Chandler's Zach Espalin triumphs on the mat PAGE
Auto expert counts on Willis Mathletes
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From Uptown to Downtown, covering Chandler like the sun.
An edition of the East Valley Tribune
This Week
BY KEVIN REAGAN Arizonan Staff Writer
NEWS ................................ 9 Soaring healthcare costs will bite Kyrene employees
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Chandler CBD store aims to take away pain.
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February 23, 2020
$994M Chandler plan stresses transit
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Chandler thespians headline 'Newsies'
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OPINION................................26 SPORTS...................................28 GET OUT.................................31 CLASSIFIEDS..........................34
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handler’s latest transportation master plan encourages city planners to place more of an emphasis on modes of transport that go beyond private automobiles. More than $192-million worth of improvements are recommended in Chandler’s updated plan to make the city more accommodating for residents relying on public transit to get around the city. Over the next 20 years, the master plan suggests revising bus routes, building tran-
sit centers, and exploring the possibility of large-scale ventures like constructing a light rail route. Chandler last revised its master plan back in 2010, when the city’s population had about 26,000 fewer residents. The total cost of all the road, transit, and technology recommendations in the plan is valued at $994 million. Available funding will determine whether any of these recommendations are ever executed. The continual growth and urbanization of the city has changed how Chandler envisions transit in the near future, said Jason
Chandler ministry wipes out school-lunch debt
Crampton, the city’s transportation planning supervisor. The rate of Chandler residents who are willing to utilize public transit has grown from 2 to 18 percent since the master plan was last updated. More residents imagine themselves utilizing multiple modes of transportation, Crampton said, so Chandler needs to plan for a city where residents don’t exclusively depend on private vehicles to move around. “We can’t continue to rely on having 98
see TRANSPORTATION page 3
A special dollmaker
BY KEVIN REAGAN Arizonan Staff Writer
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Chandler youth ministry is trying to ensure every student has access to food by paying off outstanding lunch debts at local schools. Angel Army, a ministry focused on music education, recently donated enough funds to three Chandler Unified schools that would pay for up to 1,100 meals. William Gates, Angel Army’s treasurer, said his organization’s been making cash donations to Hancock Elementary, Willis Junior High, and Andersen Junior High over the last couple months and hopes to make more contributions to other schools in the future. The ministry wanted to address this issue locally, Gates said, after hearing national news reports about children being shamed for not having money to pay for lunch. “We’re here to help the kids in the aspect of
see LUNCH page 6
Rachel Leland of Chandler makes dolls with disabilities and sees the market for her unique product expanding as a result of people with such special needs seeing the dolls as one way to reduce their under-representation in popular culture. (Chris Mortenson/Staff Photographer) More on page 10