Gilbert artists shine in 17th annual show
Winter sports wind down for Gilbert
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An edition of the East Valley Tribune
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Sunday, March 8, 2020
Council refuses to reduce rides for disabled
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This Week
BY CECILIA CHAN GSN Managing Editor
NEWS............................. 4 Candidates begin jockeying for Primary ballot.
BUSINESS..................21 Making magic with marshmallows in Gilbert.
Town Council voted with its heart over its pocketbook last week in tabling indefinitely a proposal to reduce a ride service for the disabled. Gilbert staff will now look for options other than scaling back Paratransit, which is costing the town more each year. The federally mandated program offers door-to-door service for individuals who are certified with a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act and can’t use a conventional bus. “Please don’t take this away from me,” said resident Roseanne Hendricks, who has a disability. “I might lose my job. This is the only way I can see my friends. This is the
Following impassioned pleas from town residents like Roseanne Hendricks, Gilbert Council opted not to get rid of the Paratransit system that serves the disabled. (Special to GSN)
only way I can have my freedom.” Hendricks said she is a ward of the state and needed the ride service to help her work toward her own guardianship. This year, the town budgeted $375,000 to cover an expected shortfall in the program, according to Kyle Mieras, town Development Services director. If changes aren’t made, it’s estimated the town will soon face between an estimated $550,000 and $700,000 deficit annually for the service also known as Dial-a-Ride. Council was expected to approve the resolution to change the boundaries and serve ADA-certified riders living within three-quarters of a mile from a bus stop in Gilbert – which is in keeping with federal re-
see PARATRANSIT page 5
Gilbert hospitals, schools taking virus precautions GETOUT.................
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The bird isn’t the only word at fest.
COMMUNITY.......................17 BUSINESS.............................21 OPINION...............................24 SPORTS................................. 25 GETOUT................................28 CLASSIFIED.........................32 on williams field + lindsay
BY CECILIA CHAN GSN Managing Editor
G
ilbert mom Valerie Lim said she’s prepared her family against the fast-spreading coronavirus that so far reached 13 states, including Arizona. “I got my kids a couple extra hand sanitizer bottles for school (and) reminded them about proper hygiene procedures,” Lim said. Arizona last week reported two cases, including one presumptive positive and five pending for the global virus. In the United
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States, 100 confirmed and presumptive positive cases were reported with 11 deaths last week, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There is no vaccine or cure at this time. Although there are far more cases of flu, the mortality rate for COVID-19 is 3.4 percent, WHO reported. The estimated death rate of flu in the United States is about 0.1 percent, experts say. Locally, residents’ plan of attack ranged from treating COVID-19 like the flu to panic-buying of bottled water, toilet paper, hand
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sanitizers and food. Lim said she couldn’t find a 25-pound bag of jasmine rice anywhere when she went shopping recently. “We go through a bag a month,” she said. “Everyone was freaking out and bought it all. Also, why the TP and water?” Healthcare providers and schools say they have plans in place but look for direction to higher-ups, such as the CDC and Maricopa County Public Health Department.
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