Ahwatukee Foothills News

In Ahwatukee, generosity continues to create spaces where healing and hope can take root. At their recent giving circle, the members of 100+ Women Who Care Valley of the Sun came together with a shared commitment to support individuals and families navigating one of life’s most difficult challenges. Their Q2 collective giving is supporting Chrysalis, an organization dedicated to helping those affected by domestic abuse move from crisis to safety, stability, and independence.

Backers of comprehensive changes to the state’s system of taxpayer funded vouchers for education submitted more than 400,000 signatures July 2 for their plan, setting the stage for what could be an expensive campaign. The proposal by Protect Education would retool a system that has existed in Arizona since 2011 to allow parents to get vouchers to send their children to private and parochial schools and to fund home schooling.

A Maricopa County Superior Court judge’s ruling in nine school districts’ lawsuit against the East Valley Institute of Technology last week gave each side some wins and some losses, while a related dispute that was never part of the case remains unsolved. That dispute involves whether the districts will allow EVIT to send contracted buses to their campuses and excuse their students who attend courses at its Mesa campuses for half a day five days a week.

With some members acknowledging residents’ concerns, Phoenix City Council last week approved a relatively routine matter for the planned 1-million-square-foot data center in Ahwatukee. Three residents urged the council on July 1 to withhold a vote on the abandonment of a 185-foot drainage easement and a 20-foot waterline easement in the vicinity of 48th Street and East Thistle Landing Drive, where California-based Menlo Equities plans to build a five-building data center.

Ahwatukee’s 10U All Star team finished their dominating run through the District 13 tournament on July 2, soundly defeating Chandler National Little League 13-1 to capture the district championship. The 10U squad finished the tournament undefeated, outscoring their opponents by a combined 68-7 and throwing three combined no-hitters along the way. The 10U jumped out the gate with three runs in the top of the first inning. River Turnock started the game with a double to right field.

A new U.S. Supreme Court ruling allowing states to limit who can participate in girls’ sports could undermine an effort by at least one transgender girl in Arizona to continue to compete. On June 30, the high court rejected arguments by transgender girls from Idaho and West Virginia that laws prohibiting them from competing in girls’ sports violated Title IX which bars discrimination on the basis of sex.

The final bell at Kyrene de las Manitas in Tempe wasn't supposed to be temporary. After closing last month as part of Kyrene's school consolidation plan, the campus was expected to sit empty this fall. Instead, it will reopen July 22  to house hundreds of former Manitas students and their counterparts from neighboring Kyrene de la Mirada in Chandler after a hidden water pipe flooded much of the latter’s building.

This summer, Ahwatukee Little League has fielded four All-Star teams — 10U, 11U, 12U, and a Juniors squad. The Juniors team opened the all-star season first, competing in their District Tournament from June 8–13, while the 10U, 11U, and 12U teams began their tournaments on June 22.

The word from Phoenix officials for residents who want to celebrate Fourth of July is “caution.” Even those who obey state law and don’t use airborne devices could face steep penalties this year if they live within a mile of the South Mountain Preserve. In other words,  people might want to leave the fireworks to the professionals and head to one of the professional shows within an easy drive from Ahwatukee.

As America celebrates its 250th birthday, Ahwatukee residents can kick off their celebrating early in Mountain Park Ranch and look forward to a host of holiday events its neighbors have scheduled throughout the day this Saturday. And it might be a good idea for Ahwatukee residents to look to those neighboring communities for fireworks as Phoenix’s tough new restrictions ban even legal devices in many Ahwatukee neighborhoods.