Hired Killer and Genuinely Nice Guy
By K. Richard Douglas

Murder For Hire, written by NE Mesa's very own Jack Ballentine.

How can you call a person who has played the role of mafia hit man, outlaw biker, soldier of fortune and drug culture insider just a regular guy? If that person is Jack Ballentine; it’s easy.

Ballentine is the author of the much-acclaimed new book; Murder for Hire: My Life As the Country’s Most Successful Undercover Agent. For seventeen years, he worked undercover for the Phoenix Police Department, presenting himself as a hit man for hire. At 6’5” and 285 pounds, and bench-pressing over four hundred pounds, he looked the part of a person you don’t mess with.

The real Jack Ballentine is anything but this scary character. Ballentine always had the ability to leave his work ‘at the office.’ Even though the office was often seedy bars, strip clubs or drug dens, he managed to walk the narrow line between his normal life and his contrived life. He maintained the trappings of his alter-ego superficially only. After all, in his work life he was contracted by evil and desperate people to murder someone they knew. In his normal life, he was a dad and a husband and a respected police detective.

Jack Ballentine saw, heard and experienced things that most people can only read about in a suspense novel. He spoke the language of those convicted to prison, knew the details of mobster life and spent days and months with junkies and street hustlers. He was the go-to man if a disgruntled business partner or estranged spouse wanted their significant other eliminated.

During his years working undercover for Phoenix PD, he was so successful at building a case against those who would hire him that he was able to help prosecutors get twenty-four convictions with strong cases and good detective work. After successful court cases, local valley TV stations often interviewed him on camera, but always in silhouette.

Three times the winner of the Officer of the Year Award and once the recipient of the International Investigator of the Year, Ballentine has a credential list that would make any law enforcement officer proud. October 28, 2007 was declared Detective Jack Ballentine Day by proclamation of former Governor Janet Napolitano.

Today, Jack Ballentine is the Director of the Phoenix Fire Department’s Fire Investigations Division. He has brought his extensive investigative experience to the important work of the fire department.

A conversation with him reveals what the driving force in his life is the same today as it was twenty-five years ago. It remains the same; he always loved his work and he always sought to maintain the public’s trust.

For a guy who is very humble about his writing skills, his new book has been warmly received by eager readers from coast to coast. His life now includes book signings and interviews for national press organizations and TV shows.

In addition, several Hollywood studios are bidding on the rights to make a movie or TV series based on his story. Whether the details find their way to the big screen or small, audiences are bound to be intrigued by the multiple personalities the former detective had to assume to create the persona of his many characters.

The NE Mesa resident and former Mountain View High alumnus is sure to be a household name someday. Even though his story is the kind of drama that makes Hollywood salivate, Ballentine takes it all in stride and still focuses on family, community and the work he loves.

Murder for Hire can be found at Barnes and Noble, Borders, Amazon and other fine book sellers and can be discussed on its own Facebook page.

Mountain View Student Wins Travel Photo Contest

Holly Vins' award-winning photo

Holly Vins, a recent graduate of Mountain View High School, is the winner of Explorica Educational Travel’s spring Student Photo Contest.

Vins was awarded the grand prize, a $300 gift card to Amazon.com, for her adventurous landscape shot atop a cliff at Machu Picchu in Peru.

“It feels pretty great to win,” Vins said. “I try to take artistic shots – usually of groups or landscapes. With this one, I looked for an interesting scene and was able to get a good picture. “

Vins, who has traveled on two Explorica tours, said Machu Picchu was her favorite destination.

“I love the history of it; it’s survived so many things.” She said the amazing view from above the ruins was where she snapped the contest’s winning photo.

The contest, which was open to students who traveled with Explorica in April and May, allowed them to share their pictures on Flickr.com, a popular photo sharing site. The rules required photos to showcase the experience of travel and the culture of their destinations. Contest winners can be viewed on Explorica’s website, www.explorica.com.

“Our educational tours provide great opportunities for students to learn through experience,” said Olle Olsson, president and CEO of Explorica. “This contest allowed us to reward them for capturing authentic moments in a candid way. From the entries we received, we can tell they are learning and having fun at the same time.”

Explorica launched a second photo contest for tour groups departing this summer. With destinations ranging from France to Costa Rica, the contest is likely to generate a variety of worthy submissions.

Vins will take her travel experience with her in the fall when she begins studying global health at ASU. “I’d love to do something that involves travel and helping people,” she added.

Founded in 2000, Explorica Educational Travel creates educational tours that connect students to new cultures, languages and people.

Outlook Vision Services Offers Free Benefits to Employers
By Lynette Carrington

With the cost of health insurance skyrocketing and employee benefits being trimmed, one locally-based company is reaching out to employers (and individuals) who need solutions to supplement their primary health care. Outlook Vision Services has been in Mesa for over twenty years, providing a health care plan which offers discounts on vision care, prescriptions drugs and hearing aids.

The unique program provides discounts on eye care, glasses and contacts at vision centers such as Lenscrafters, Eyemasters, Nationwide and Walmart Vision Centers. Discounts on prescription drugs are available at locations such as Walgreens, CVS and most other major drugstores. “With over 11,000 optical centers, over 55,000 retail pharmacies and over 8,500 hearing aid locations, we are one of the largest vision/Rx drug and hearing care programs in the country,” explained Ron Johnson, Owner of Outlook Vision Services. Currently, Outlook Vision Services is offering this program at absolutely no cost to the employer or employee. (Normally, this value-added coverage runs $29.00 per family, per year.)

Ron Johnson was raised in Mesa, graduated from Westwood High School and attended Mesa Community College and ASU. Johnson likes that he can have a company that offers a service of such value, especially at a time when it is needed most. “Mesa’s been good to me,” he noted, “I asked myself, ‘How can I give something back to these businesses in Mesa?” The answer for over two decades has been Outlook Vision Services. If you are interested in employer or individual (non-employer) coverage at a discounted rate, visit www.outlookvision.com or call 480-461-9001.

7 Things You Should Know About Bankruptcy
By H. Lee Dove

1. Not everyone who has financial problems needs to file bankruptcy.
2. You do not lose all of your property when you file for bankruptcy.
3. State and federal law known as exemptions (available in many states) protect many assets of debtors (or the equity debtors have in certain assets).
4. The exemptions available to you depend on your state of domicile, not simply the state you happen to be in when you file.
5. Depending on your financial circumstances, you will need to determine whether Chapter 7 (liquidation) or Chapter 13 (payoff) will offer you the most protection.
6. Most of the following types of debts can be discharged:
• Credit cards
• Medical and legal bills
• Court judgments
7. Not all debts are discharged in bankruptcy. The following debts are not discharged:
• Certain tax obligations
• Alimony (spousal maintenance)
• Child support and other marital obligations. However, property settlement debts may be discharged in a Chapter 13 filing.
• Debts arising from willful or malicious acts, or for personal injuries or death caused by drunk driving
• Student loans
• Debts for fraud
• Debts not properly listed in your bankruptcy documents

H. Lee Dove is an attorney with Evans, Dove & Nelson, PLC. To learn more about bankruptcy or other legal matters, call 480-926-8200.