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GUESTS OF HONOR P. 4
From Uptown to Downtown, covering Chandler like the sun.
An edition of the East Valley Tribune
Inside This Week
COVID gone but schools’ relief bucks aren’t BY PAUL MARYNIAK AND KEN SAIN Arizonan Staff
M NEWS............................. 18 Chandler Unified program helps challenged kids qualify for college.
NEWS............................ 20 Chandler Gilbert Community College marks 30 years.
illions in COVID bucks still unspent by schools. COVID-19 may be little more than a memory for most people, but millions in pandemic relief funds that went to school districts and charters in northern and western Chandler – and throughout the state – remain to be spent, according to a recent report by the Arizona Auditor General. “Districts and charters reported spending just over $2.2 billion, or 48 percent, of their nearly $4.6 billion allocated relief monies
Chandler yoga expert maintains a busy pace. COMMUNITY................................ 24 BUSINESS........................................ 26 SPORTS............................................ 30 CLASSIFIEDS................................... 33
through June 30, 2022,” the report states, adding the state Department of Education “had yet to spend/distribute almost $322 million, or 79 percent, of its discretionary relief monies as of June 30, 2022.” For Chandler’s three main school districts, that translates into a total of over $55.5 million, the report shows. It says: • Tempe Union High School has received just under $22.2 million in COVID relief and still has $12.3 million to spend, mostly by Sept. 30, 2024. • Kyrene has yet to spend $13.2 million of the $27.7 million it received.
City program turned around dying strip malls BY KEN SAIN Arizonan Managing Editor
BUISNESS..................... 26
Sunday, March 5, 2023
FREE | chandlernews.com
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bout a dozen years ago there were serious worries about the fate of retail centers around northern Chandler. The Loop 101 and Loop 202 freeways had opened, changing commuter patterns, leaving some retail centers that were once on heavily-traveled streets with fewer trips past them. Businesses were shutting down, vacancy rates were up. At the inter-
section of Alma School and Elliott roads, 53% of the retail space was vacant. The strip mall at Cooper and Ray roads had a 68% vacancy. The city started its 4-Corner project to address the problem, looking for ways to help existing retail businesses stay open and attract new businesses to bring jobs and tax dollars to the city. The City Council got an update on how that project is going during
see MALLS page 6
• Chandler Unified still has $31.4 million to spend from the total $85.7 million it received. • LD12 – which includes those three districts, Tempe Elementary and assorted charters – have a total $279.1 million left to spend out of the $545 million distributed in that legislative district. Most of the money statewide was spent on maintaining operations, according to the report. Of that total $1.2 billion, $840
see COVID page 10
Young futurists
Displaying their Future City presentation for a regional competition are Arizona College Prep Middle School students, from left, Amaira Srivastava (6th grade), Prisha Pulastya (7th grade) and Saaya Saj (6th grade), who said they designed a city similar to Miami, that could better withstand hurricanes. The dome structure buildings would fare better in that kind of weather, they believe. (Ken Sain/Arizonan Managing Editor)