Pickleballers can get juiced / P. 23
White Castle hits a record / P. 33
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An edition of the East Valley Tribune
INSIDE
Sunday, November 1, 2020
Party politics hovers over ‘nonpartisan’ races BY WAYNE SCHUTSKY Progress Managing Editor
NEWS................................. 8 Canal Convergence begins this week.
NEIGHBORS.................... 18
Scottsdale Realtor honored nationally.
S
cottsdale’s local elections have been officially non-partisan since voters approved the City Charter in 1961 but that has not stopped party politics from infiltrating local races this year. If they are not among the 70 percent of the Scottsdale electorate who have already voted, Scottsdale voters tomorrow or Tuesday will choose between Lisa Borowsky and David Ortega for mayor. They will also fill three open City
see ELECTION page 4
Scottsdale Film Fest virtually exciting.
NEIGHBORS...........................................18 BUSINESS............................................... 23 OPINION................................................. 26 ARTS......................................................... 28 FOOD........................................................ 33 CLASSIFIEDS........................................ 34
David Ortega
SUSD adapts to state adjusted virus guidelines BY WAYNE SCHUTSKY Progress Managing Editor
ARTS................................ 28
Lisa Borowsky
L
ess than a week after warning the community that rising COVID-19 case numbers could cause the closure of up to 10 schools, Scottsdale Unified School District reversed course after the state health department quietly modified its school metrics. SUSD Superintendent Scott Menzel wrote families Oct. 23 that increased spread in 85251 and 85253 in Scottsdale and 85018 in Phoenix could require closures and a return to virtual learning at Echo Canyon K-8, Pima
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Traditional School, Ingleside Middle School, Arcadia and Chaparral high schools and Hopi, Tavan, Navajo, Cherokee elementary schools. Each of those ZIP codes surpassed 100 new cases per 100,000 residents in a single week – one of three benchmarks used in the voluntary guidelines for schools. The other two are percentage of new positive test results and the percentage of hospital visits by patients showing COVID-like symptoms. Under the old state guidelines adopted by the SUSD Governing Board in September, the district would have to close schools if any one
of the state’s three benchmarks reached a “red” level, indicating substantial spread. On Oct. 27, Menzel sent home another letter reversing course, citing changes in the state’s guidelines. Under the new guidance issued quietly by ADHS earlier this month, all three benchmarks should reach the red level before districts close schools. Under the old guidelines, some Scottsdale schools likely could have been closed as the latest round of data in SUSD shows that 85253
see SUSD page 6
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