating while pro-moting healthy digestion and regular removal of waste.

Iron: Helps with the production of healthy blood cells and muscle growth.

Omega-3s: Influence mood, and behavior and work as enhancers. Also help in brain, eye, and nervous system functions.

Protein: Helps repair muscle, skin, hair and nails.

Vitamin A: Helps with normal growth and development as well as promotes healthy skin and eyes.

Vitamin B: Essential for promoting the circulatory and nervous systems as well as helping control your metabolism. There are a full family of B vitamins including B1 Thia-min, B2 Riboflavin, B3 Niacin, and others.

Vitamin C: Essential for healthy skin and muscles.

Vitamin D: Promotes bone and tooth growth as well as an essential vitamin that helps in the absorption of calcium

Both children and adults no longer receive all of the proper nutrients, minerals, and vi-tamins from our diet alone. If you’re feeling run down, lethargic, have problems remem-bering things, are irritable or irregular, you might want to look into some vitamins and supplements to help you feeling your old self again.

Having high levels of triglycerides is a risk factor for heart disease. DHA alone has also been shown to lower triglycerides.

Some researchers have found that cultures where foods with high levels of omega-3s are eaten have lower levels of depression. Fish oil seems to boost the effects of antide-pressants. Fish oil may help reduce the de-pressive symptoms of bipolar disorder.

Rheumatoid arthritis can be helped by tak-ing fish oil supplements (EPA and DHA). Studies have shown that the supplements significantly reduced stiffness and joint pain. Omega-3 supplements also seem to boost the effectiveness of anti-inflammatory drugs. Evidence suggests that a diet high in omega 3s reduces inflammation, a key com-ponent in persons with asthma. However, more studies are needed to show if fish oil supplements improve lung function or pos-sibly reduces the amount of medication a person needs to control their asthma.

Some studies have determined that fish oil can reduce the symptoms of ADHD in some children and improve their cognitive func-tion. However, omega-3 supplements as a primary treatment for this disorder are not supported by research at this time and are not substitutes for medication. Furthermore, while evidence is preliminary, some research suggests that omega-3s may help protect against Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Recent studies have also evaluated whether the omega-3 supplement DHA can slow the decline seen in those with Alzheimer’s de-mentia or in age-associated memory impair-ment.

While there are many benefits to taking omega-3 supplements it is always best to consult with your physician or health care practitioner before taking them.

NUTRITION AND KIDS “Sleepless in Havasu”

24-Hour Sleepless-A-Thon

Supporting the fight for a cure!

Michael Alan Furnishings & Serta Mattress Co. are excited to sponsor the 5th annual “Sleepless in Havasu” 24 hour Sleepless-a-thon for a Cure. Proceeds to benefit the Cancer Association of Havasu’s low cost Mammogram Program. Over 30 participants will be getting pledges to sponsor them to stay awake. This event is the kick off to the Breast Cancer Awareness Walk and Health Fair on Sat. Oct. 5th at the Aquatic Center. If you would like more information about the event or would to make a donation, please contact Vanessa Liesen at Michael Alan Furnishings 855-6067.

The Cancer Association is under the Umbrella of the Havasu Community Health Foundation located in the Shambles Village.

2010 Acoma Blvd.928-855-6067

Monday-Saturday 10am-5:30pm • Sunday 12-4pm

Friday, September 27thKick Off at 5PM

Michael Alan Furnishings Bedding Gallery

Silent Auction Starts Mon., Sept 23 - Sat., Sept 28th

OVER

RAISED$ 78,000$ 78,000


American health made a priority with Affordable Care ActSun Life makes community wellness its number one priority By Lindsey Gemme, Special Contributor

With a political hot potato such as public healthcare being tossed about these past few months since the implementation of the Affordable

Care Act, community healthcare centers (CHC) like Sun Life have also been thrust into the limelight.

And what makes CHCs such a vital component in areas like Pinal County for the rollout of this healthcare law?

Sun Life says that there are many reasons. FOR EXAMPLE: • Sun Life, like all CHCs, is a nonprofit organization• CHCs are the forerunners in changing over to a new

system of healthcare called the Patient-Centered Medical Home model in an effort to continue to upgrade its quality of care and patient outcomes.

• It is run by a governing board, made of members that are also Sun Life patients and area community members

• Sun Life’s entire mission is to provide “high quality services” and “accessible” healthcare

• It creates a hyper-local economic engine through providing jobs, and predominantly employs members of the communities in which each site is located.

Sun Life’s nonprofit status allows the organization to deepen its impact on the local community through grants (federal and otherwise) for programs and services that provide quality and easy access to healthcare for the entire county. For decades, Pinal County has been a primarily rural area. Like so many rural regions across the nation, Pinal County once had a hard time recruiting and keeping doctors and medical staff for residents.

Sun Life first opened its doors in 1976 in a small trailer in Casa Grande, and has since grown to have seven regional offices with over 30 healthcare providers on staff. During Pinal County’s historic population boom a few years ago, Sun Life had already established itself and has remained the county’s largest primary healthcare provider. It serves more than 36,000 patients in family practice medicine, dental, pediatrics, women’s health and maternity care, diabetes education, lab/x-ray, behavioral health coaching,

and pharmacy services.With Sun Life’s mission firmly fixed on accessible quality healthcare

rather than profit, it can develop its services beyond the exam room. The quality in a patient’s experience and health outcomes are paramount, according to Sun Life CEO Travis Robinette. The organization aims for and continues to raise the bar on quality healthcare through constantly seeking accreditations through medical governing organizations and regularly polling patients about their needs.

Meeting those needs have included ensuring patients have payment options for both the insured and uninsured, matching patients with outside resources, as well as assisting patients and community members with applying for healthcare programs like AHCCCS, Medicare, and now, through the federal Marketplace. Sun Life also provides sliding fee services to qualifying individuals.

“What makes us different is our unfailing concern for the well-being of our patients, and our willingness to provide the best possible experience for every person that walks through

the door,” Robinette explained.About two years ago in accordance with improving quality of care

at Sun Life, the organization had adopted a model called the Patient-Centered Medical Home.

The basic principles behind the Patient-Centered Medical Home model are that patients have a team of healthcare practitioners interacting about – and with – the patient in regards to their treatment and care. Its design is aimed to ensure that care is of the highest quality, is safe, proactive, and coordinated among a team of medical professionals.

But it is the patient that is given the driver’s seat, and directs where he or she wants to go with his or her own health and treatment plans. It also puts more responsibility in the patients’ hands, and allows them to be more proactive in their treatments. A patient’s healthcare team can include their personal doctor, nurses, instructors (such as diabetes educators),

We welcome

you to experience

this new model of

care

“

“

Sun Life... Excellence in Health Care


Quality, Affordable care for Everyone!Accepting New PatientS

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Same Day Appointments!

FAMILY PRACTICE 520-836-3446 • 865 N. ARIZOLA RD, CASA GRANDE

We accept most Insurances-AHCCCS-MedicareUninsured? We can help!

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FAMILY DENTISTRY & ORTHODONTICS 520-836-3446 • 865 N. ARIZOLA RD, CASA GRANDE

Quality, Affordable care

for Everyone!Accepting New PatientS

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A P R I L 2 0 1 4 • 6 1

specialists, as well as outside resources such as translators, and other community resource organizations.The model is meant to enhance a patient’s access to medical assistance, and ensure that their personal/clinical physician gives a whole-person approach encompassing care inside – and outside – of the exam room. It’s also designed so that care is of the highest quality, is safe, proactive, and coordinated among a team of medical professionals that the patient, themselves, chooses to develop.

Sun Life is currently undergoing processes to be recognized by the NCQA for the healthcare model. It is also accredited by the Joint Commission, considered to be the “gold standard” for quality in healthcare. Sun Life was one of the first CHCs in the state to earn this status. Joint Commission accreditation is voluntary, and means undergoing challenging and comprehensive audits and evaluations by experts in the medical field. Sun Life has made significant efforts to review and improve the key factors that can affect the quality and safety of patient care.

“We welcome you to experience this new model of care and to help improve it through your feedback about our performance,” said Robinette. “That’s teamwork at its best!”

Sun Life Family Health Center is Pinal County’s largest primary care provider, and was one of the first community health centers in the state to have received accreditation from the Joint Commission (the gold standard of quality in healthcare). Sun Life serves both insured and uninsured Pinal County patients, and provides health services in family practice, dentistry, women’s health, pediatrics, diabetes education, and much more.

Sun Life has several area family practice offices, located in Casa Grande, Eloy, Coolidge, Maricopa, Oracle and San Manuel. The Casa Grande general health facility (located on N. Arizola Road) houses management operations, as well as family dentistry and orthodontics, and provides in-house radiology, pharmacy and laboratory services. The Centers for Women & Children on Florence Boulevard in Casa Grande offers women’s wellness and maternity care, as well as pediatric care. The San Manuel Family Practice also offers in-house laboratory, radiology, diabetes education, and pharmacy services. Our Eloy location offers family practice and a public pharmacy. San Manuel, Coolidge, Maricopa, and Oracle are all family practice locations.

To learn more about office locations and hours, visit www.sunlifefamilyhealth.org. Sun Life…Excellence in Health Care.

ABOUT SUN LIFE FAMILY HEALTH CENTER




CENTER FOR CHILDREN (PEDIATRICS)

520-836-5036 • 1856 E. FLORENCE BLVD CASA GRANDE

CENTER FOR WOMEN (OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY)

520-836-0380 • 1864 E. FLORENCE BLVD., SUITE 2 • CG






Hablamos Español



Hablamos Español



What exactly does being a Flexitarian entail? Flexitarian eating is ideal for those who want to

prepare and eat more vegetarian meals but find it to arduous to commit to going meatless 100%. You have to work towards switching from a meat heavy diet to a plant based one. Blanter sees three categories of flexitarians.

Beginner: Eats two meatless meals a week.

Advanced: Eats three to four meatless meals a week.

Experts: Eat five or more plant only meals per week.

Waist Lines everywhere will benefit from meatless meals. Researchers at Tufts University compared food-frequency meal questionnaires from more than 55,000 healthy women finding that semi vegetarians who consume just small amounts of animal products-were 11% less likely to be overweight or obese than regular omnivores.

Plant based foods are rich in fiber, disease thwarting antioxidants and vitamins and minerals that you won’t find in meats. Semi vegetarians live an average of 6 + years longer than meat adoring non vegetarians .This is due to lower rates of chronic diseases that have diet connections-such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

FlexitarianismAN INTRO TO

Avoiding meat at many meals forces you to be creative with meal planning. It is a great way to help people break out of their chicken breast food rut and broaden their culinary horizons. Also meat, fish and poultry tend to be among the most expensive items in the grocery cart-so buying more plant based items like lentils can save a family a significant amount of money especially given the increasing food prices. Another benefit of purchasing less meat is that when you do so, you can then afford to splurge on better-quality products, such as grass fed beef, and wild caught Pacific salmon. Meat consumption becomes about quality, not quantity.

Types of Alternative Protein Power include:

Quinoa – 1 cup cooked =8 g proteinEdamame - 1 cup=17 g protein

Tofu - 3 ounces = 9 g proteinLentils -1 cup = 18 g protein

Kidney beans – 1 cup =13 g proteinLow fat plain Greek yogurt

– 6 ounces = 18 g proteinEggs – 2 large = 12 g protein

By Susan Conn-Hood, Certified Fitness Instructor, Wellness Educator & Food Fueling Consultant.

I want to share a great book with everyone, The Flexitarian Diet,by Dawn Jackson Blanter RD, LDN.

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Open Monday - Friday 6am to 2pm

520.836.4953820 W Cottonwood LaneCasa Grande, AZ 85122

Breakfast & LunchFish Tacos Catering

Private PartiesSoup Salad

Sandwiches

Complete Pest Control & Termite Services

Branham’sExterminating Co., Inc.

Serving Casa Grande, Arizona City,Coolidge, Eloy & Maricopa Since 1982

Locally Owned & OperatedROC Lic. #15238BC

520-426-1160 520-316-0502

820 W. Cottonwood Lane, Casa Grande

Susan Conn-Hood – Certified Fitness Instructor, Wellness Educator & Food Fueling Consultant.

With her 30 year background in fitness and a degree in Adult Fitness and Sports Science, Susan has been a Fitness Instructor and Wellness Presenter for over 20 years. She has been a guest speaker on “Women’s Wellness” sharing fitness, stress reduction, whole food education, and hydration at “The Palms Resort” in Palm Springs on an annual basis for over 8 years. She has conducted various speaking engagements on fitness, whole food education and proper hydration for The Breckenridge Women’s Ski Team and for High School Athletic groups in Breckenridge, CO. In addition, she has spoken about fitness, whole food education, hydration and healthier living at various women’s groups in both Breckenridge and Denver, CO.

Susan is an active member and recently nominated “Sergeant of Arms” of the Casa Grande Toastmasters group. Susan is also a very proud member of the Casa Grande Chamber of Commerce with her Juice Plus+ business.

Susan speaks to local business groups and home audiences on a frequent basis concerning fitness, hydration, whole food education, and being healthier in the workplace.

Cell# [email protected]


Since the inception of the Interventional Cardiology program in October 2009,

Casa Grande Regional Medical Center (CGRMC) has saved the lives of 169 patients. These individuals came to the Emergency Department while in the midst of an ST elevated myocardial infarction (STEMI), more commonly known as a heart attack. Through the cohesive team work that begins in the Emergency Department, transfers to the cath lab, and concludes with recovery in and discharge from a nursing unit, these patients leave CGRMC with the ability to return to living their lives. The quality of a cardiac cath program is measured by the length of time it takes for a patient to have blood restored to the heart when experiencing a heart attack. This is called the “door to balloon time.” The clock begins ticking when the patient enters the Emergency Department (ED) and the clock stops when the balloon that is inserted into the heart via the cardiac catheter clears the blockage so that the heart again has a full blood supply flowing through it. The gold standard for “door to balloon time” is 90 minutes. This is a critical number because if blood is restored in 90 minutes or less, then there is less chance for significant damage to the heart muscle from the heart attack. CGRMC reports that in Fiscal Year 2014 (from July 1, 2013-January 31, 2014), the average door to balloon time is 59.1 minutes, which is 30 minutes faster than the gold standard. This is also an additional improvement over Fiscal Year 2013 when the average was 74 minutes, which was still 16 minutes faster than the national gold standard. This has been achieved through the stellar teamwork of all who impact this

time from the pre-hospital EMS partners, the ED, Lab, Radiology and the Cath Lab team. Prior to 2009, STEMI patients who experienced a heart attack had to be transported from the facility to Phoenix, which greatly decreased the chances of avoiding damage to the heart by restoring blood in less than 90 minutes. The addition of this service more than four years ago has been a significant improvement for patients in the local community. The cardiovascular professionals who work in the cath lab include imaging technologists, nurses and cardiologists. In addition to saving the lives of those in the midst of a heart attack, they also impact numerous patients by performing elective interventions before a life threatening heart attack can occur. Their efforts don’t begin and end on the procedure table, as they also assist patients with Phase 1 Cardiac Rehab education prior to discharge. CGRMC added this program feature in September 2011 to offer ongoing education and preventative information to cardiac and heart failure patients. Since it began, the nursing staff has performed over 1,000 cardiac rehab visits and over 500 heart failure education visits to inpatients at CGRMC. One unique accomplishment of the CGRMC cath lab is the focus on the radial access approach for patient procedures. Whenever appropriate, the cardiac catheter is inserted through the wrist of the patient rather than the groin, thus decreasing the discomfort as well as the recovery time and risk to the patient. Currently, only about 10 percent of hospitals are using this approach according to Wake Forest Baptist Health

physician Dr. Robert J. Applegate. Not only is CGRMC one of the 10% of medical centers utilizing this approach, an average of 46% of patients are treated with this method, which is WELL above the national average which hovers around 10%. In addition, CGRMC has developed a program to send appropriate outpatients home the same day that have had a Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI), otherwise known as a heart cath with stent placement. All of these efforts are incredibly progressive, especially for a semi-rural community hospital. CGRMC strives to offer patients the utmost in courtesy and comfort to alleviate their fears and apprehension when facing upcoming procedures and health concerns. This emphasis on caring for the whole person has resulted in an average patient score of 94.76% for the past year. The program has also been recognized nationally for coronary interventional procedures and excellence. The cath team recognizes that they cannot succeed in saving patient’s lives without the incredible team work from the EMS providers who transport patients to the hospital by ambulance, the Emergency Department staff who accepts the patients in the midst of their crisis, and finally the Intensive Care staff and other nursing units who help each patient recover. Together, these dedicated healthcare professionals change the course of patients’ lives, providing exceptional care and compassion in times of uncertainty. Ultimately, the people of Casa Grande and the surrounding communities are safer and very fortunate to have this outstanding cardiac cath service available locally.

169 Lives and Counting By Karen Kerr-Osman

CGRMC - CARDIAC CATH LAB:

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1800 E. Florence Blvd., Casa Grande, AZ ♦ (520) 381-6300 ♦ casagrandehospital.com Your Community Partner in Healthcare: Your Community Partner in Healthcare: All Private Rooms ♦ Low Infection Rate ♦ Advanced Technology

Offering Our Community the Best Care inOffering Our Community the Best Care in Cardiology ServicesCardiology Services

Thanks to all those Cardiologists caring for our community at CGRMC:Thanks to all those Cardiologists caring for our community at CGRMC:

Quality Measures Rank in the Top 25% Nationwide, according to the American College of Cardiology (ACC) Registry, alongside facilities such as Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Cleveland Clinic, Rochester Mayo, and more.

Door to Balloon Time at 59 Minutes which means we restore blood to the heart, on average, over 30 minutes faster than the Gold Standard of 90 minutes, avoiding permanent damage to the heart muscle during a STEMI (ST Elevated Myocardial Infarction), more commonly known as a heart attack.

Trans Radial Wrist Approach in 46% of Cases allowing patients a more comfortable procedure and fewer complications than the femoral artery approach. This is a best practice and the national average for this approach is only 10%.

Cardiac Rehab and Congestive Heart Failure Education teaches patients and families how to better care for themselves and their loved ones to prevent future incidents.

Special thanks to Central Arizona Heart Specialists & Premier Cardiovascular Center for their dedication to CGRMC’s Interventional Cardiology Program which has achieved great successes!

Faisal Bahadur, MD, Cedars Heart Clinic Roger Bies, MD, Central Arizona Heart Specialists Andrew Cassar, MD, Central Arizona Heart Specialists Madhavagopal Cherukuri, MD, Biltmore Cardiology Jason Cool, MD, Premier Cardiovascular Center Ziad El Khoury, MD, Premier Cardiovascular Center Ziad Elghoul, MD, Cedars Heart Clinic Robert Hamburg, MD, Central Arizona Heart Specialists William Jaffe, DO, Biltmore Cardiology

Akil Loli, MD, Biltmore Cardiology Suntharo Ly, MD, Central Arizona Heart Specialists Bashar Markabawi, MD, Lifetime Heart & Vascular Georges Nseir, MD, Premier Cardiovascular Center Ashok Solsi, MD, Premier Cardiovascular Center John Tretter, MD, Premier Cardiovascular Center Rizaldy Villegas, MD, Central Arizona Heart Specialists Lyndon Xavier, MD, Premier Cardiovascular Center


We Can Help!

520.421.0986www.PCPainDoctors.com

Back Pain Too Much To Bare?

PC Pain Doctors

CALL TODAY OR REQUEST AN APPOINTMENT ONLINE.

Our whole body approach uses interventional therapy to reduce

pain and inflammation and promote healing so you can

LIVE WITH OUT THE PAIN!

Back pain affects over 106 million people

in America and is one of the major reasons why patients seek medical care.

Acute back pain usually is caused by

a traumatic event such as an auto accident or

sports injury. In most acute cases the soft tissue rather

than body vertebrae are dam-aged. This trauma can affect any

aspect of the spine from neck to tail-bone. Acute back pain can progress very

readily to chronic pain depending on med-ical care received and the body’s healing ability. Chronic back pain tends to be more insidious in

nature, resulting from degenerative changes in the spine. Systemic causes can be rheumatoid arthritis, obesity, and osteoporosis, and rarely tumors including cancer or infection.

Chronic low back pain tends to occur most often, but cervical back pain causing headaches, especial-

ly in women, are extremely debilitating. Many remedies are sought, medicinal, physical therapy, manipulative therapy, even surgical intervention. Most meet with lim-ited success.

PC Pain Doctors uses an integrated approach to Pain Management. Interventional therapy, nutritional counseling, exercise modalities, and manipulative ther-apy are all utilized in reducing pain and inflammation, thereby promoting healing.

Interventional pain management techniques (IPM) have both diagnostic and therapeutic benefits, often isolating the source of pain, either in the spine or der-matomal nerve extensions along the back.

PC Pain Doctors does several different types of treatments including, facet joint injections, epidural in-jections, joint injections, and soft tissue (trigger point) injections.

Interventional pain management can help you tol-erate your prescribed therapy program such as joint and muscle manipulative treatments and promote healing. Interventional pain management can relieve pain and inflammation that can prevent a patient from participating in rehabilitative therapy and may assist in avoiding surgical intervention. Additionally, IPM can re-duce dependency on pain medication.

By Dr. Thomas Masters, DO, Pain Management Specialist, Osteopathic Physician

When Life Is A In the...PAIN Back?

A P R I L 2 0 1 4 • 6 7

Dental Care for the Whole FamilyDr. Tyson A. Davis grew up in Mesa, Arizona and

attended Mesa High School. He then attended Arizona State University and after spending one semester at ASU, he spent two years serving on a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Valencia, Venezuela; where he learned to speak fluent Spanish. Upon returning from Venezuela, he continued his education at Brigham Young University where he studied Physiology and Developmental Biology.

Dr. Tyson Davis studied dentistry at one of the top dental schools in the country; University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry in beautiful San Francisco. He graduated with his Doctor of Dental Surgery and also received the TKO Honor Society Award for academic excellence.

While attending BYU, he met his wife Courtney and they married before the start of dental school. During their time in dental school, their first son was born. Colter, who is now almost six, and is an absolute joy and Daddy’s little sidekick. They have since been blessed with a beautiful daughter, Adalyn, who is two years old. Dr. Davis finds the most joy in spending time with his family. He also enjoys watching and playing all sports, especially golf, riding quads and motorcycles, and simply being outdoors.

Dr. Davis has been at Agave Dentistry for about four and a half years, and the practice has been there for five and a half years. He has a wonderful staff who have a collective total of over 100 years combined dental experience. His staff members are hardworking and excellent at keeping a positive work environment. They are friendly and kind, and go above and beyond to put their patients first and make sure they are comfortable. Agave Dentistry is a general family dental office and they see patients ranging in age from young children to adults. They do cleanings, whitening, fillings, implants, dentures, and any other dental service you need. They understand how painful a toothache can be, and do all they can to make time to see people with emergencies. They realize that going to the dentist can be scary, but they have a lot of experience helping uneasy patients feel more comfortable in the dental chair. Dr. Davis’ favorite part about his job is interacting with patients. He genuinely loves talking to and being around people. The most rewarding part of his job is seeing people more confident with their smiles before they leave the office. He volunteers a lot of time to the involvement in his church and he sponsors both Vista Grande and Union High School football teams.

Agave Dentistry is currently accepting new patients.

By Dr. Thomas Masters, DO, Pain Management Specialist, Osteopathic Physician

By Courtney Davis


As we are aging along with our parents and even our loved ones there will come a time when we are forced with the

decision making of the welfare of them. You might notice that it becomes increasingly harder for our loved ones to perform what we call the “ADL’s” activities of daily living. It may be as simple as forgetting to bathe, brush their teeth or perhaps forgetting the names of their spouse or children. It may be rare in the beginning and with time increasingly prevalent. It can be a physical decline perhaps involving falls, walking or getting out of a chair. These actions will eventually require making decisions in the care of our love ones. They may become angry with reminders and verbally or physically abusive.

It is best to do your homework in advance, knowing your options and sources of help. Talk with your Doctor regarding the diagnoses and the level of care it will require to care for your loved one. Discuss financial questions, trusts and living wills with your attorney.

Choosing different levels of care the Pros and Cons:Hiring a caregiver for home care. Finding a trust worthy

qualified person can be very expensive and will only prolong the need for next level of care.

A large facility with apartment style living requires your loved one to be able to perform more of the “ADL’s” and offers minimum assistance.

A skilled nursing facility with 24 hour skilled nursing care. Cost is very high and is only necessary in acute situations. The atmosphere is very impersonal.

A smaller Assisted Living Home gives a more home like atmosphere with more personal care giving and potentially a better caregiver to resident ratio,

Questions that you should find answers to are:• Is the staffing level adequate for the number of residents,

a good rule of thumb is 1 caregiver to 5 residents• Do you have 24 hour access to the home or facility• Is the home or facility able to meet special needs, such as

special diet, physical therapy, ect• Are there scheduled activities along with mental and

emotional and physical stimulation

• Is there adequate medication management• Is there hands on help with all ADL’s, ie bathing grooming,

dressing etc• Is their scheduled incontinence care for bladder, bowel etc• Qualified diabetes management• Will your loved one be able to stay in the home or facility

until end of life. It is best to make a list of the homes and facilities in your area

and visit them. You can call for an appointment but stopping by for a quick unexpected visit will give you a much better feeling as to how the home or facility operates normally. Doing this before a crisis arrives will make the next step go much more smoothly.

When it becomes necessary to make a move and your loved one is confused, here are few tips you might want to follow. A term used in the “Alzheimer’s Association” is “Therapeutic Lying”. Say we are going to visit someone or I have to just stop for a minute. Getting a reaction from your loved one can sometimes be an indication of how they felt about a place.

Once you have selected a home or facility you can use one or more of the following ideas to make your loved one feel more comfortable.

• You are just visiting, you wouldn’t be staying forever• A good friend of mine is a caregiver, owner, manager and

she will take very excellent care of you• The doctor wants you to stay here for a while to get

stronger, healthier so you can come home.• I can’t give you the care you need until you get better• I’ll be back very soonThese are just a few examples that I have used. I’m sure you

can use an example that will work for your situation. After being in this field for over 25 years and dealing with

Alzheimer’s, Dementia, Parkinson’s, Stroke and numerous other debilitating ailments, I feel that I can be a valuable resource in helping you move through this very trying time. I’m available at your convenience to answer any questions you might have.

Debbie Minninger 520-240-8308

Choosing the best level of careFOR YOUR LOVED ONES.

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Voted Casa Grande’s Best Massage Therapist Through Market Surveys of America Again This Year. That is 7 years in a row!

Call, Text Or Go Online To Schedule Your Appointment!

TREASURED HANDSMASSAGE THERAPY

Three Physical effects of Therapeutic Massage are well documented in scientific research:

• Release Of Muscle Tension • Increased Circulation • Initiation Of The Relaxation Response

(520) 421-2772201 W. Cottonwood Ln., Casa Grande , AZ 85122

TreasuredHandsMassageTherapy.com

Relaxation Deep Tissue Sports

Relief from Migraines, Lower Back Pain, Stress & Fibromyalgia!

Each Effect, Though Simple In Itself, Can Result In Multiple Benefits

One Block East of Pinal Ave. Jessica Galvan, LMT Dennis Beye, LMT

Since man first stubbed his toe, people have used mechanical pressure to relieve pain. There is not one of us that does not

stretch an aching back, or rub an area that hurts! These are instinc-tive reactions to our own pain.

Massage therapy has developed these common practices into organized anti-pain procedures. These can be specialized for each individual so they may achieve maximum overall health benefits. Massage works with all seven of the body’s systems. This means it offers more energy, vitality, reduced stress, easier and deeper breathing, skin tone, aids digestion, reduces swelling and speeds the healing processes from surgeries.

Massage therapy offers relief from tight muscles, fibromyalgia, migraines, sports and auto injuries, and lower back pain caused by pregnancy. People who suffer with Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis and other disorders can often find some level of relief through massage. There are methods that increase joint mobility, circulation, balance, and make for clarity of thought and even more restful sleep.

Often thought of as “alternative medicine”, “only for the wealthy”, or as a “personal luxury”, massage has been misrepre-sented over the years. However, the effects of therapeutic mas-sage are well documented in scientific research. In reality, mas-sage should be considered part of your overall health regiment - another slice in what makes up your personal health pie. Massage should be as much a part of your routine as your diet, exercise, and checkups with your doctors.

In todays hyper-paced, stressed out world, the relaxation aspect of massage is more important than ever. Even the most intense deep tissue massage is still stimulating the relaxation re-sponse in your muscles and nervous system. Studies have shown that a one hour massage is very equivalent to four hours of sleep. The “i feel like a noodle” response to the toxins being released has such a great calming effect that one can’t help but be amazed at how good they can actually feel!

Start receiving massage on a regular basis. It will truly allow you to “be all that you can be” in your life.

MASSAGE OR KNOT... By Dennis C. Beye, L.M.T.


Dr. Dustin Coles has been creating Spectacular Smiles at Premier

Orthodontics since 2006. He attended Brigham Young University for undergraduate studies, and then dental school at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, where he finished #1 in his dental school class. Following dental school, he completed a two-year orthodontic residency at Indiana University. Dr. Coles loves to learn about new technology, that way his patients receive the best orthodontic treatment available. He uses the most advanced technology braces and materials, which allows most treatment to be completed very quickly and without extractions. He has also been extensively trained in the invisalign system, and has found that it will work for almost every patient, regardless of age or severity of the problem-this means straight teeth without braces! He knows that it is important to give back, and he sponsors many of the local school and community sports teams. He is an advocate of concussion education and safety, and has donated hundreds of custom mouth guards to local youth football programs over the past 7 years. Orthodontics is Dr. Coles’ passion, he enjoys going to work each day to help people achieve the smile they dream of! He and his friendly staff are ready to help you work on your spectacular smile! When not working, Dr. Coles loves spending time with his wife Ursula, and four amazing kids, Jaden, Maila, Makoa and Kainalu. He is also a sports enthusiast, and enjoys golf, basketball, tennis, waterskiing, wakeboarding and snowboarding.

For more information, call us at 520-421-0880 or visit premierothoaz.com today! Dr. Coles looks forward to helping you transform your smile and becoming part of the Premier Orthodontics family!

Dr. Dustin Coles

Orthodontics Bring Your Smile toPerfection

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Let Us Help You

With Your Spectacular Smile!

Dr. Dustin Coles and Dr. Tyler Coles

1968 N. Peart Rd., Suite 24Casa Grande, AZ 85122

Phone: (520) 421-0880


A Pictorial Guide to the SIRCLE® Method

Gateway to your journey: Video Otoscopy Biomarker Assessment*

Assess health history relative to:

• Bone & joint integrity• Cartilage integrity: hyaline, soft white, fibrocartilage• Cardiovascular status: micro & macro systems• Epithelial & Neurological health• Hydration & cellular pH

*Research-based approach in health assessment developed over more than 30 years by Dr. Chartrand & Associates

SIRCLE® Occupational Therapy*

Developed in New Zealand by GlenysAnne Chartrand, OTR, the trade-marked SIRCLE® method involves patient directed therapy that heals.

A comprehensive therapeutic approach working with other health professionals to interrupt cycles of pain and inflammation so that function can be restored.

Psychiatric & Functional Occupational Therapy Counseling

*Stress Induced or Related Conditions Lifestyle Education

AromaTouch® Therapy Raises O2 levels to 100% along the Spine to Prepare for Deep Cold Laser Healing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=FbMQY4q8vEc

Healing Deep Cold Laser Treatments

The only device approved to be labeled for healing:

At a depth of up 2.0”-2.5”, Class 3b/4 Deep Cold Laser uses a narrow spectrum of light to stimulate the mitochondria of the injured area

The mitochondria, using your DNA as a blueprint, pull together the resources of your immune system to facilitate healing

Over about a 72-hour+ post-treatment period, your body continues to heal

Medical Massage Therapy Medical Massage techniques

are adapted to meet your individual needs

The main therapies involve release of edema, ridding body of CO2, re-establishing immunology, muscle tone, and neurology.

In preparation for cold laser therapy, it makes a powerful healing treatment for a wide variety of chronic conditions.

The SOQI Wellness Lab® is Here!

DigiCare®

Passive Negative Ion Generation & “Dust/Pollen Busters” in every Treatment Room

Targeted Nutritional & Organic Support for Therapeutic Success!

Clinically tested nutritional supplementation:

Non-commercial, exclusive to medical & rehab programs

Highest (ionic/organic/bioidentical) bioavailability

Patented delivery system for enteric/on-site wellness support

Serve as the building block components of the SIRCLE®

Program

An invitation to set an appointment for a FREE biomarker assessment for you and

your family today!

Before the SIRCLE®

Program (Typical)After* the SIRCLE®

Program (Typical)

Cellular pH** = pH 7.00 (acidosis)

Cellular pH** = pH 7.35-7.45

Cellular Oxygen = 92-97% (hypoxia)

Cellular Oxygen = 98-100%

HgA1C = 6.0-7.0% HgA1C = 4.6-5.0%

Blood Sugar (fasting) = <100-130 mg/dL Blood Sugar (fasting) = <70-99 mg/dL

C-Reactive Protein = < 1.0-16.0 C-Reactive Protein = < 0.5

Gelactin-3 Score = >17.8 ng/DL Gelactin-3 Score = <17.8 ng/DL

**re Video Otoscopy Methodology*Results typical, not guaranteed

AlkaViva Water Ionizer (In-Stock Items)

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Raises pH to 9.0-11.0; removes Acid water at pH 4.0-6.0

Dual filtration to remove treatment chemicals, heavy metals, bacteria from tap water

The most durable, carefree unit built to last a lifetime

Regular Low-Impact Exercise: One of the Keys to Metabolic Correction

1 2 3

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SIRCLE® Occupational Therapy & Wellness Clinic 820 W. Cottonwood Lane, Suite #6, Casa Grande, AZ 85122 (520)509-6380 www.sirclepainclinic.com

A P R I L 2 0 1 4 • 7 3

With more than 100 types of neuropathy, one would get the distinct impression that such conditions are immensely complex and their causes little understood. On the contrary, causal pathways of most neuropathies are actually bet-ter understood than most chronic health condi-tions, and perhaps even more straightforward in their resolution. This special consumer education seminar will dispel the mysteries of neuropathies, which are growing at breakneck speed in the US popula-tion, and explores their common underlying caus-es. Attendees will find this presentation demystifies a wide array of neuropathic conditions, and helps them understand how they occurred and, more importantly, some of the ap-proaches for overcoming them. Our instructor for this event is Max Stanley Chartrand, Ph.D., a professor of Behavioral Med-icine and Director of Research for DigiCare® Be-havioral Research. Dr. Chartrand is an interna-tionally recognized health researcher & pub-lished author in the field of chronic disease and communicative disorders, with a career spanning more than four decades, and is a frequent key-note lecturer at professional conferences world-wide. He offers consumers and professionals alike life-changing insights into some of the most per-plexing health challenges of the day. “Our con-cern is that today symptoms, not underlying causes, are only addressed. As a consequence,

Americans with only 4% of the world’s pop-ulation are consuming >82% of all of the opi-oid and narcotic medi-cation produced in the world, and suffer the highest rates of chron-ic disease per capita of any advanced na-tion,” said Dr. Char-trand. “This course shows how these un-fortunate trends may be reversed without the need for more drugs or surgery.” Those interested in attending must RSVP by calling (520)509-6380. Bring family and friends for a most rewarding experience!

Note: For consumer education only, and is not a substitute for profes-sional diagnosis and treatment of any individual’s health condition.

FREE PUBLIC SEMINAR!

Understanding Neuropathy For those suffering from Fibromyalgia, Peripheral & Diabetic Neuropathy, Restless Legs, Chronic Numbness/Burning, etc.

Tuesday, April 8th, 6:00-7:30pm

SIRCLE® Wellness Classroom 820 West Cottonwood Lane, Ste #6—Casa Grande, AZ 85122

Call (520)509-6380 to Register!

Deep ColdLaser into your cells’

Mitochondria

Burned Oxygen

Converted to ATP

VascularChelatingNutrients

LiveCartilageNutrients

Organic Osteo

NutrientsCellularOsmosisNutrients

Skin & NeurologyNutrients

DNA

Blue

Prin

t RNA

HOW DR MITOCHONDRIA MAKES A PERFECT YOU!

Burned Oxygen

Converted to ATP

Telomere

Telomere


When I moved to Casa Grande from Phoenix in 2000, I was happy to be able to drive to the hospital or to

my office in just minutes, without the big-city traffic rush. Life was slower paced and relaxed, and my patients lived in my neighborhood. I was also impressed at the quality of medical care provided in Casa Grande and feel honored to be a part of that care and have the trust of my patients.

Being a physician trained in obstetrics, I am quali-fied to care for both low and high-risk pregnancies. Being trained in gynecology, I care for a wide range of female concerns and problems including contraception, meno-pausal issues including hormone therapy; and pain due to interstitial cystitis, endometriosis and just downright painful periods. I perform hospital-based surgeries for problems such as pain, heavy periods, incontinence, and prolapsed (‘dropped’) pelvic organs such as the bladder and uterus. I also perform office-based procedures such as safe and effective Essure sterilization which does not require anesthesia.

My medical practice is unique because I see all of my Ob and Gyn patients and personally deliver my patients’ babies. Not all patients need to see a familiar face or hear a familiar voice on the phone when they have an Ob/Gyn concern. But some do, and I tailor my practice toward those patients.

Personal Service in Casa Grande By Dr. Philip Ivey, M. D., FACOG

Southwest Women’s Health is pleased to announce that we now offers a full line of skin rejuvenating services to

help our patients’ look and feel their best. Treat acne scars, stretch marks, fine lines and wrinkles with little to no down time with SkinPen. This state of the art microneedling de-vice creates a series of microscopic channels in the dermis, which naturally stimulates the body to create new collagen and elastin.

Age spots, cherry angiomas, skin tags and facial spider veins can now be removed with minimal discomfort using the Skin System technology. This device uses a blended electrical current to instantly cauterize the blemish and per-manently removes it. Skin laxity and wrinkles can be treated with a wide range of fillers customized to fit your needs. We utilize a variety of medical products which include Ju-viderm and Raddiesse to help our patients look as though have turned back time. In addition to filers we can smooth out fine lines and wrinkles around the forehead, eyes and mouth with Botox and Xeomin.

For clients looking for a non-invasive treatment to im-prove skin and muscle tone, reduce wrinkles, on the face, stomach and buttocks we are proud to offer the Beautiful Image technology. This medical micro current treatment helps tone, tighten and lift the skin.

When you’re done in the med spa, don’t forget to treat yourself to a soothing European facial using all natural skin scripts products or book a session to get a PCA chemical peel to make your skin glow. All services are performed by Stacey Ivey R.N., P.T., and licensed esthetician. To find out more about monthly specials and great new offerings visit www.southwestwomenshealth.info

By Stacey Ivey R.N., P.T., & Licensed Esthetician

Local Skincare

A P R I L 2 0 1 4 • 7 5

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Philip Ivey, M.D., FACOGBoard CertifiedGynecologyObstetrics

520.836.0933

Privileges at Casa Grande Regional Medical Center & Chandler Regional Hospital

8:00am - 5:00pm Monday - Friday • Evening Hours Available1829 E McMurray Blvd • www.SouthwestWomensHealth.info


SPORTSJoint Pain

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PRIMARY CAREArthritis

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OPEN MONDAY - FRIDAY 8AM TO 5PM • 1968 N PEART RD, SUITE 3 • CASA GRANDE , AZ 85122

WALK-INS WELCOME!SAME DAY APPOINTMENTS

Dr. Kurup Board Certified in Family & Sports Medicine

MOST INSURANCES ACCEPTEDDesertCareFamily Sports Medicine

Doctors Sunil Kurup and Rick Singh opened DesertCare Family & Sports

Medicine in August of 2013.Both physicians recognized the

need for additional primary care and sports medicine in Casa Grande.

Dr. Kurup is Board Certified in Family and Sports Medicine and Singh is Board Certified in Family medicine. The clinic provides primary care for diabetics, im-

munizations, preventive care and sports medicine issues ranging from sprains to fractures to concussions.

One of the great features at the clinic is the ability for patients to walk in without an appointment and be can treated for non-life threatening issues such as sinus infections, bronchitis or the flu. They can take care of most is-sues at a much lower cost than the

emergency rooms or urgent care clinics.Dr. Kurup sees the need for a Board

Certified Sports Medicine Physician and he says, “People don’t realize that sports-related injures don’t necessarily relate to just contact sports. We handle all types of injuries, from tennis elbow to pickle ball injuries. The clinic accepts most insurances and welcomes walk ins and same day appointments.

Desert Care Family & Sports Medicine

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If You’re In PAIN, I Can Help!”

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By Cindy Schaider, Executive Director, Casa Grande Alliance

Sharing Isn’t Always CaringYour meds are just for you

There has been a great deal of publicity lately about prescription medication

misuse and addiction. The death of actor Phillip Seymour Hoffman helped shine a spotlight on the epidemic of pain medication addiction, and the transition some patients make to the abuse of heroin.

• One person dies every 19 minutes from a drug overdose in the United States, and this increasing trend is driven by prescription painkillers. (Centers for Disease Control)

• 80% of heroin users began with the abuse of prescription pain relievers. (Journal of the American Medical Assoc, 10/2013)

What most people do not know is that narcotic pain medicines like oxycontin, oxycodone and hydrocodone can be very addicting (trade names include Percoset, Vicodin, Lortab). Metabolically, these narcotics are frighteningly similar to heroin.

A person can quite innocently become dependent upon pain medications following multiple surgeries or a back injury. Unfortunately, these medications can also create a feeling of euphoria (a high) and it is easy to abuse them. People who would never try street drugs might feel safe abusing prescription drugs. The step to addiction – compulsive use of the drug to get high rather than stop pain – is not far behind.

And there are many of us using prescription pain medications! As a

culture, we have become accustomed to not just having our pain managed, but we expect it to be eliminated completely. Here are some startling statistics from the AZ Criminal Justice Commission:

• Enough Rx pain relievers were prescribed in 2011 to medicate every Arizona adult around-the-clock for more than two weeks.

• In Arizona in 2010, about 50% of adults reported Rx drug misuse in the past 12 months and 13% reported misuse in the past 30 days.

M a n y communities are trying to figure out how to react to this growing epidemic. We have been working on this in Pinal County for the past 18 months by taking a multi-faceted approach that includes doctor education, patient education and advocating proper storage and disposal of medicines.

Here are some things you can do to help:

At the doctor:• Ask your health care provider to

recommend or write a script for a non-narcotic pain reducer BEFORE using a

narcotic one. • If you or someone you love may

be abusing pain medicine, talk with your doctor about getting

help. Or call 1-800-662-HELP.At home:• Use prescription pain

medicines only as directed by a health provider. Never use alcohol along with pain medicine, and take precautions when using other

medicines. Alcohol and other medications can interact with narcotics and amplify their effects, leading to tragic overdose situations.

• Store prescription medicines in a safe and secure place. This means NOT on the kitchen counter, in the car, on the dresser, in your purse, and maybe not even in a medicine chest. Make sure your medicine is not available for misuse or theft by youth,

friends, family, or visitors to your home. Don’t allow your medicine to become the temptation for someone else to make a bad choice.

• Dispose of old, unused and waste medicines, and do so properly. Do NOT flush them down the toilet. Take them to a community medication disposal location. There are 17 drop-off boxes,

like the one pictured here, in most police stations across Pinal County. You can call your local police department or the Casa Grande Alliance to locate the box nearest you, or go to www.CasaGrandeAlliance.org for a map of box locations. Do NOT dispose of sharps or aerosols, inhalers, or medical waste into these boxes.

When disposing of your medicines, you can leave the pills in the original bottles if you first remove the labels or black-out your personal information with a marker. Or, simply pour the pills into a Ziploc bag, and put the sealed bag into the drawer of the disposal box. Empty pill bottles can be recycled or thrown away.

With family and friends:• Make sure you are the only one

to use your prescription medicines. When a doctor or physician prescribes a medication for you, they are taking all of your health information into account (i.e. age, weight, height, allergies, any medical conditions, etc.). This means that prescriptions are specifically for you and those medicines can be dangerous, even deadly, if given to someone else. If a friend or family member needs medicine, that person should get it only from a medical professional – not from you. Despite your best intentions, when it comes to medicine, sharing isn’t caring.

One person dies every 19 minutes

from a drug overdose in the United

States

“

“

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Free medical care sounds like an oxymoron. Yet, twice a month that’s

just what is offered through the Stanfield Medical Clinic (SMC). This faith-based clinic was first started in 1999 by James Liguori M.D. After a few years it became difficult to secure in-kind and financial help without a 501c3 and it slowly went away. But it was restarted as a ministry of Seeds of Hope in 2009 by Douglas Parkin M.D and his wife Alice RN.On the second and fourth Wednesday’s of each month, patients start gathering at the First Baptist Church in Stanfield at 4:30PM and are placed in order to be seen. There are close to twenty volunteers that keep the clinic active, including a few doctors and nurses. Kelsi Pate, N.P. and Melissa Pannel, N.P. are two of the volunteers who assist Dr. Parkin in seeing patients. A few RN’s are also on hand to assist with taking

vitals and exam room care. They all stay until the last patient is seen, often after 9PM.The SMC has partnered with local labs, specialists, and hospitals to provide additional care for patients, all at no cost to the patient. Without partners like CGRMC, AZ-Tech Radiology, Desert Reflections Imaging, and the Lions Club of Casa Grande many patients would not get the necessary medical follow-up treatment to aid in their health and healing because they could not afford it.Although SMC sees both children and adults, adult visits far outnumber pediatric visits. And more patients are seen for neglected chronic illness than for acute problems. The most common illnesses seen are diabetes and hypertension. A number of migrant farm workers are seen as well as a number of newly unemployed

people and employed people who are uninsured.In 2013 the SMC provided free services to approximately 1200 patients because of the financial support of so many. Gila Valley Baptist Association, the Fran Shear Memorial Motorcycle Run, Trinity Southern Baptist Church, the Zonta Club of Casa Grande and many private donations allow the clinic to stay operational and stocked with medical supplies. First Baptist Church, Stanfield allows the use of their facilities rent free.Whether you have an ingrown toenail or a suspicious medical ailment, the SMC will treat you with kind hands and a caring heart. If you would like to know more about the SMC, its clinic dates, how you can donate, or volunteer visit the Seeds of Hope website at www.seedsofhopeaz.com.

Seeds of Hope

GOLF TOURNAMENT

SPRING 2014

SATURDAY, APRIL 5TH 8;00AM START. ROBSON RANCH GOLF CLUB 5686 N.

ROBSON BLVD, ELOY, AZ 85231Registration going on now! $60 per person $240 per team. Raffles! Mulligans! 50/50! Lunch! All proceeds will benefit the ongoing Ministries of Seeds of Hope. 520-836-6335.

REGISTER ONLINE OR CALL

836-6335! WWW.SEEDSOFHOPEAZ.COM

REGISTER ONLINE OR CALL

836-6335! WWW.SEEDSOFHOPEAZ.COM

Local Doctors Give Back at Free ClinicBy Terri Durham

A P R I L 2 0 1 4 • 8 1


PINAL COUNTY, Ariz. – With today’s laws protecting our medical information like never before, the collec-tion, maintenance and analysis of that information has become paramount for health care practitioners.

For many years, Central Arizona College has of-fered a fully-online health information program, giving students the opportunity to enter this increasingly im-portant field from the comfort of their own homes.

Employment as a health information management (HIM) professional generally needs a Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT) credential – which re-quires an associate degree and successful perfor-mance on the RHIT certification exam. Students can sit for the RHIT exam by completing an associate of applied science (A.A.S.) HIM degree.

CAC also offers a certificate in coding and reim-bursement that makes recipients eligible for initial cer-tification by the American Medical Biller’s Association (AMBA), American Association of Professional Coders (AAPC) or American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) by qualifying the individual to sit for the national exam for the credential of their choice, including CMBS, CPC, CCA and CCS.

“The HIM program at CAC prepares its students to immediately enter the workforce for employment at hospitals, clinics and physician offices,” Sandra Bright-well, RHIA, the director of the health information pro-gram at CAC, said. “And the fact that our program is of-fered online means that students will have convenient access to our curriculum and its highly-experienced instructors.”

The 71-credit hour A.A.S. degree features a robust set of courses that includes required classes such as health care law and ethics, human anatomy and physi-ology, medical terminology, health information technol-ogy, and pathophysiology.

Students seeking the coding and reimbursement certificate are not required to complete the general ed-ucation requirements, making their journey completely virtual through online teaching modalities.

CAC also offers various degree and certificate pro-grams aimed at training tomorrow’s health profession-als, including its medical assistant, nursing, pharmacy technician and radiologic technology programs. To learn more about these programs, visit www.centralaz.edu.

To learn more about CAC’s health information pro-gram, contact Sandra Brightwell at [email protected] or by phone at 480-677-7798.

CAC offers health information technology degree

By Guy Harrison, Media & Marketing Specialistfully-online

A P R I L 2 0 1 4 • 8 3

Preparing Today’s Students To BeTomorrow’s Health Professionals

www.centralaz.edu

Certificate and degree programs offered:• Clinical Laboratory Assistant (Certificate)• Coding and Reimbursement (Certificate)• Health Information Technology (Associate of Applied Science)• Massage Therapy (Certificate & Associate of Applied Science)• Medical Assistant (Certificate & Associate of Applied Science)• Nursing (Associate of Applied Science)• Pharmacy Technician (Certificate)• Radiologic Technology ( Associate of Applied Science)

Central Arizona CollegeDistrct Office8470 N. Overfield RoadCoolidge, AZ 851281-800-237-9814


You Have Been Asking For This And I Have Found It!If you have questions about your new Spirit Dental plan, please contact your LOCAL Independent Insurance Broker Bob Laukonis

520-421-9302 or visit

www.MyGoldenEra.com today!

Features/Benefits Spirit Dental Other Dental Insurance Plans Discount Plans

Choice of Absolutely Any Dentist Yes No, Usually Require PPO Networks No, PPO Networks Required

No Waiting Periods YesNo, Usually 12-18 Months for Major

ServicesYes

$1200, $2500 or $3500 Annual Maximums

Yes No, Usually only $1000 Maximum No Paid Benefits; Just Discounts

Dental Implant Coverage Yes No No Paid Benefits; Just Discounts

3 Cleanings Per year Covered at 100%

Yes No, Only 2 Cleanings Covered No 100% Coverage; Just Discounts

Free Prescription Discount Card Yes No Yes

Online or Paper Enrollment Yes No, Usually Online Only No, Usually Online Only

Optional Vision Insurance Available

Yes No No Paid Benefits; Just Discounts

No Monthly Association or Billing Fees

YesNo, Can Be As Much As $6 A Month

ExtraYes

Affordable Rates YesNo, Can Be 20% - 50% Higher Than

Spirit DentalYes

For the past 9 plus years, I have been an Independent Medicare

Insurance Broker, in and around the Casa Grande area. Over those years, I’ve been approached by client and prospect alike with “do you have a dental plan?” I responded with a simple: “ I am constantly looking with no success, however, when I do find one that I personally think will be worthwhile, I’ll join it myself and rep-resent it.”

Well, that’s what happened. I fi-nally found a dental insurance plan with added optional vision coverage, at an extremely fair price with fantas-tic coverage and features. It is an indemnity plan; not a discount plan!

It offers three levels of cover-age: $1200, $2500 and $3500 annual

maximum and allows you to go to any dentist. There

are “no networks” and three annu-

al cleanings at “no charge”!

The coverage is based on rea-sonable and customary charges of the provider for the area where the expenses are incurred.

There are no waiting periods, and no services are covered for pre-existing services.

It is available to one applicant, applicant + 1, and applicant + family. (Please note: children are covered to age 26 in the family plan).

My Golden Era, previously ex-clusive Medicare insurance only, has added this plan and a hospital in-demnity plan, to its offerings.

We provide excellent customer service and invite you to call our of-fice for answers to any concerns or questions you may have. We’re local (Pinal County) and are here to serve our clients with superior customer service.

Call 520-421-9302 or email [email protected]. My Golden Era, P.O. Box 12276, Casa Grande, AZ 85130

Dental and Vision Coverage

with My Golden Era

A P R I L 2 0 1 4 • 8 5

The Hospital Indemnity Plan Will Pay You Cash Benefits For:

DAILY HOSPITAL CONFINEMENTThis benefit will pay you a daily benefit amount between $100 and $600 per day should you be confined to a hospital. You can also choose either a 10-day or 21-day benefit period which will restore after 60 days of no hospital confinement. Benefits are paid in cash directly to you and paid in addition to any other insurance you may have.

AMBULANCE BENEFIT RIDERThis rider will pay a $200 benefit for ambulance service to or from a medical facility up to four times a year and subject to a lifetime maximum of $2,500. No hospital confinement is required.

SKILLED NURSING FACILITY RIDERYour policy will pay $100, $150 or $200 per day from days 1 through 50 if you are confined to a skilled nursing facility. This benefit applies if you are admitted to a skilled nursing facility after having been confined to a hospital for three consecutive days. We will pay benefits as long as confinement occurs within 30 days of hospitalization. This benefit restores after 60 days of no confinement in a hospital or skilled nursing facility.

FOR MORE INFORMATION OR QUESTIONS PLEASE CONTACT YOUR LOCAL INSURANCE

BROKER BOB LAUKONIS 520-421-9302 OR VISIT WWW.MYGOLDENERA.COM

My Golden Era is exclusively an Independent Medicare Insurance Broker, specializing in

clients that are on Medicare (By age or disability).Over the past 9 years this has been the goal of

Bob Laukonis in servicing this population, however, from time to time he has been asked about Dental Insurance and better ways to be protected with their Medicare Advantage Insurance Selection. CUSTOMER SERVICE is the main priority of Bob and My Golden Era. This is the most important ingredient in having a relationship between client and broker; after the sale!

Imagine going to the hospital for three days, with a co-pay of $250 per day, and when you are home, being reimbursed in cash $750, or having an ambulance co-pay of $250 and getting $200 back as your benefit. This just one example of the benefits you could have with your plan.

BUY LOCAL!Call Bob Laukonis/My Golden Era for more information. P.O. Box 12276, Casa

Grande, AZ 85130 or www.mygoldenera.com

BUY LOCAL MEDICARE INSURANCE with My Golden Era


520.876.JUST5 8 7 8SALES • SERVICE • MAINTENANCE • REPAIR

KEEP YOUR PLUMBING WORKING THE WAY IT SHOULD...

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CALL US TODAY For Your Annual RO,

Water Softener & Water Heater Maintenance Needs!

“I’m in customer service” That is my response when people ask what I do. Their reply is usually “I thought you were a plumber?”

My thought on owning a business is: It’s ALL customer service. No matter what product or service you are offering, if you don’t make the customer feel valued, any success you have will be short lived.

At Just Plumbing we realize there are many plumbers to choose from in Pinal County. There are some with more employees

who can respond faster and others with lower prices. That’s why we have always focused on customer service.

We know most people don’t like calling a plumber, and only do so when something is not working properly. That is why as one of our services, we proactively call our customers to do maintenance on their plumbing systems and keep them working. By keeping up on yearly maintenance, expensive replacement and damage to your home can be avoided.

For example, a leaking water heater can damage drywall, floor coverings like carpet and wood and depending on the type of home you have, even the floor itself.

Many people don’t know that there is recommended maintenance to be done on plumbing items like water heaters. So if you would like to know what maintenance you should be doing, or if you’d like to schedule an appointment for us to come do it for you, call us today.

QUALITY SERVICE & PROFESSIONALISM

Committed To Providing

A P R I L 2 0 1 4 • 8 7

Committed To Providing

WAYS TO PLAY INHAWAII!

The islands of Hawaii are lush and beautiful, the sand is warm and the

beaches are wonderful. That isn’t all Hawaii has to offer. Maybe you aren’t the 10 hours a day in the water type or the lie on the beach and roast type. So, what else is there to do? Oh, sure, you can shop till you drop or eat yourself into oblivion, but what about the rest of the time?

Hawaii’s islands are so diverse, but have some similarities. For example, there are world-class golf courses, any imaginable water sport, gourmet foods and luxury shops on every island. Each, believe it or not, is quite different from the next. For instance, there is only one island where you can see actual lava flowing into the sea or hike thru a 350-year old lava tube. Climb a mountain and visit an observatory, in the snow, and then hit the surf in the afternoon. You can visit the largest working ranch in the United States and maybe catch a rodeo. There are macadamia nut farms (and stores), coffee plantations, and a sacred place of worship where the ancient Hawaiians would go to hide from the law. The priests would hide them until they were exonerated, then send them home.

That’s just Hawaii Island! Maui has its own diversity. Take a whale-watch tour from Dec thru May, ride the Sugar Cane Train in Ka’anapali or hike in the Iao Valley where King Kamahamaha the 1st fought the war to unite the islands in the 1700’s. Visit the Maui Tropical Plantation and see how local plants are grown.The Maui Ocean Center is full of all sorts of South Pacific marine life

and there is a fun museum dedicated to whaling at the Whaler’s Village shopping center. The town of Lahina is full of art galleries, boutique shops, wine and food festivals and the biggest, wildest Halloween party anywhere! The LahinaJodo Mission, on the outskirts of town, is a shrine boasting the largest bronze Buddha outside of the orient. And it’s next door to a cemetery in the sand!

Off to Kauai, where you can be as active or as laid-back as you like. Take a tour of famous movie sites or a relaxing boat ride up the only navigable river in Hawaii to the Fern Grotto, a lush cavern of tropical splendor. Finish at Smith’s Luau, the best on the island.

Or do just the opposite and hike the canyons, ride a mountain bike or ATV, go zip lining, kayaking, or go tubing thru an irrigation channel. Yes, I said an irrigation channel!

If you like the hustle and bustle of the big city, then maybe O’ahu is for you. Most visitors don’t actually get out of Waikiki except to visit Pearl Harbor or the Polynesian Cultural Center. But there are a ton of things happening daily on O’ahu.

Even at Pearl Harbor, you may not know there is a submarine you can tour or the Pacific Aviation Museum. Downtown the Iolani Palace, the only royal palace on US soil, is a museum in itself, dating back to the 1800’s. The Bishop Museum, completed in 1890, is dedicated to the natural and cultural history of the Pacific Islands. Plantation Villages is set up to honor the first immigrants brought to the

islands to work the sugar cane fields and farms. You can tour replica homes and buildings from the era and see how taro is grown. Nearby is the Hawaiian Railway, a historic tour of the former sugar and pineapple plantations.

Tired of sightseeing? Climb up Diamond Head to the old WW2 bunker and gaze out over the blue Pacific. Or take a drive and climb up to Makapu’u Point and check out the lighthouse. Is this too tame for you? Hike up into the rain forest above Honolulu, take a ride on an antique Bi-Plane, and join a small-group Photo Tour or if you are really adventurous…….swim with the sharks!

By now, you get the picture. 4 major islands, each with it’s own unique personality. You’ll never be bored in the Hawaiian Islands!

By Peggy Eck, Temptation Travel ROX!

Mon-Fri 9:00am-4:00pmSat: 9:00am-1:00pm

442 W. Kortsen Rd. #101Casa Grande, AZ 85122

520-836-8517 1-800-690-7660


A few days after Kilimanjaro, Paul, Mar-ty, Chris and I headed to Arusha, Tan-

zania to meet up with our safari company. Slow, safe driving was a welcome sur-prise, enormous speed bumps are a big help, called 'sleeping policemen' by the locals. Roads were lined with semi-trop-ical forest, banana trees, desert, thorny acacia, domestic camels, a mix of corn and sunflowers with beans growing up the stalks, and always the Maasai herding goats, cattle and donkeys.

The ‘Call to Prayer’ rang through city streets, replaced by the ‘Call of the Wild’ at safari camps. Some camps were crowded, dinner sounded like lunch at the middle school. Women sweep and mop by stooping over at the waist with straight knees, holding a rag in both hands…it looks painful.

The Maasai are wrapped in brilliant fabrics of red and blue, each armed with a slender stick for protection and cattle prodding. Sandals are fashioned from

old tires; we were told you can't tell which way a Maasai Warrior is traveling from his foot prints. Somewhere in those folds of fabric each one hides his prized posses-sion…a cell phone. I wonder how their clothes look so clean and bright; they wash them in dirty cow ponds and dry them on nearby agave spikes.

Our first night was in Mosquito Vil-lage along the Mosquito River. We were told not to worry; malaria only comes out after midnight. We took that with a grain of salt...and repellent, and quinine.

Day one at Lake Manyara, within five minutes a baboon dropped a 10-pound sausage smashing our windshield…I mean really smashed it! James, our driv-er and guide, had a new one before sun-down which he broke installing because the windshield frame was also bent. The baboon's missile came from high in a sausage tree where they hang like Chi-nese lanterns. I was told camping under a sausage tree is a bad idea, you can for-

SPAGHETTI ON THE

SerengetI


By Colby Carter

A P R I L 2 0 1 4 • 8 9


get who you are! A teenage baboon jumped onto the jeep face to face with Marty, a good scare for them…a good laugh for us.

Baboons and monkeys greeted us first, then a young bull elephant amazingly large and close. By the end of the safari we had almost seen it all, just like on TV. After time we passed through herds of zebra, hun-dreds of them, and none of us bothered to reach for a camera. The same for lions, ele-phants and giraffes unless they were doing something exciting...they were everywhere. Most animals were close enough to reach out and touch, and pull back a bloody stump for a souvenir.

Just to begin the list we saw Cape buf-falo, wildebeest, zebra, elephants, baboons, vervet and blue monkeys, Nile monitors, Thompson's gazelle, impala, giraffes, hippos, wart hogs, bats, dik diks, hornbills, crested eagles, flamingos, superb starlings, more birds, domestic camels, and a total of six leopards all up in trees (one with a dead impala, another with teenage cubs). Few odors can compare to a pod of hippos wal-lowing neck deep in their own poopy water.

Lake Manyara was a slice of Eden, but we were hungry for spaghetti on the Seren-geti. We ate boxed lunches or in lodges over the five days, sleeping on plush cots in larger tents than we had on Kilimanjaro, liv-ing the high life after camping on that moun-tain…Marty’s fingers were still tingling from freezing up there.

During a bathroom break we spotted a fat baobab tree at the end of a trail, perfect for pictures. James came running, "Come back, don't go there!" It looked innocent enough; he said buffalo and dangerous an-

imals were everywhere, only armed guards go there. Just to be fair, it was all Chris' idea. Later we saw how lions can be snoozing just feet away in knee-high grass; you have no idea until you get their attention. After that we were beyond cautious when stopping to mark our territory. James wouldn't stop near tall grass, he warned us over and over to stay by the jeep…we did!

Baboons were in full force at the en-trance to Serengeti National Park, prowling the parking lot with big teeth and bad inten-tions. They come from all directions, includ-ing above, and they don’t play nice! A can of Pringles in my pack caught one’s eye, he cir-cled around behind me. He charged, when I turned to flee I was face to face with Paul and he was not getting out of my way fast enough…I nearly ran him over! Hiding the Pringles didn't help, they steal backpacks and haul them to the treetops in a flash. Zip-pers, clips and bottle caps are no match; I left my pack in the jeep from then on.

At night around camp we heard zebras bickering, hyenas laughing, and lions roaring in the distance. Some lady released a blood curdling scream one night; it turned out to be a bad dream but still gave me the willies. Later that night, armed with a mini-flashlight, I walked to the bathroom with lions roar-ing beyond. I had second thoughts about waiting until morning. Cape buffalo entered camp, and hyenas got into the trash.

One day we sat watching two male li-ons, one practically rubbing against our jeep like a house cat against your legs…we heard breathing and footsteps. Another day the drama of lion versus zebra played out in front of our eyes. A big lion with three girlfriends was just off the road, each female was in heat and wanting to mate every 15 minutes according to James. That’s an av-erage of every five minutes for the male; he was getting cranky from all that work.

The females were persistent, until one spotted three zebra approaching from a quarter mile away...two adults and a baby. The female lions perked up quickly, the male took a rest from the mandatory romance. The females went into stalking mode; they set up an ambush using our jeep for cover. One lioness moved in front of the zebra, an-other crept up under our window flat against the ground. We watched holding baited breath, craving blood, but they called off the ambush saving precious energy. Instead, they returned to the male and demanded his services. If he couldn't perform there were others who could, so he reluctantly did the deed, thanked each time with snarling teeth and claws.

Moving on we spied spotted hyenas, os-trich, Grant’s gazelle, hartebeest, helmeted guinea fowl, topi antelope, giant eland, Nile crocodiles, powerfully-stinky hippo pods, brown parrots, secretary birds, hooded vul-tures, lilac-breasted rollers, lovebirds, Grif-fon and white-backed vultures, marabou

storks, pelicans, Egyptian geese, cinnamon flycatchers, African fish eagles, waterbucks, red-billed and silver-cheeked hornbills.

After spaghetti on the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater was calling. The only an-imals we missed were cheetahs, though oth-er groups spotted some just minutes earlier. We knew right where they were, we drove back and forth, but lying in the grass they turned invisible.

Camping on the rim of Ngorongoro Cra-ter we once again felt the cold and woke up in clouds and fog. Down into the crater for a day was amazing, so much wildlife concen-trated in such a small area; lesser flamingos, crowned cranes, black-headed herons, and three types of jackals...silver-backed, black-backed and golden. We ate lunch in the jeep by a lake with less stinky hippos, James warned us about black kites, a dive bomb-ing bird that will snatch food from your hand, leaving nasty wounds in return. We enjoyed the show; one girl threw her lunch on the ground scrambling for cover.

A distant black rhinoceros completed our ‘Big Five’...Cape buffalo, elephants, lions, leopards and rhinos. The Rhino was lying down; tough to make out even with binoc-ulars…we counted it anyways. On the way back to Arusha we took an educational peek into Olduvai Gorge, the 'Cradle of Mankind', an archaeological site where the Leaky fam-ily found fossilized footsteps of Early Man.

Dropping into a Maasai Village was touristy but interesting. Leading nomad-ic lives they change villages every few months, following fresh grass with their goats and cattle. We entered a tiny, ado-be-stick hut and sat on the bed, a cow hide laid on the ground. Traditionally they survive on a diet of milk, blood, and meat from their livestock, refusing to eat wild ani-mals. We were told they slather themselves with some odor that makes lions and buf-falo leave them alone in places where we wouldn't survive 10 minutes. When Maasai boys turn 17-years old they’re circumcised, then sent to live and pout in the bush for six months with white markings on their faces, returning as men. We saw a few of them too.

I´m now in Mozambique after an ac-cidental trip to Ethiopia, I still can´t quite figure that one out. I woke up groggy, un-aware of a delay in Mombasa, when I went to switch planes they said it had left hours earlier and I would be staying in Addis Aba-ba overnight. Huh? Addis what?

The airline promised meals, a bed and transportation…none of which went smoothly at all. I had no Ethiopian money, and the hotel was in an industrial area with nothing nearby to do. I went for a walk and got caught in a torrential rain a mile from my hotel…soaked to the skin. At the time it was pure hassle, in hindsight it was all part of the adventure and I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.

Spaghetti • Continued from page 88

A P R I L 2 0 1 4 • 9 1


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One day a boy woke up to the sound of his alarm clock. He stumbled out of bed and started getting dresses. At that moment, the boy’s talking camel, Henry, walked into the room.

“Mike! Mike! What day is it?!” Henry yelled at a decibel level that Mike was sure was louder than jets.

Don’t answer him, Mike thought to him-self. He’s just going to say that it’s Hump Day. Ever since he saw that stupid com-mercial with the talking camel, that’s all he says.

After he got dressed, Mike walked downstairs with Henry at his heels still talking. When Mike sat down, his mom said, “Good morning.”

“What Mike!” asked in a louder tone. “I said good morning!” Mike’s mom

said in an even louder tone.“What!?” Mike said in a still louder tone. “Nevermind,” Mike’s mom mumbled. All throughout break Henry kept ask-

ing, “Mike! Mike! What day is it!? Guess!”Mike was about to get it over with and

ask Henry what day it was, but he decid-ed he wasn’t going to let Henry win again.

“Bye Mom!” Mike yelled out Henry as he walked out the door. On the way to school, Henry kept asking and asking what day it was. Mike finally lost it and yelled, “It’s Hump Day!”

“No,” Henry looked puzzled, “It’s show-and-tell day, you were supposed to bring in your baseball card.”

“Why didn’t you tell me!?” Mike screeched.

“I tried to!” Henry responded. By then Mike and Henry were outside

the playground. The kids playing kick-ball had stopped and were standing with their mouths hanging open at Henry.

”Nothing to see here kids, keep walk-ing!” Henry said. This just made the kids’ eyes bug out too. \

“Ugh,” Mike groaned, “now where as I?”

“You were blaming me because you forgot to bring in your baseball card,” Henry said as he rolled his eyes.

Mike glared at Henry. “Oh yes. Why didn’t you remind me?”

Mike screeched. “I tried to!” Henry shot back.

“Well what am I going to do now?” Mike wailed.

Of course he goes from blaming me to making up a plan instead of using his own brain, Henry thought to him-self.

“You could show me,” Henry suggest-ed, “I’m sure the children would love to see a talking camel.”

“No, you’re boring. I’d rather show this piece of chewed gun,” Mike replied.

“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that,” Henry said, clearly offended. Hen-ry then got a devious smile on his face.

“I was just kidding,” Mike laughed awkwardly, “you’re very interesting.”

“Too late,” Henry said with that same smile on his face.

“What have I got myself into?” Mike hung his head in defeat.

As Mike was showing his gum to the class, Henry sat in the back of the room with a devious smile on his face. Some kids were staring at Henry, and some were staring at Mike and shaking their heads. Henry’s smile said, “You should have answered me.”

Henry the Talking CamelBy Lexi Winegrad

Meet the Coldwell BankerROX REALTY Agents

1919 N. Trekell Rd., Casa Grande520-423-8250Each office is independently owned and operated.Colleen Gunderson, Designated Broker

Donna Anderson

Annalisa Tapia

Bea Lueck

Cynthia Perry

Elaine Canary

Sarah Campbell

Connie Rush

Dennis Callahan

Kay Kerby

Sandy Wascher

Colleen Gunderson

Dawn Zimbelman

Brett Eisele

Cathy Taylor

David Schlagel

Gretchen Slaughter

TJ Lipson

Dave Streicher

Georgia Schaeffer

Sue Pittullo

Keith LaVoo

Robin Armenta

RockEarle

Pam Alvarez

Linda Pixler

Ken Hsu

Sherry Balentine

Joyce South

Jim Beck

A P R I L 2 0 1 4 • 9 5

Meet the Coldwell BankerROX REALTY Agents

1919 N. Trekell Rd., Casa Grande520-423-8250Each office is independently owned and operated.Colleen Gunderson, Designated Broker

Donna Anderson

Annalisa Tapia

Bea Lueck

Cynthia Perry

Elaine Canary

Sarah Campbell

Connie Rush

Dennis Callahan

Kay Kerby

Sandy Wascher

Colleen Gunderson

Dawn Zimbelman

Brett Eisele

Cathy Taylor

David Schlagel

Gretchen Slaughter

TJ Lipson

Dave Streicher

Georgia Schaeffer

Sue Pittullo

Keith LaVoo

Robin Armenta

RockEarle

Pam Alvarez

Linda Pixler

Ken Hsu

Sherry Balentine

Joyce South

Jim Beck


Owning a pet is a great pleasure but it also comes with respon-

sibilities. One of the best things you can do to for your furry friend is visit to the veterinarian for a wellness exam.

A wellness exam is usually scheduled when vaccinations are due and is performed by a veter-inarian. Your pet's vital signs will be checked at the beginning of the exam. Vital signs are the weight, temperature, pulse and respira-tion.

The doctor will do a head to tail inspection of your pet. The doctor will use special equipment during this examination. A stethoscope will be used to listen to the heart and lungs. The veterinarian will be listening for clear lung sounds and a steady heart beat and will also listen for heart murmurs. The doctor will also place one of their fingers on the inside of your dog's hind leg while listening to the heart to check that the pulse in the leg matches the beat of the heart. An otoscope will be used to look inside the pet's ears and then a ophthalmoscope will allow the doctor to examine the eyes. During the exam, the vet will feel the body of your pet checking for bumps and lumps and other skin abnor-malities. You will be asked general health questions and should take this opportunity to discuss health concerns about your pet with the doctor.

You should bring a list of con-cerns with you to the visit. For example, if you notice your pet is drinking more water than before, has lost or gained weight the doc-tor may suggest further diagnostic testing through a blood test and urinalysis to help determine the reason for these changes. Parasite testing is also suggested during the wellness exam. You should bring a fresh sample of your pet's stool with you to the visit for analy-sis. The feces may be tested in the doctor's office or sent to a labora-tory to identify intestinal parasites.

It is important to note that not all parasites are found through a fe-cal sample.

Heartworm disease is deter-mined through a blood test and due to the significant increase of heartworm disease in Pinal County a heartworm test should be per-formed on dogs annually. It is a simple blood test performed in the doctor's office. A sample of blood will be drawn, placed in an analyz-er with results available in 8 to 10 minutes. You will then be offered a form of heartworm prevention. Heartworm prevention is a once a month treatment that is easily per-formed by you, at home. Left un-treated heartworm can be fatal to your dog. Cats may also get heart-worm. Talk to your doctor about having your feline checked.

Other blood work may be sug-gested for your pet to further eval-uate overall health. A complete blood count (CBC) and a chemistry panel will check for anemia, organ disease and infection. The test may also include checking thyroid lev-els, especially as your pet ages. A sample of your pet's urine could also be checked. Urinalysis can test to see if the kidneys are working properly and may diagnose other conditions by looking for bacteria, blood, diabetes, and urinary tract infection. Early detection and treat-ment of diseases such as heart disease and diabetes can greatly improve the well being of your pet.

Dental health is also crucial to your pet's health. Gum disease can lead to other health issues. It is recommended that your pet have a dental cleaning annually. Den-tals are usually performed under anesthesia. The dental cleaning will include scaling of the teeth to remove tartar, polishing, fluoride treatment, gum therapy and ex-tractions, if needed.

Programs for wellness will vary based on the age, health needs and species of your pet. Contact your veterinarian to discuss your pet's health needs. Happy Tails!

With Great Pets Comes Great

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ROX! Magazine April 2014