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School spend cap unchanged PAGE 14
An edition of the East Valley Tribune
INSIDE
This Week
NEWS........................5 Morrison Ranch residents keep the pressure on.
COMMUNITY......... 18 Gilbert native eyes ‘love story’ movie project.
Contact high school ball turning off parents. COMMUNITY....................................... 18 BUSINESS............................................. 22 SPORTS..................................................26 PUZZLE..................................................28 CLASSIFIEDS........................................31
Sunday, October 2, 2022
County pound poster dog’s death suggests problems BY CECILIA CHAN GSN Managing Editor
R
ookie was the face of Maricopa County Animal Care and Control’s part in a national campaign early this year as it tried to ease overcrowding at its Phoenix and Mesa shelters. Described as “a giant pup who loves to run zoomies in the yard and play outside, but what he really loves is getting attention,” the 3-year-old Rottweiler-mix was photographed smiling as his head was being scratched. Four days after the Bissell Pet Foundation’s national Empty the Shelters cam-
Rookie, a 3-year-old Rottweilermix, was the Maricopa County’s poster dog for a nationwide campaign to ease shelter overcrowding. But four days after the campaign ended, the dog was euthanized. (Special to GSN)
GPS poised to expand parental access to schools BY CECILIA CHAN GSN Managing Editor
SPORTS................. 26
FREE ($1 OUTSIDE OF GILBERT) | GilbertSunNews.com
A
father last week claimed that Gilbert Public Schools violated his parental rights when a teacher refused to hand over his daughter’s school work for inspection. “I am being denied involvement with my daughter’s education in Oak Tree Elementary,” Devin Paul Gillilea told the Governing Board Sept 27. “I have requested that my daugh-
ter’s work and or homework relate to what is being taught daily be sent home so that I can be informed about her poor performance and support her understandings of the concepts on a regular basis. “This request has been denied repeatedly by the teachers and the principals. I need to know why it is allowed that my daughter’s teachers can deny me access to knowing what she is being taught in the class and
see POLICIES page 6
paign ended on May 15, Rookie was euthanized. His mental health had declined after an administrative reorganization that disbanded the county shelter system’s behavioral team. “Basically, it’s stressful at the shelter,” said Kim Schulze, the shelters’ former county behavior and training team manager. “Lots of dogs don’t do well and start to deteriorate.” Whether Rookie’s death could have been prevented had the county not ended the team is debatable. But animal advocates said its dismantling
see SHELTER page 11
More than typical
Chef W and Scott Bertoldo prepare some chocolate chip cookies at Not Your Typical Deli, which isn’t all that typical in several ways – primarily for its commitment to developmentally challenged teens and young adults. For the story, see page 22.. (David Minton/GSN Staff Photographer)
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