Mesa's Asian delights / P. 18
Lord of the board / P. 17
An edition of the East Valley Tribune
HAPPY NEW YEAR INSIDE
This Week
NEWS .......................... 3
Sunday, December 27, 2020
FREE ($1 OUTSIDE THE EAST VALLEY) | TheMesaTribune.com
Come Jan. 1, keep your hands on the wheel BY JIM WALSH Tribune Staff Writer
A
fter a long delay, it’s time for drivers to �inally put down their cell phones unless they want to see red and blue �lashing lights in their rear-view mirror. Arizona’s distracted driving law becomes effective on Jan. 1 and police of�icers throughout the East Valley and beyond are planning to write citations right away, trying to break motorists’ dangerous habits of texting or checking emails behind the wheel. The law originally was passed in 2019 after a driver struck and killed a Salt River-Pima
Light magicians
Maricopa tribal of�icer along the Loop 101, but it included an 18-month educational window during which of�icers could only issue warnings. While of�icers will still have discretion to issue warnings after Jan. 1, their advice is simple: don’t count on it. The new law makes it illegal to touch a cell phone while driving – or even to rest it on your lap, another habit police have noted – with a call to 911 one notable exception. Drivers are still allowed to use hands-free devices, such as Bluetooth, that are commonly built into the dashboards of most modern cars and trucks.
Mesa senator-elect defying mask mandate.
The penalties are civil �ines ranging from $75-$149 for the �irst offense, and $150-$250 for the second or subsequent offenses. And a violation is considered a “primary offense” – meaning that police can stop drivers for talking on the phone alone and do not need any additional violations to pull them over. The Arizona Department of Public Safety has issued 15,000 warnings, as directed by Gov. Doug Ducey, who signed the bill into law, said Bart Graves, a DPS spokesman. “The whole reason for the law is to keep people safe on our roads. The best thing we
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A strong start, then the year crashed on us BY GARY NELSON Tribune Contributor
COMMUNITY ........ 12 Mesa artist crafts special calendar. COMMUNITY ............................... 12 BUSINESS ..................................... 14 OPINION ....................................... 16 SPORTS ........................................ 17 GET OUT ....................................... 18 PUZZLES ...................................... 19 CLASSIFIED ................................. 20 Zone 1
This is what people find in Mesa-based Christmas Light Decorators' warehouse. The company has been providing brilliant light displays to governments and businesses for years and the pandemic didn't stop the firm this year. See the story on page 14. (Special to the Tribune)
I
t opened brightly enough, with the customary expectations of progress and prosperity that have marked each new year in the East Valley for the past decade. Construction began on an Arizona State University complex in downtown Mesa. Cranes loomed high over downtown Tempe while on the streets below, a new streetcar line was being born. Gilbert and Chandler sung to the tunes of hammers and saws creat-
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