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Church officials detail Mesa Temple re-do
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PAGE 3 West Mesa Edition
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This Week
NEWS ............................. 8 Bribery case against exMesa lawmaker not going away, judge rules.
COMMUNITY ........ 12 Gilbert author writes about losing a parent as a child.
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Bullied Gilbert teenager earns Trumps' kudos PAGE 12 Sunday, May 13, 2018
East Valley losing thousands in recycling revenue BY RICK BARRS Tribune Managing Editor
D
escribed as a “wakeup call” to the United States, the Republic of China’s decision to cease serving as a garbage dump for the world has crippled East Valley municipal recycling businesses, costing municipalities hundreds of thousands of dollars. The impact is dramatic: Last year, Chandler earned over a half-million dollars for selling its recyclables. This year, the Chinese action will cost the city nearly twice that instead to get rid of them. Declared “National Sword” by Chinese President Xi Jinping, China’s drastic change
to its recycling policy is aimed at stopping the flow of “foreign garbage” into the country. Under the new edict, China will accept only recyclable bales with contaminant levels of 0.5 percent or better – a standard that American cities never come close to achieving. The national average for U.S. recyclables contaminants is 25 percent – and the East Valley levels are no different. Frank Flores, Gilbert’s environmental services manager, said the town’s contaminant level has run from 15 to 20 percent. In Chandler and Mesa, it’s a little better at 11 and 13 percent, respectively. Phoenix stations average 25 percent, recycling representatives reported. “I don’t fault them for doing what they’re
doing,” Flores said of the Chinese, noting the U.S. needs to clean up its recyclables. “But I hate them for doing what they’re doing.” He noted that China bought tainted U.S. recyclables for about 20 years before suddenly pulling the plug. What this means is that too many improper or contaminated recyclables – plastic grocery bags, diapers, paper towels, tomato saucecrusted cans, greasy pizza boxes and the like – were getting mixed into bales headed for China and winding up in the massively populated country’s landfills. The reality now is that because U.S. cities can’t dispose of contaminated material in ChiSee
RECYCLE on page 4
Widowed Chandler mom helps heroes and families BY COLLEEN SPARKS Tribune Staff Writer
SPORTS ...................... 18 Mesa's Red mountain school hosts unusual practice.
THEATER..................... 21 Hale Theater reels in mythical musical.
COMMUNITY.................12 BUSINESS........................15 OPINION......................... 17 SPORTS............................19 CLASSIFIED.................... 25
A
ngela Harrolle has traveled the world and protected dignitaries in high-risk positions as a special agent for the U.S. Department of State. But the Chandler mother of two never imagined the type of danger and tragedy that would hit her family years later much closer to home. Harrolle, 42, lost her husband, Arizona Department of Public Safety Officer/Paramedic Bruce Harrolle in October 2008. He was killed at age 36 while rescuing two stranded hikers in Sedona. Now she is the president/CEO of the 100 Club of Arizona, helping public safety employees and their families, especially in times when tragedy strikes them. Harrolle became a widow at 33, left to raise the couple’s daughter, Addie, then 4, and son, Justice, then 2. As Mother’s Day approaches May 13, Harrolle recently reflected on how her own family is doing several years after her husband’s death. She said the Department of Public Safety, as See
MOM on page 6
(Kimberly Carrillo/ Tribune taff Photographer)
Angela Harrolle, daughter Addie and son Justice sit near their Chandler home with a painting of Angela’s late husband, Bruce, who was killed on a rescue mission as an Arizona Department of Public Safety Officer/ Paramedic.