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An edition of the East Valley Tribune
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GPS to offer testing incentive PAGE 6
Sunday, September 16, 2018
FDA warning comes way late amid vaping epidemic
INSIDE
This Week
BY JIM WALSH GSN Staff Writer
6
NEWS................................ Survey finds Gilbert a very family friendly place.
BUSINESS..................... 18 Town gives doughnut shop a little break.
SPORTS............................21 Higley Knights looking for revenge.
COMMUNITY.................. 15 BUSINESS.......................18 OPINION........................20 SPORTS........................... 21 GETOUT......................... 24 CLASSIFIED................... 28
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moking in the boy’s room has morphed into vaping in the boys and girls’ room as the national e-cigarette vaping epidemic engulfs Gilbert, Higley and other East Valley schools — possibly making teenagers the next generation hooked on nicotine. Two East Valley school districts began fighting back even before the U.S Food and Drug Administration last week declared teen vaping a national epidemic and took aim at ecigarette manufacturers, threatening them with additional regulation and forcing them to come up with plans to stop minors from buying e-cigarettes. Acting on the results of an undercover sting
operation, the FDA also issued 1,300 civil fines and a warning letter to retailers that illegally sold the e-cigarettes to minors. But the FDA warning comes well after hundreds of East Valley kids as young as middle school age have been caught up in vaping. “There has been a noticeable increase of vaping occurring with our students this year, both on campus and off campus,” Gilbert Public Schools warned parents in March. “This is not exclusive to GPS; it is occurring on campuses everywhere in our area, state and nationwide.” At a forum sponsored by the Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber of Commerce in June, two area superintendents — Kevin Mendivil of
see VAPING page 11
(Kimberly Carrillo/ GSN Photographer)
Vaping rigs are common in Gilbert schools.
Gilbert moms plan state’s first ‘club’ for foster kids BY JIM WALSH GSN Staff Writer
T
hree Gilbert women’s life-long commitment to helping foster children has put them on a mission to convert an old east Mesa church into Arizona’s first community center. The lives of Anika Robinson, Susan Woodruff and Angela Teachout have revolved around children for years. In all, they have 26 children — some biological, some foster and others adopted kids. Their commitment goes well beyond the walls of their homes. After experiencing the challenges of raising abused and neglected children, they worked together in 2016 to get passage of a state law
see FOSTER page 4
(Kimberly Carrillo/ GSN Saff Photographer)
Gilbert moms, from left, Angela Teachout, Susan Woodruff and Anika Robinson are planning the state's first "boys and girls club" for foster kids.