Mesa High soars / P. 22
Paradise cost: grief / P. 20
An edition of the East Valley Tribune
INSIDE
This Week
NEWS ........................... 3 AG shows where Mesa schools' money goes.
COMMUNITY .......... 16 Mesa dry cleaner owners come back from adversity.
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Sunday, March 7, 2021
Mesa Council debates downtown project boom BY TOM SCANLON Tribune Managing Editor
O
n a pleasant Saturday afternoon during what experts call the tail end of the pandemic, downtown Mesa shows signs of vibrancy. The “restaurant row” strip of Main Street between Center and Robson is percolating, with locals hitting the coffee shops or having lunch-and-drinks at places like Mangos, Tacos Chiwas and Margaritas Mexican restaurants and 12 West Brewing. A half-dozen blocks east, groups gather for picnics at Pioneer Park. Next door, more folks chow down on the patio at Haven Burgers. Others chat through their masks while waiting for the light rail stop in the middle of Main Street. The mass-transit users’ eyes likely gazed at the “Now leasing” announcement of a building on the corner of Main and Mesa Drive. More than just a sign that The Grove on Main is open, it’s a sign of things to come in
The Grove on Main on the east end of Main Street in downtown Mesa already is being populated with ten-
��� DOWNTOWN ���� 10 ants as the area begins seeing a slew of new apartments. (Courtesy City Creek Reserve)
BUSINESS ..............
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Greening Mesa a step at a time. COMMUNITY ............................... 16 BUSINESS ..................................... 18 OPINION .. ..................................... 20 SPORTS ........................................ 22 GET OUT ...................................... 24 PUZZLES ...................................... 25 CLASSIFIED ................................. 26 Zone 1
Tears, jeers as Mesa OKs discrimination ban Tempe mayor says fears over ban are unwarranted ............... See page 4 BY TOM SCANLON Tribune Managing Editor
T
wo were tearful, two de�iant, others quietly resolved. They were the elected of�icials who approved, by a 5-2 vote, Mesa’s new non-dis-
crimination ordinance. After two hours of public comments Monday – with supporters arguing it protected groups from discrimination and attackers contending it puts women and children at risk – Council had its chance to comment on the NDO, arguably the most controversial issue it has tackled in years. Mayor John Giles said he appreciated the extensive comments, then he shot down one
of the main complaints by those opposed. The ordinance, he stressed, will not make Mesa restrooms fearful places where men posing as women will lurk. “Privacy is a reasonable concern,” Giles said. “As a father of four daughters and grandfather I would never put them in danger.” He noted Phoenix, Flagstaff and Tempe, as
��� NDO ���� 4
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