Gilbert prodigy finds online help PAGE 26
An edition of the East Valley Tribune
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This Week
NEWS ...................................3 Gilbert's top cop seeks victim center space.
BUSINESS ..................... 32 New Gilbert business has the meats.
SPORTS .......................... 39 Highland High twins run the table in track. COMMUNITY................ 26 BUSINESS ..................... 32 OPINION ....................... 36 SPORTS ......................... 39 GETOUT ........................ 45 CLASSIFIED ................... 51
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Gilbert park is a home run PAGE 11 Sunday, APRIL 14, 2019
GPS OKs new start-end times for all schools BY CECILIA CHAN GSN Managing Editor
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arents and students will soon need to adjust their schedules now that the start and end times at all Gilbert Public School campuses are changing for 2 19-2 . The district’s governing board last week unanimously adopted a new bell schedule in an effort to save money and get the 10,000 students who take the bus to school and to home on time. “I vote with some hesitancy on this one,” board President Reed Carr said. “I don’t know if there is a better solution. This is a tough decision be-
cause it does not meet the needs of every group. However we vote someone will be unhappy.” The board’s action came after a consultant found the nine different bell times for the district’s 40 schools were not sustainable and resulted in 66 percent of all elementary school buses arriving late. Community input on two options was solicited through a poll where more than 10,000 households responded. Because of legislation involving instructional time for junior high students, a third option was offered to the board after the poll ended. That third option was adopted. Two parents spoke on the issue at the meeting.
Gilbert homeowners swindled by solar firm
Tracie Nall said she spoke on behalf of parents of high school students and high schoolers in asking the board to push the start time for them to later. She cited two sleep studies that recommended start time for high school students be no earlier than 8 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. “Their biological clocks tell them to go to bed later and it doesn’t matter how tired they are or how much they down in bed and they try to fall asleep,” Nall said. “They fall to sleep when their biology determines them to and they wake up according to society.” Having high school students start so early
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Seeds of a new age
BY CECILIA CHAN GSN Managing Editor
S
teven Gillies was eager to see his utility bills drop and finally last year pulled the trigger for solar panels for his Gilbert home. He got two bids and decided to go with AEOS Energy for the customized solar system and installation. “I selected AEOS because of timing, how fast they could get it done and the price,” Gillies said. That decision turned into a $21,000 mistake for the mortgage banker. Gillies and six other Valley homeowners got taken to the tune of $204,335 by AEOS, which took their money and ran, according to the Arizona Registrar of Contractors. The agency on April 3 revoked the Tempe company’s electrical license, which takes effect May 14, giving AEOS 40 days to appeal the decision, according
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These small beakers contain algae grown at Heliae Development's "farm" in Gilbert that are producing stronger and bigger vegetables, as the huge broccoli leaves at the right demonstrate. Heliae's work is bringing a new age to agriculture. For details, see page 32. (Kimberly Carrillo/GSN Staff Photographer)
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