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Gilbert's Boys of Summer slug away PAGE 38
An edition of the East Valley Tribune
INSIDE
This Week
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Sunday, July 1, 2018
At 14, he's a new ASU student BY WAYNE SCHUTSKY GSN Managing Editor
NEWS.............................14 Higley High is hosting Gilbert's Independence Day fireworks, and the skies will light up across the East Valley.
BUSINESS ..................30 High-end storage facilities are making their presence in Gilbert.
T
hough he cannot even drive a car yet, 14-year-old Maxwell Manning has already graduated from Mesa Community College and is preparing to attend Arizona State University. The Gilbert resident took a variety of classes at five schools in the Maricopa County Community College system and now plans to pursue undergraduate degrees in biology and math, with the end goal of earning a masters or doctorate in zoology so he can pursue a career in primatology. While at MCC, he was one of four students from the school chosen for the All-Arizona Academic Team, which earned him a tuition waver to Arizona’s state universities. “Max was great in the class and good in a group,” said Dr. Arta Damnjanovic, biology professor at Mesa Community College. “He really had an intent for being here. He was here to get something done.” She said, “It is very unusual for any stu-
(Kimberly Carrillo/GSN Staff Photographer.)
Maxwell Manning of Gilbert, pictured with his pet walaroo, will enter Arizona State University this fall after graduating from Mesa Community College at age 14.
dent to show that excitement and enthusiasm throughout the semester.” Maxwell’s love for animals was fostered by the environment he grew up in. His family’s big yellow house in north Gilbert is home
to an eclectic collection of animals, including dogs, a micro pig, a beehive, ant colonies, chickens, ducks and even a walaroo – a
noon was a six-foot-tall chain-link fence and a sign notifying visitors that the complex of replica major league fields and stadiums was closed for repairs. It’s going to stay that way for awhile as Gilbert attempts to somehow awaken from its pseudo-major league baseball nightmare, rebuilding a complex that cost $40 million only 10 years ago. That nightmare has included major construction flaws almost from the time the venue opened, a longstanding payment dispute with
a California chain of baseball-themed sports parks, the venue’s sudden shutdown a year ago this month and a protracted lawsuit. Nevertheless, Gilbert is committed to staging a dramatic ninth-inning comeback for the sports park near Elliot and Power roads. While Gilbert’s children can still dream about playing in the big leagues, it’s clear they won’t be playing anymore at a park called Big League Dreams.
see MAX page 5
Town’s Big League Nightmare continues GETOUT ...................... 44 Nicantoni's pizzeria is Gilbert's new hot spot.
COMMUNITY.............. 23 BUSINESS ...................30 OPINION ..................... 36 SPORTS ....................... 38 GETOUT ......................44 CLASSIFIED ................. 51
by Jim Walsh GSN Staff Writer
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he tattered flags above the scoreboard at Gilbert’s version of Wrigley Field were blowing out, a welcome sight for hitters and a nightmare for pitchers, just like the real thing in Chicago. But the unmistakable thud of a ball hitting a bat was absent, as was the joyful sound of children at play. The most dominant feature at Gilbert’s Elliot District Park on this quiet after-
see LEAGUE page 8