Track gets its due / P. 22
FREE SUBSCRIPTION
An edition of the East Valley Tribune
FREE | QueenCreekTribune.com
Sunday, August 21, 2022
Police answered 2K calls from QC schools
INSIDE
BY MARK MORAN Tribune Staff Writer
NEWS................... 13 Ocotillo Road link under fire for $79 million cost.
T
he Queen Creek Police Department, still in its infancy at just over half a year old, has responded to nearly 2,000 calls at Queen Creek elementary and high school campuses. The calls ranged from traffic control to trespassing and everything in between, but Queen Creek Police Chief Randy Brice said
Growth brings more traffic signals to QC
COMMUNITY ..... 18 QC pastor ‘plants’ churches, sells coffee.
that most were not criminal in nature. “Less than 5% were actual crimes,” Brice told Town Council at its meeting Aug. 17. “Most of that was engagement activities. Sometimes they will just sit and talk with parents as they come in. Most of it is Monday to Friday during school hours.” High schools led the way in number of calls with 129 at Casteel High School, 213 at Queen Creek High, 190 at Ben Franklin Charter High and 143 at Canyon State Acad-
emy. Sossaman Middle School was high on the list, too, with 120 police calls. The department technically is not allowed to get involved with enforcing school rules. But Brice said that given the increase in violent acts at schools across the country, people want to know that police are ready to respond to dangerous situations in what Brice called the “rare” and unlikely chance
Down but not out
see SCHOOLS page 8
BY MARK MORAN Tribune Staff Writer
BUSINESS ........... 19 Roof rat problem? Try birth control!
COMMUNITY.........................18 BUSINESS...............................19 OPINION..................................20 SPORTS....................................22 GET OUT..................................24 CLASSIFIEDS.........................26
W
hat better way to tell the story of a town’s growth than through its traffic lights? Nowhere is that better illustrated than in Queen Creek, where the signals are sprouting up all over the place. “You can see that 2022 is the year of signals,” said Queen Creek public works director Mohamed Youssef. “15 signals in 2022.” With the addition of those lights, this
see LIGHTS page 4
Queen Creek High School plans to appeal last week’s decision to put the baseball program on probation for a year. The Arizona Interscholastic Association Executive Board cited an alleged pitch-count violation in the spring. If upheld, the punishment would keep the young athletes out of this year’s playoffs. See the story on page 3. (Courtesy MaxPreps)
䌀栀愀渀最椀渀最 琀栀攀 眀愀礀 䄀洀攀爀椀挀愀 眀愀琀挀栀攀猀 吀嘀 匀琀漀渀攀䌀爀攀攀欀䘀甀爀渀椀琀甀爀攀⸀挀漀洀
匀琀漀渀攀䌀爀攀攀欀䘀甀爀渀椀琀甀爀攀⸀挀漀洀