Vaccine site opens / P. 6
MPS expecting $ millions / P. 4
An edition of the East Valley Tribune
INSIDE
This Week
NEWS ...................... 16 Noose "art" sparks outrage in Mesa
NEWS ......................... 18 Discrimination ban opponents win first round.
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Ground broken for Mesa sur�ing lagoon BY TOM SCANLON Tribune Managing Editor
M
esa is about 200 miles north of the Rocky Point beaches in Mexico and 350 miles from the sandy surf spots of San Diego. Now. But, Cole Cannon swears, by the summer of 2022, Mesa residents will have a beach in their backyard. t’s hard to argue with Councilman Kevin Thompson when he called this “one of the coolest projects in Mesa.” Cannon still has a long way to go, Cannon Beach — no need to be modest, when you’ve raised $25 million — is of�icially underway, after a desert-to-beach groundbreaking at Power and Warner roads March 30. Cannon plans for a pool with waves ranging from small enough for beginners to gnarly enough for professional competitions to be open next summer. After that, he expects a
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Disabled Open coming to Mesa. COMMUNITY ............................... 21 BUSINESS ..................................... 24 OPINION .. ..................................... 25 SPORTS ........................................ 26 GET OUT ...................................... 27 PUZZLES ...................................... 29 CLASSIFIED ................................. 30 Zone 1
Sunday, April 4, 2021
Cole Cannon, a Gilbert resident, promised at a March 30 groundbreaking that surfers and families will be enjoying Cannon Beach in southeast Mesa in the summer of 2022. Councilman Kevin Thompson and others witnessed last week's launch of his $25 million project. (Pablo Robles/Tribune Staff Photographer)
MPS students write of pandemic fears, victories BY TOM SCANLON Tribune Managing Editor
O
ther than healthcare workers, few groups have been challenged harder by the pandemic than students. With their health and welfare as the rationale, Gov. Doug Ducey started their exasperating cycle last March when he ordered every school in the state to temporarily close.
For students, the “no problem, just a little break” took a dramatic turn two weeks later, when Ducey extended his order throughout the remainder of the school year. The “COVID rollercoaster” went into a series of high-speed dips and sudden turns during the fall, when classrooms opened as the pandemic declined — then snapped shut during a series of surges. How did students deal with the uncertain-
ties of the last year? The Mesa Chamber of Commerce sponsored a contest to answer that question. Winners of the “Resilience in the Pandemic” writing contest were announced at the March 16 Mesa Public Schools Governing Board meeting. Winners in various grade groups received $200 Amazon gift cards.
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