Relentlessly local coverage of Southern Chandler
June 21, 2020 | www.santansun.com
An edition of the East Valley Tribune
School reopening on CUSD board agenda BY KEVIN REAGAN Staff Writer
The Chandler Unified School District Governing Board on Wednesday is expected to resume discussion of the administration's plan for reopening campuses July 22. Arizona’s third largest school district has not yet officially decided whether its 42 campuses will reopen again for the fall semester, but the plan released June 10 offers a glimpse into what students might expect if Chandler Unified allows for in-person instruction. The CUSD board meeting comes as virus cases in Arizona are trending so fast that Kyrene School District last week declared all staff and students in
the K-8 district will have to wear masks if they return to campuses. Some highlights of CUSD's plan include: • Gyms, cafeterias and other large buildings on the district’s campuses would be rearranged to reduce proximity between pupils. • Students would be instructed to walk directly to their classrooms and not congregate in hallways or outdoor areas. • School assemblies would likely be pre-recorded and broadcast virtually. The presence of parents and other visitors on campus would be minimized. • Buses would be wiped down and sanitized on a regular basis. See
SCHOOLS on page 4
Retiring Chandler Police Cmdr. Edward Upshaw tried to dissuade his daughter Nicole Upshaw from becoming a police officer. It didn't work. (Chandler Police)
State constitution could Daughter follows her block business grants here officer-dad's footsteps BY KEVIN REAGAN Staff Writer
The city of Chandler has yet to precisely determine how it will spend $30 million in COVID-19 relief funds handed out by the federal government as city officials examine uses that won’t violate Arizona’s constitution. City leaders had hoped Chandler’s allotment of the Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security Act would be directly invested in local businesses and nonprofits hurt by the pandemic’s lingering economic impact. Arizona’s bigger cities, like Phoenix
and Mesa, have used portions of their CARES Act money to set up grant programs for businesses in need of financial relief and the state’s smaller municipalities had expected to be able to do the same. But Chandler has discovered the methodology in which it got its CARES Act funding may subject the city to certain constitutional restrictions that were bypassed by Phoenix and Mesa because they got their allotments directly from Congress. Chandler’s allotment was funneled See
CARES on page 12
Just chillin'
BY KEVIN REAGAN Staff Writer
Cmdr. Edward Upshaw of the Chandler Police Department had a clear rule when it came to his children’s career aspirations. “You could not be police officers,” he’d often say to them. But the advice didn’t seem to have much effect on Upshaw’s daughter, Nicole, who joined the Chandler force in 2016. The news worried Upshaw at first. The recent retiree has spent 33 years in law enforcement and seen his fair share of dangers and tragedies. It’s a lifestyle he wasn’t quite prepared to share with his daughter. “Unfortunately, in this job, you lose friends,” Upshaw said. His concerns gradually dissipated once he realized how well his daughter thrived within the agency. “She’s proven to be a good police officer,” he said. It wouldn’t be surprising if Nicole was to rise through the ranks and become a top commander like himself, Upshaw said.
His own journey with the agency began in 1986, when Chandler’s population was significantly smaller and fewer than 100 cops were working for the city. Yet, there was still plenty of crime to investigate on nearly every street corner. The crossings of Arizona Avenue and Chandler Boulevard had a separate street gang represented on each corner of the intersection, Upshaw recalled, and some of these groups had been maintaining a local presence for decades. “We had over 21 documented gangs in the city of Chandler,” he said. Years of community policing and partnerships with local nonprofits helped to root out some of this gang activity, Upshaw said. Upshaw has had ongoing working relationships with organizations like ICAN, which has been providing free after-school programs in Chandler since the 1990s. These partnerships have helped to break a cycle that’s allowed criminal behavior to be passed down from gen-
F E AT U R E STO R I E S
As Chandler pools reopened under social distancing restrictions this month, Shumway Matable and his 2-month old son, Shumway Matable III, opted for a break from our typically hot June weather. (Pablo Robles/Arizonan Staff Photographer)
Chandler lawmaker: special session needed. . . . . .COMMUNITY . . . . . Page 17 Florida cult favorite comes to Chandler. . . . . . . . . .BUSINESS . . . . . . . . Page 26 Chandler soccer players head to Utah . . . . . . . . . . .SPORTS . . . . . . . . . Page 32 Documentary will look at pandemic struggles . . .NEIGHBORS . . . . . . Page 35 New sushi restaurant debuts here . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .EAT . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 46
Clip It . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Center Section
See
UPSHAW on page 13
More Community . . . 1-23 Business . . . . . .24-31 Sports . . . . . . . . . . 32 Opinion . . . . . . . . 34 Neighbors . . 36-40 Arts . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Faith . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Classifieds . . 44-45 Eat . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46