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West Mesa Edition
Sunday, January 21, 2018
Shooting by ex-cop poses $75 million hit for Mesa
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This Week
BY JIM WALSH Tribune Staff Writer
NEWS ............................. 4 Here's how to track lawmakers and legislation in Arizona
BUSINESS................... 14 Allure MedSpa wants to do right for the community
SPORTS ...................... 17
T
he controversial verdict that cleared a former Mesa police officer of murder in a dramatic shooting captured by a body cam spared Philip “Mitch” Brailsford from a potential prison sentence, but the case is far from over for Mesa taxpayers. Mesa still faces millions of dollars in potential liability in a federal wrongful death lawsuit filed by Laney Sweet, the widow of Daniel Shaver, 26, a Texas pest control worker who was seen in the disturbing video begging for his life as he crawled in the hallway of an East Mesa hotel on Jan. 18, 2016. Sweet is seeking damages of more than
$100 million. Brailsford, 27, shot the unarmed father of two, after Shaver appeared to reach behind his back. Lawyers for Sweet say Shaver was trying to pull up his loose-fitting gym shorts, but Brailsford and former Sgt. Charles Langley said they feared he might have been reaching for a gun. The city fired Brailsford a couple of weeks after the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office took the unusual step of charging him with second-degree murder and negligent manslaughter. A jury found him not guilty of both crimes in early December, after Brailsford’s defense attorney argued he was following his See
MESA COP on page 6
Some glitches, but retail closures are largely bypassing East Valley
‘Frankenstein’ takes to the skies
Gilbert’s Cavinder twins take competitiveness to next level
BY WAYNE SCHUTSKY Tribune Staff Writer
W
EVENT ........................19 Vehicles of war come out in full force in Tempe
COMMUNITY......... 10 BUSINESS.....................14 OPINION..................... 15 SPORTS......................... 17 FAITH............................ 18 CLASSIFIEDS............. 22
(Special to the Tribune)
Joshua Anderson has piloted a hot air balloon, called “Frankenstein” because he put it together piecemeal for $6,000, since 2014. Anderson, of Chandler, will participate in the Arizona Balloon Classic this weekend. Story, Page 10
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hile much of the country is dealing with the fallout of closures by major retail chains, the East Valley is experiencing largely positive trends in the sector. But the region is not totally isolated from the closures as Walmart announced two weeks ago that it will shutter a Sam’s Club location in Chandler. Commercial real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield predicted that more than 12,000 stores could close nationwide in 2018 due to bankruptcies and store closings by chains like Sears, Stein Mart, Walgreens, Gap and Gymboree, according to a report from Business Insider.
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Those national closures reached Chandler when Walmart announced it was closing one of its two Sam’s Club locations in the city. On Jan. 11, Walmart issued a press release announcing that it would be closing 63 Sam’s Club stores across the country, including the location at 1375 S. Arizona Ave. in Chandler. The Chandler Sam’s Club will close to the public by Friday, Jan. 26. Walmart has plans to convert up to 12 of the affected locations to eCommerce fulfillment centers, though it is unclear whether the Chandler location is included in those plans. “We are in the process of identifying other locations to convert to an eCommerce fulfillment center and will have more clarity on locations in the coming weeks and months,” See Prefinished Hardwood
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