Back to School: Special section inside
Hopefuls tackle growth, borrowing
An edition of the East Valley Tribune
INSIDE
This Week
COMMUNITY ............ 16
Desert Ridge High School students examine restaurants' impact on the environment.
BUSINESS .................... 19
Gilbert swimming pool restoration company helps retired veteran.
GETOUT .........................21
Thai Chili 2 GO brings its Asian cuisine to San Tan Village. COMMUNITY.................16
BUSINESS ......................19 OPINION .......................20 GETOUT ......................... 21
CLASSIFIED .................. 23
FREE ($1 OUTSIDE OF GILBERT) | GilbertSunNews.com
Growth drives public safety training needs BY JIM WALSH GSN Staff Writer
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ilbert’s police and fire departments are coming of age in more ways than one. As the town grows into a major municipality police and fire officials have few other options than to pursue construction of a joint training facility. Gilbert’s public safety agencies have grown into major departments and need training facilities of their own to replenish their ranks as veteran officers and firefighters reach retirement age, said Police Chief Mike Soelberg and Assistant Fire Chief Rob Duggan. In many ways, Gilbert’s police and fire departments are following a similar path as Chandler’s police and fire departments – though the town is several steps behind that city. While Gilbert is seeking voter approval for funding, Chandler is opening the first phase of its new Public Safety Training Center this week. The importance of such training cannot be overstated, Soelberg and Duggan said. Police and firefighters must perform under stress in the proper manner because mistakes can have catastrophic results. Police are under greater scrutiny than ever before, with expectations high as their actions recorded by body cameras are examined and critiqued by the public.
see PUBLIC SAFETY page 4
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Sunday, July 15, 2018
Gilbert teen an Olympian in and out of the pool BY WAYNE SCHUTSKY GSN Managing Editor
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y all accounts, 2018 has been a banner year for Max Reyn-
olds. The Gilbert High student walked with his graduating class, competed as a member of the school’s swim team and won two gold medals on national television in the Special Olympics. Max has autistic spectrum disorder but has not let the diagnosis stop him from achieving impressive accomplishments. Rather, the young Gilbert resident has excelled at both athletics and school during his time at Gilbert High. “I want to show that anyone can be great and accomplish anything,” he said. (Special to GSN) The Gilbert swimmer Gilbert High student Max Reynolds waves to spectators after winning a gold made good on that goal at medal at the Special Olympics Games USA recently. He won the gold in both the Special Olympics USA the 100-meter and 50-meter freestyle swimming events. Games in Seattle, where he to be in the Mr. Wonderful Pageant at Gilbert medaled in all three competitions he swam High School. in – taking gold in his division in both the 100 “He’s come a long way,” his mother, Pam, meter and 50-meter freestyle events. said, noting that Max was nonverbal until he Max mirrored that success in the classroom was 6 and had many behavioral issues early despite receiving a prognosis early in life that in his life. he would not move past a third-grade level. He Max also recently became an Eagle Scout recently passed geometry with a 102 percent. see OLYMPIAN page 4 Max was also nominated twice by his peers