Compared to 2018, the past 12 months have been pretty quiet in Fountain Hills. That’s not to say that the community didn’t make headlines, but the major stories were fewer and further between. Of course, 2018 played host to three elections, devastating weather and was peppered by an unusually high number of local tragedies, so few will likely complain about a more laid back 2019.

But even in a quieter year, Fountain Hills still had a handful of “big” stories, some of which went on to make national news. Following is a rundown of the 10 biggest stories from 2019. You can read more details about most of these items in additional reporting across this and the Jan. 1 edition of The Times.

Shooting

Fountain Hills earned an unfortunate accolade early in 2019, becoming the site of the first officer-involved shooting of the year in Arizona.

Just one week into the year, on Jan. 7, resident Ismail Hamed was shot and suffered non-life-threatening injuries outside of Town Hall. After making several calls to MCSO, Hamed allegedly threw rocks at an officer and then threatened him with a knife, resulting in the shooting.

During those phone calls, Hamed reportedly made statements referring to turmoil in the Middle East that elevated the situation to be considered an act of terrorism, forcing the FBI to enter the investigation.

Let it snow

You don’t see snow too often in the Valley so, when inches of fresh powder dumped on Fountain Hills on Feb. 21, there was cause for celebration.

Much of that celebration took place in surrounding areas like Adero Canyon, where as much as a foot of snow blanketed the ground, making it the perfect site to build a snowman or take part in a snowball fight.

The event was so uncommon that The Times dedicated an entire double truck to photos, which went on to win an award from the Arizona Newspaper Association.

Sentencing

A 2018 tragedy was concluded this past July with the sentencing of Alex Bashaw.

About a year prior, Bashaw struck and killed four out-of-town visitors who had been strolling around Fountain Park.

This past summer, Bashaw pleaded guilty and was sentenced to six years in prison for four counts of negligent homicide, which are currently being served concurrently.

Construction

While not a lot of brick and mortar went up in 2019, various developments and projects dominated the headlines throughout the year.

As far as residential development goes, the two big items causing buzz are the Keystone and Daybreak projects. Keystone is currently well on its way toward construction beginning on the lot behind the Bashas’ shopping center whereas the controversial Daybreak project was approved by the council but, following petitioning from citizens, will be up for a vote this coming May.

A local hospital was approved in June, with the Fountain Hills Medical Center at Trevino Drive expected to be under construction in 2020 if sailing remains smooth.

The first of two new restrooms in Fountain Park was opened on Dec. 18, with the second expected to open about a month later.

In neighboring Fort McDowell, work progressed throughout all of 2019 on a new casino, which is expected to open sometime in the next year.

Finally, the ball got rolling on a possible Dark Sky Discovery Center, an observatory and planetarium planned to be built adjacent to the local library.

Election

While the elections never seemed to stop in 2018, only a vote on the Sanitary District Board of Directors made it to the polls in 2019.

The usually quiet process was more hotly contested this round, with challenger Bob Shelstrom hoping to take a seat away from incumbents Bob Thomson, Jerry Butler or Michael Maroon.

The incumbents proved victorious.

Chamber CEO

In April, the Fountain Hills Chamber of Commerce announced that former CEO, Scott Soldat-Valenzuela, had resigned and would be moving to Colorado to fill a similar role in Fort Collins.

Following a summer search for his replacement, it was announced in late August that James O’Callaghan from Lakewood, Calif., would be stepping in to take over.

That proved to be a false start, and the Chamber subsequently announced local businesswoman, Betsy LaVoie, would be stepping in as executive director. LaVoie’s tenure began in late September.

The year ended on a somber note for the Chamber, with the passing of long-time employee and former Mayor, Sharon Morgan.

Sales tax

With a town property tax failing election in 2018, the Town Council opted to implement a sales tax to try to keep up with the ever-growing needs of maintaining the community.

The tax passed by a vote of 5-2 in August and went into effect on Nov. 1. The approved change adds .3-percent to the local sales tax, or about 30 cents for every $100 in purchases.

Streets

There was quite a bit of moving and shaking on Fountain Hills streets this year, with the most noticeable projects being the widening of Fountain Hills Blvd. and work along Palisades Blvd. SRP to address water line breaks.

Also of note were several safety enhancements, spurred on by a number of pedestrian injuries and fatalities from the year prior.

New street markings have been implemented, as well as rumble strips and solar-powered, lighted stop signs at key intersections.

No pedestrian deaths were recorded in Fountain Hills throughout 2019.

Detained

Fountain Hills made national news when local businesswoman, Sue Jiang, was detained in China this past August.

Additional outlets picked up on the story following reporting from The Times, though no update has followed the initial report.

Jiang was traveling with her 24-year-old son on Aug. 29 when she was escorted off of a plane in Shanghai.

Jiang was traveling on her U.S. passport at the time. It was later revealed that she had been taken to the Shanghai Detention Center, which houses domestic criminals and foreigners suspected of infractions.

Two weeks after that initial incident, it was revealed Jiang is being heled for a “crime of provocation.” Local friends and family have reached out to state and national officials for support, though no update has been provided.

30/50

The year ended with one big anniversary for Fountain Hills, and another will follow at the end of 2020.

On Tuesday, Dec. 3, the Town Council declared Dec. 5 of 2019 through Dec. 15, 2020 a year of celebration for the community.

The 2019 date is the 30th anniversary of the election in which Fountain Hills was incorporated, while the 2020 date is the 50th anniversary of the date the iconic Fountain was turned on for the first time.

Through this next year, expect the history and celebration of Fountain Hills to become a highlight at local events as the community looks back on the past several decades and plans ahead for the future.