Apache Junction subdivision basks in solar savings

Two words seemed to be the mantra of residents on a unique street in the East Valley where everyone was drawn together by the sun. "Go green!'' shouted Colleen Hill, high-fiving a woman wearing a T-shirt that read the same, with a small green globe on the front.

Hill wasn't just spouting environmental slogans at an April 25 event centered on Earth sustainability in Apache Junction. She was living it, too.

Hill and her neighbors are the prototypes for greener living, according to officials with the Habitat for Humanity of Central Arizona and Salt River Project, who celebrated on the bright day with 18 families living in homes powered by the sun.

A community of colorful dwellings topped with panels that soak up golden rays in exchange for electricity, neighbors in the Ironwood Trails subdivision were marking the completion of the final of 18 homes built by Habitat for Humanity.

It's a trend that SRP officials said they hoped would spread like wildfire in Arizona.

"We would like to see solar subdivisions all over the state,'' said SRP sustainability engineer Joel K. Dickinson. He noted that such an initiative would require developers investing in the somewhat costly technology.

Dickinson said solar panels for a home similar in size to the smaller Habitat for Humanity homes would on average cost $20,000.

Dickinson said homeowners could expect an annual savings of at least $400 each year.

SRP currently offers incentives for residential solar electric at $9,000, and federal tax incentives for solar-powered homes can be as much as $3,600, among other credits, Dickinson said.

Either way, initial savings take a back seat to helping the environment for most homeowners who install solar panels, Dickinson said. He said that's because the return on investment typically comes after about 15 years from the date of installation.

For the families living in the Habitat for Humanity-funded subdivision, the homes were built largely with their own sweat equity, Hill said.

"I think I had a hand in hammering a nail in every one of these homes,'' she said, surveying the colorful dead-end street that abuts a large, barren swath of land similar to how the street looked before there were any homes or even a street.

Habitat for Humanity officials said the homeowners had to meet income and family requirements, as well as possess jobs and the ability to pay back a 0 percent interest mortgage.

Hill said she moved into her home in 2007 at the start of the program after Habitat for Humanity purchased and built up the once large, empty lot where her home and 17 others now exist.

Hill said the savings she has experienced were immediate.

"I had a $16 bill a couple months ago, and sometimes I receive a monthly credit instead of a bill,'' Hill said, while pointing to a meter that was spinning in the reverse direction, indicating that her home by early afternoon was actually feeding the energy grid and earning her credit.

Neighbor Jose Cobian, who has four children, said his next bill was expected to cost about $20.

"Before, where we used to live, the bill was $250, $300 each month,'' he said.

I hope to see this as the future in all new home construction. Add it into the cost of buying the home ie the loan, and let's start helping our world! Great job SRP and Apache Junction!!!

Valley male teacher accused of molesting students arrested

This morning Deputy U.S. Marshals in Oklahoma captured accused child molester Bobby Kennedy, 29, at a residence in Lawton, OK.

Deputy U.S. Marshals began hunting for Kennedy in March 2006, at the request of the Apache Junction Police Department. The U.S. Marshals and the Apache Junction Police Department Criminal Investigation Division continued to work together developing leads regarding the whereabouts of Kennedy. Recently, Deputy U.S. Marshals from Phoenix developed significant information that Kennedy was residing in Lawton, OK with his wife and small child. This information was relayed to Deputies in Oklahoma who immediately established surveillance on the residence and arrested Kennedy a short time later.

In 2005 an arrest warrant was issued by the Pinal County Superior Court after Kennedy failed to appear for a court hearing. Kennedy, who was employed as a teacher and youth pastor at the Morning Star Academy Charter School, had been arrested by the Apache Junction Police Department after allegations were made that he molested students at the Morning Star Academy. Kennedy was subsequently released on bond and was believed to have fled the Phoenix area shortly thereafter. During the course of the fugitive investigation Deputies were able to determine that Kennedy had fled to southern California before rejoining his wife and child, at which time they moved to Lawton, OK.

United States Marshal David Gonzales praised the work of Deputies and law enforcement officers adding, "The U.S. Marshals, as well as our state and local partners, will continue to use every available resource to hunt down those who prey upon our children."

Investigators from the Apache Junction Police Department are coordinating with the U.S. Marshals regarding additional investigative leads, and will be pursuing additional charges on co-conspirators.

This arrest was a direct result of the investigative efforts between the U.S. Marshals, Apache Junction Police Department, and the Arizona Department of Public Safety.