Arizona Republic from Phoenix, Arizona • Page 17

VALLEY STATE The Arizona Republic TUESDAY, MAY 21, 2002 B3 AROUND THE VALLEY THINGS TO DO Today Pass gives kids a way to travel area cheaply Valley Metro Summer Youth irv ner. All volunteers received certificates of appreciation for their service, but six volunteers who gave 100 hours or more this year were singled out. They were: Gerry Bien-lein, Phoenix; Andy Owens, Glendale; Andy Pitcl, Phoenix; Earl Rae, Glendale; Shelley Rasmussen, Wickenburg; and Jim Threinen, Phoenix. The Deer Valley Rock Art Center is owned and operated by Arizona State University. Information: (623) 582-8007.

ASU student receives award for achievement TEMPE Tara Z. Mullins, a graduate student in the Her-berger College of Fine Arts Department of Dance, was recently awarded the 2002 ASU Faculty Women's Association Distinguished Achievement Award. The award is presented each year to one female doctoral student and two female master's students who distinguish themselves through exceptional scholarship, research and creative activities and through leadership and service. Mullins works with Dance Arizona Repertory Theatre, as well as conducting research examining the relationship between consistency in after-school programs and the development of trust at the Thomas J. Pappas school for the homeless.

Car owners can learn tips to prevent theft PHOENIX Valley car owners can learn how to protect their cars at Auto Theft Prevention Day on Saturday from 9 to 11 a.m. at Metrocenter. The prevention event will feature ways to protect cars from theft. VIN etching, where vehicle identification numbers are carved onto a car's windows, and decals that alert police what hours a car is not usually driven will be free. Future Auto Theft Prevention Days are planned for July 27, Sept.

21 and Nov. 16. School expansion plan is topic in Chandler CHANDLER The Chandler Unified School District will hold a meeting today at 6:30 p.m. at Chandler High School to further discuss plans to expand the downtown school. Officials met with residents California and Nebraska streets last week to explain plans to condemn 20 acres west of the downtown school as part of a $66.2 million November bond proposal.

Today it will answer questions submitted by neighborhood activist Danilo Montufar on behalf of various Spanish-speaking neighbors. Program will present outdoor survival tips LAKE PLEASANT Learn what to do if you become lost in the desert and how to prepare for outdoor trips at a Survival in the Desert program at the Lake Pleasant Operations Center, 41835 N. Castle Hot Springs Road, Morristown. Ranger Terry Gerber will give pointers, show a video and answer questions at this free event that starts at noon on Wednesday. Registration is limited; call (928) 501-0111.

Scottsdale residents to pay more for water SCOTTSDALE Residents soon will pay more for their water, but the city may offer a break to people whose homes sit empty for more than half the year. City Council members voted, 4-0, Monday night to raise water rates by 5 percent, with the higher fees appearing on bills in November. Waste water rates will rise by 1.5 percent, with the increase begin- Michael GingThe Arizona Republic It was a little fun bad fun Police keep Jake Evans Robinson in custody while he is making up his mind about the events of Monday morning when a stolen truck was taken on a 75-minute chase through Glendale, Peoria and Phoenix. The pursuit ended about 9:10 a.m. when Robinson bailed out of the truck in the Sunnyslope area of north Phoenix, police said.

"I can't lie," Robinson, 20, later told reporters in a jailhouse interview. "There were times it was a little fun. It was kind of fun. But it wasn't really fun. It was bad fun." Robinson, a house framer, was booked on charges of auto theft, criminal damage and felony flight.

Go to newsmultimedia.azcentral.com to view a video of the chase. postpone until June 3 a new code that will allow residents to seek a disconnect if they will be away for at least six months. About 613 of the city's 79,321 water accounts could qualify for the temporary cut-off, city officials said. Compiled from staff reports. ning in July.

Average homeowners should see a rise of about $1.85 on their water bills and 27 cents on the typical sewer utility bill. Council members also may break a longstanding policy to charge base water fees to seasonal customers. They voted to Passports are on sale at selected outlets. The $46 discounted bus pass can be used by anyone 18 and younger from June 1 to Aug. 31 for unlimited rides on all Valley metro local bus routes.

Sales outlets for the passes include Scottsdale libraries; Phoenix libraries; APS Chandler, 55 N. Arizona Place, No. 105; APS Glendale, 5723 W. Glendale Mesa Municipal Building, 55 N. Center; Desert Sky Mall, .7600 W.

Thomas Road; and Gilbert Municipal Center, 1025 S. Gilbert Road. Information: (602) 253-5000 or for callers with TTY, (602) 261-8208, or www.valleymetro.org. Team wins 1st place in Papago Trail design PHOENIX The team of Portals and Loop, Ways Along the Papago Trail has been awarded first place in the Papago Trails Design Competition. The winning team is one of four finalists chosen from 46 submissions to develop a comprehensive plan of improvements for the 11-mile Papago Trail network, which links cultural, natural, historic and recreational attractions generally along the banks of the Arizona, Grand and Crosscut canals.

The Portals team's concept includes cooling towers that incorporated resting spots and interpretive exhibits. Competition designs can be seen through May 30 on the second-floor lobby of the Tem-pe Public Library, 3500 S. Rural Road. Volunteers get honors from Rock Art Center PHOENIX The Deer Valley Rock Art Center honored its volunteers recently at the annual volunteer recognition din Trix' bomb tore apart lives at business By Charles Kelly The Arizona Republic The weather was warm, but Halloween was nearing on Oct. 24, 1980, so no one was terribly surprised when a package marked "Trix or Treat" arrived at Pacific Associates an accounting business at 2810 W.

Camel-back Road in Phoenix. The package was addressed to Jason K. Himel-stein, whose bookkeeping had been handled by the firm until the previous January. Secretary Starlene Grimes, 26, worked weekends for him at a business called Advertising Tapes Limited. She called Himel-stein, and he asked her to open the package as he stayed on the phone.

She did, with bookkeeper Kathleen Corbett, 40, and office worker Deborah Barkley, 28, looking on. Suddenly, an ear-cracking blast shook the room. A bomb containing nails and tacks had exploded. Nine people were hurt, four seriously. Corbett, her carotid artery severed, bled to death.

Bark-ley lost an eye and underwent 42 surgeries before she died 12 years later. Grimes lost most of her left hand and parts of all the fingers on her right hand. Greg Riggle, 31, was less seriously injured. Investigators developed several theories. One was that the bomber had been upset by one of the women victims.

Another was that the bomb was meant for Himel-stein, sent by a business rival. Phoenix police homicide Detective Gus Oviedo, now retired and living in Califor- i Mom remains hopeful daughter will be found Arizona Diamondbacks vs. San Francisco Giants: 6:35 p.m., Bank One Ballpark, 401 E. Jefferson Phoenix. (602) 514-8400.

Dining Out for Life: Restaurants donate 25 to 100 percent of their receipts for meals purchased today to AIDS Project Arizona. Call for participating restaurants. (602) 253-2437. May Museum Month: A total of 44 museums are participating in the 2-for-l admission or mementos. Pick up the passports at Valley Robinsons-May stores at Fiesta Mall, Paradise Valley Mall, Scottsdale Fashion Square, Arrowhead Towne Center, SuperstitionSprings Center and Metrocenter.

Through May 31. www.azcama.com. (602) 251-0209, Ext. 6414. Down: Members of Pantera, Corrosion of Conformity and Crowbar perform.

8 p.m., Cajun House, 7117 E. Third Scottsdale. $20. (480) 945-5150 or Ticketmaster, (480) 784-4444. The Kitabu Reading Loom: A Literary Tapestry of the African Diaspora: The group will discuss Colored People: A Memoir by Henry Louis Gates Jr.

7 p.m., Glendale Public Library, 5959 W. Brown St. Free. (623) 930-3565. Wednesday Firefighter talk: The Valley of the Sun Kiwanis Club hosts Phoenix Firefighter Rich Bauer on drownings and Sept.

11. p.m., Crowne Plaza, 100 N. First Phoenix. $13, includes buffet lunch. (602) 370-8190 or (480) 461-3876.

Arizona Diamondbacks vs. San Francisco Giants: 6:35 p.m., Bank One Ballpark, 401 E. Jefferson Phoenix. (602) 514-8400. Sophisticated Ladies-.

Revue based on songs by Duke Ellington. 8 p.m. today through Saturday, 2 and 7 p.m. Sunday, through June 2. Phoenix Theatre, 100 E.

McDowell Road. (602) 254-2151. Free fences offered for pool safety By Michelle Fitzhugh-Craig The Arizona Republic One pool fence will be given away weekly from Memorial Day to Labor Day as part of the latest campaign by Phoenix firefighters to reduce child drownings. The fences are being donated by Leslie's Swimming Pool Supplies. The giveaway is part of the "Help Us Protect Them" Valley-wide campaign created by the United Phoenix Firefighters Association and the Phoenix Fire Department.

"If you look at what we're seeing, they're preventable Phoenix Assistant Fire Chief Bob Khan said of the drownings. In 2001, 27 children drowned in Maricopa County, he said. Since Jan. 1, there have been 46 water-related incidents in Maricopa County. Of the 15 which resulted in death, six were children.

The United Phoenix Firefighters Association consists of firefighters from Phoenix, Tempe, Chandler, Glendale and Peoria. Mesa and Scottsdale aren't part of the group, but Khan said they have voiced support and will work with the other departments to correct a growing problem. Khan said despite the different water safety campaigns the common goal is to change the attitudes of parents, day care providers and anyone related to or who comes in contact with a child. Free pool fences Leslie's Pool and Supplies will contribute one pool fence a week this summer to qualifying families as part of the United Phoenix Firefighters Association's "Help Us Protect Them" water-safety campaign. How to request one for your family: Submit a brief statement of why the fence is needed to saveourkidsphxfirefighters or to Pool Fence, 61 E.

Columbus Phoenix, AZ 85012. Families with at least one child younger than 6 who live in owner-occupied homes will receive priority, but all requests will be considered. Ti Hi 9 The late Deborah Barkley, with in the "Trix" bombing. Richard Mark WatersThe Arizona Republic nia, said the case was frustrating. "We never really dismissed anything as a theory," Oviedo said recently.

But Maricopa County Superior Court records say postal inspectors developed a Gler dale Ave. Jr -1 Jp 2 PHOENIX oj I I Bett any Home Rd. map ir--- are. Grand Canyon 1 U(nyersj Camelbacljj Rd, yj WJndianSch ol jjd. Mil By Judi Villa The Arizona Republic Olivia Castenada looks at the faces of the babies she sees, hoping that someday it will be her daughter's face staring back at her.

But it has been a year since Jacqueline Vasquez, then 3 months old, was kidnapped from an Avondale swap meet, and Castenada isn't sure what she would look like now. "I have faith," Castenada says. "I know one day I'll have her back. I just don't know when." On May 6, 2001, Castenada set Jacqueline down in a carrier outside a portable toilet while she helped an older daughter go to the bathroom. There wasn't room inside for three.

When she came out, Jacqueline was gone. Avondale police arrived within minutes and closed off the area. They spent hours searching the vicinity, looking in cars and conducting interviews. A task force of state, local and federal agencies spent months searching for the infant with a heart-shaped birthmark on her upper right arm. But tips dried up, and the task force disbanded last June.

Avondale police Lt. Gordon French said the newest lead came April 19 when a caller pointed detectives to a baby in Glendale. It wasn't Jacqueline. Still, detectives remain hopeful, buoyed partly because "there is nothing to indicate she is deceased," French said. Castenada said she is working with the Nation's Missing Children Organization in Phoenix and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in Virginia to get an age progression done for Jacqueline.

She believes her daughter was taken by a family who couldn't have children and desperately wanted one and that Jacqueline likely isn't in Arizona. "I know she's alive," Castenada said. "Nothing can happen to her. I don't want to think that way." Castenada fears the public will forget Jacqueline. Jacqueline's sister, Nayeli, 3, still asks for her.

"She'll be here later," Castenada tells her. It is Nayeli who keeps Cas- Arizona Republic file photo husband, Richard, was hurt Barkley was not a suspect. strong suspect, a man, now 55 and living out of state, who had been married to one of the victims. He was imprisoned for months for refusing to give writing samples to investigators. After he stabbed a roommate in 1986, the man was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and confined to the Arizona State Hospital for several years.

Prosecutors decided the bombing case against him was not strong enough to take to trial. "I'm frustrated, and, yes, I'd like to see the guy get charged and go to prison for 100 years," Himelstein said recently. "He ruined a lot of lives." If you have information that would help solve this case, call Phoenix Police Silent Witness at (602) 262-7667 or the U.S. Postal Inspection Service at (602) 223-3660. Family photo Jacqueline Vasquez was taken from an Avondale swap meet last May, when she was 3 months old.

Mark WatersThe Arizona Republic tenada going on the days she is so depressed she doesn't want to live anymore. She misses the little things: feeding and changing Jacqueline, carrying her, kissing her, seeing her every day. And she holds tight to the dream of Jacqueline coming home. "I would be so happy when that day got here," she says. "I think it would be the happiest day of my life.

I would hold her and never let her go." Tips: Call Avondale police at (623) 932-3660. azjcentralcom More about unsolved Arizona mysteries at newsmultimedla McDowell! yJ' Jr Rd- fiUNiv.u Le ver Buckeye AVON0AUE About this series Each day through Friday, The Arizona Republic is publishing accounts of two of the state's 12 biggest unsolved mysteries. The stories are being reported with the hope they will stir up new information to help investigators. Sunday: Horror in north Phoenix; and the lawyer on the run. Monday: Three runaway boys; and the body in the canal.

Today: "Trix or Treat" bombing; and the baby who disappeared. Wednesday: Death of and the boy in plain sight. Thursday: Murder in a cheese shop; and the drowned heiress. Friday: Death and derailment; and the girl on the bicycle. Other unsolved mysteries in Arizona at speclal.azcentral.com..