Glendale’s Community Newspaper
Vol. 76 No. 14
INSIDE
This Week THE VOICE OF BUSINESS
NEWS............ 10 Candidates struggle to get signatures
www.glendalestar.com
April 2, 2020
Schools online for rest of year BY TOM SCANLON
Glendale Star Managing Editor
The saying “leave no child behind” may have to change to “leave no child offline.” School is out—but in, online. Gov. Doug Ducey announced March 30 the extension of school closures through the end of the school year. Now, districts like Peoria Unified School District must refine plans to continue teaching, in line with Ducey’s orders. For the likes of Linda Palles Thompson, superintendent of Peoria Unified School District for the last three years, “This is quite extraordinary.” Palles Thompson has been with the district for 30 years. Though the district, which serves
contingencies,” Palles Thompson said. PUSD put together a COVID-19 task force six weeks ago. “That has put us—we’re talking a lot about curves—we’re on a good curve,” she said. Board members and administrators used spring break to plan for how to deliver meals and online education, she added. While the breakfast and lunch Christian Rubert, a Peoria Unified School District technology pickup sites got off to a strong specialist, hands out a laptop for a student to use the district’s start last week, averaging nearonline learning resources. (Photo courtesy PUSD) ly 3,000 meals served per day, 37,000 students with its Glendale and PUSD is now looking to ramp up at-home Peoria schools, has never experienced clo- education. sures of this magnitude, “We always have SEE SCHOOLS PAGE 4
‘Stay home,’ except for essential services BY TOM SCANLON
Glendale Star Managing Editor
BUSINESS ... 14 Plenty of restaurants are still open
OPINION..................... 12 BUSINESS.................. 14 FEATURES.................. 16 RELIGION ................... 20 YOUTH........................ 22 CLASSIFIEDS ............. 23
Gov. Doug Ducey had a doubleheader of sorts March 30, first declaring school closures to be extended for the rest of the school year, then issuing a “Stay home” executive order. The directives came with COVID-19 positive tests rising sharply—from nine cases on March 21 to 791 this week. Ducey ordered Arizonans, starting March 31, to “limit their time away from their place of residence.”
The Glendale
However, the order is far from the “lockdown” some states have implemented. Ducey’s order has exceptions for people to “participate in essential activities,” including employment in previously deemed essential businesses and for those who are sole proprietors (or family-owned business) “and the business is not open to serve the public.” And Ducey allows people “to utilize any services or products provided by essential business services.”
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A long list of “essential services” released by Ducey on March 23 includes health care providers, pharmacies, banks, hardware stores, food banks, gas stations, parks, golf courses, barber shops, salons, photography stores, dry cleaners, hotels and motels, firearms and ammunition stores and pawn shops. “I’m still open,” said Lenny Aulov, of Lenny’s Barbershop in Glendale March 31, adding he had too many customers to talk. SEE DUCEY PAGE 3
Gov. Doug Ducey issued an order for Arizonans to “Stay home”—with a number of exceptions. (Glendale Star file photo)
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