Arizona Republic from Phoenix, Arizona • Page 42

The Arizona Republic B4 THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2003 Downtown East Phoenix North-Central South Phoenix New River Maryvale Sunnyslope Moon Valley Deer Mey Metrocenter skate park reopens Hospital bars young visitors Stacy Sullivan, Phoenix editor 602.444.NEWS (6397) stacy.sullivanarizonarepublic.com mm Emmanuel LozanoThe Arizona Republic Andy Leeland, 23, tests the new ramps at Phoenix Skate Park at Metrocenter. The revamped facility opens Friday. food, child and music entertainment, and car seat and gift basket raffles. Health information for mothers and children will also be given out. Information: (623) 848-5323 or www.maryvalehospital.com.

Woman, 46, is struck, killed crossing street EAST PHOENIX A 46-year-old woman was struck and killed Tuesday night as she crossed a major street, police said. Laura Williams was not in a crosswalk when she walked into the road near Van Buren and 36th streets. Williams was taken to Maricopa Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead after the 7 p.m. incident. Collision kills 1 man, seriously hurts another NORTHWEST PHOENIX One man died and another suffered serious injuries Tues Skilled teens will cruise the floor, monitoring behavior and helping kids with their stunts.

Sunday mornings are reserved for skaters 12 and younger. One of the big changes is more time for BMX riders. City skate parks ban bike riders. The bikes are heavier than skate boards and move faster, so there's added potential for accidents. Leeland said he and other BMX riders have had nowhere to go to practice.

"We have nothing to go to," he said. "That puts us out on the street. They give us a parking lot and curb." At the revamped skate park, BMX riders will have the floor for four hours on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday evenings. Holcomb said he wants to make the park more than an indoor playground. Head-on collision leaves pair of taxi drivers dead PHOENIX Two taxi drivers died Wednesday evening in a head-on collision in south Phoenix, police said.

The drivers were not carrying passengers when they slammed into each other on University Drive near 46th Street about 7:30 p.m. One of the drivers crossed a double-yellow line, causing the wreck, Phoenix police Lt. Kirk Fitch said. Fitch said the drivers were men, but names and ages were not available. He said one of the men worked for the AAA Cab company and the other worked for Yellow Cab.

Man ejected from car, killed during accident PHOENIX A man was ejected from his car and killed Wednesday during a fiery rollover crash on a ramp between Interstates 10 and 17, authorities said. The man, whose name and age were not released, may have been speeding when his car struck a wall, rolled over and burst into flames, Arizona Department of Public Safety Sgt. Bob Ticer said. PV college president renamed to interim job NORTHEAST PHOENIX The Maricopa Community Colleges governing board reappointed Paul Dale as interim president of Paradise Valley Community College until June. Chancellor Rufus Glasper made the recommendation to the governing board Tuesday night.

Dale has been an administrator at the school since 1997. He was dean of learning support when he was named interim president in August when President Gina Kranitz became sick. She died in October. Maryvale Hospital is hosting baby shower MARYVALE Maryvale Hospital and Medical Center is sponsoring a community baby shower for moms-to-be on Saturday. The event, part of the hospital's family assistance program, will begin at 10 a.m.

in the center's parking lot, 4550 N. 51st Ave. It will include By Shaun McKinnon The Arizona Republic CENTRAL PHOENIX Citing concerns about influenza and other respiratory viruses, Phoenix Children's Hospital has begun barring children age 11 and under from visiting patient rooms and wards. The rules apply to the hospital's main campus on East Thomas Road and the unit it operates at Banner Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center. The restrictions are expected to continue into the spring.

"Even simple colds can be life-threatening for hospitalized children who may have other serious health problems," said Scott Ostdiek, medical director of the hospital's Infection Control Department. "Young children are not as careful with hand-washing and other measures that help prevent the spread of infections." With the new rules in place, visitors to Phoenix Children's must be at least 12 years old and must be free of any respiratory symptoms. The rules apply to patient rooms and all patient-care areas. The hospital's biobehavio-ral unit and emergency department are excluded from the restrictions, but hospital officials say parents should keep healthy children of any age away from treatment waiting areas like emergency rooms. Hospital officials have noted an early onset of influenza and anticipate increased cases of respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV.

That virus is the leading cause of lower-respiratory tract disease in young children and the leading cause of death in low-birth-weight babies. RSV cases are most often seen between December and February in Phoenix, hospital officials said. Symptoms include a low fever, coughing, labored breathing, wheezing and nasal congestion. Reach the reporter at shaun. mckinnonarizonarepublic.com or (602) 444-8632.

He plans to have four movie screens, so skaters and riders can do a stunt and then watch a replay on the big screen. He also plans to have video-editing machines so kids and teens can make movies of themselves doing stunts. Skating and movie contests, plus clinics for new skaters and riders are all in the plans, Holcomb said. The park is open during mall hours, generally opening at 9 a.m. It closes at 10 p.m.

Monday through Thursday, at midnight on Friday and at 11 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Sessions are two hours long and cost $13 each. Everyone younger than 18 must wear a helmet and pads, and parents must sign a waiver. The skate park is at 9617 Metro Parkway West, Suite 2129.

quired. (602) 495-0222. A three-hour petroglyph hike will be led by members of the Pueblo Grande Museum starting at 7:45 a.m. Sunday at the White Tank Mountains Park. The educational hike will take hikers back to the time of the Hohokam Indians, interpreting the symbolic carvings they left behind in the park.

Hike difficulty: Moderate. Cost: Free for museum members, $5 for non-members. Registration required. (602) 495-0901. By Sarah Anchors The Arizona Republic Pro-BMX bike rider Andy Leeland asked many times to have "spines" installed at the skate park near Metrocenter mall.

He's getting his wish with Friday's 7 a.m. reopening of the skate park under new ownership. Kent Holcomb, president of Phoenix Skate Park, said he wants to mold the indoor skate park to suit skaters and riders. Vans, a shoe company that previously owned the park, had closed the facility in August. Holcomb's company took over about a month ago.

The change gave Leeland, a college student living in Phoenix, the opportunity to build one of his coveted spines. Bike riders zoom up one side of the sloped spine, balance on the middle or flip in the air, and then ride down the other side. There are other changes, too. Holcomb and his crew tightened loose screws, added new challenges and repainted the place to look urban, with black and gray walls. There's an area for new boarders and younger kids, with gradual inclines and plenty of observation space for watchful parents.

There's a medium-skills area and an extreme area, which has steep slopes. The park still has the bowl, a rounded depression in the floor, and the vert, a 12-foot-tall, U-shaped challenge popular with the old-school riders, Holcomb said. The other changes are in administration. Take a hike, By Robert Varela The Arizona Republic What better way to burn off the holiday meal and spend quality time with the kids than with a scenic hike? Phoenix's Parks and Recreation Department has posted special hiking events through the holiday weekend to give residents an opportunity to keep fit and enjoy history and nature at the same time. Whether you're taking part in guided hikes or heading out on your own, bring plenty of 1 work off holiday meal day afternoon in a collision near the Loop 101 Freeway and 23rd Avenue, police said.

William Deneke, 36, was killed when he reportedly ran a red light and slammed into Mark A. Binder, 29. Neither man was wearing a seat belt and both were ejected from their vehicles, authorities said. Binder was taken to John C. Lincoln Hospital-North Mountain, where he remained in fair condition Wednesday.

Man given 3-year term for pipe bomb incident PHOENIX A 31-year-old man was sentenced to more than three years in prison for setting off a pipe bomb in a residential area to scare his ex-girlfriend. Federal prosecutors said Brian Nicholas admitted detonating the device in the early-morning hours of April 22, his former girlfriend's birthday, because he was upset with her. The woman had previously obtained a protective order against Nicholas. The bomb left a crater in the driveway of a home on East Campbell Drive, damaged nearby vehicles and sent shrapnel into the bedroom of a teenage neighbor who was sleeping at the time. There were no injuries.

Nicholas pleaded guilty in August. water, wear appropriate footwear and light-colored, comfortable clothing with sunblock or a hat. Don't hike alone, and do let someone know your intended trail. The South Mountain Trail Treks offer a series of hikes Saturday along the Desert Classic trail leading up to the National Trail Trek. The nine-mile hike kicks off at 7 a.m.

at 9002 S. 48th Street. Hike Difficulty: Moderate to difficult. Cost: $5. Registration re Hi CD TODAY IN PHOENIX WHO'S MEETING Arizona International Auto Show.

KEY ISSUE See hundreds of 2004 model cars, trucks, minivans and SUVs, plus concept cars. Cost is $9 for adults, $5 for seniors and $4 for children ages 7 to 12. WHENWHERE 10 a.m.-7 p.m., Phoenix Civic Plaza at 225 E. Adams St. (602) 262-6225.

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