Bill curbs racism teaching
Ex-cop loses gun, badge
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An edition of the East Valley Tribune
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This Week
INSIDE: HEALTH & WELLNESS
NEWS................................ 4 Town panel likes Heritage North hotel, apartments..
COMMUNITY......... 14 Gilbert nonprofit’s gala would fund a dream.
COMMUNITY....................................... 14 BUSINESS............................................. 18 SPORTS..................................................26 PUZZLE.................................................. 27 CLASSIFIEDS...................................... 30
FREE ($1 OUTSIDE OF GILBERT) | GilbertSunNews.com
Sunday, January 23, 2022
Her $5M claim rejected, woman sues town BY CECILIA CHAN GSN Managing Editor
A
woman who said she fell on a “defectively designed” sidewalk while roller skating at Gilbert Regional Park is suing the Town after her $5 million was rejected.. Billie Jean Federico initially filed a claim last July, stating she sustained severe damages, including ongoing medical expenses, depression, wage loss and diminished earning capacity. After the claim was denied, her
attorney Robert Lewis filed suit against Gilbert on Dec. 22. Lewis did not respond to a call for comment. Maricopa County and Flood Control District of Maricopa County also were named because 225 acres of Gilbert Regional Park sits in the Chandler Heights Basin, which is owned by Flood Control. The Town has an agreement with the county to use the land for free. Federico was injured on Jan. 29, 2021, while leaving the regional park on her roller skates, the suit states.
Gilbert homicide victim, 22, fondly remembered
BY CECILIA CHAN GSN Managing Editor
T
he victim of Gilbert’s first reported homicide of 2022 was remembered last week for her kindness, beautiful soul and sense of humor by her family and friends. Raeanna Ferguson, 22, was found fatally shot Jan. 5 inside her home in the 3000 block of San Remo Avenue at the Carol Rae Ranch neighborhood. “It’s just a tragic experience
for the family,” said attorney Jack Skousen, who spoke on behalf of Ferguson’s mother. “I ask that the family’s privacy be respected.” Dwayne M. Toone, 46, was arrested on suspicion of shooting the young mother twice, once in the face, on Jan. 17. Though he had been apprehended the day after the slaying in an unidentified Mesa home, he had been taken to the hospital after police found
see FERGUSON page 7
Young Duffer
see SUIT page 8
Hayden McCarthy, 3, learns how to swing a club from her father, James McCarthy, as Parker and Theo Jones and their dad, Zack Jones, watched at McQueen Park in Gilbert Jan. 15 during the Junior Golf Association of Arizona’s Itty Bitty Open, a free session aimed at introducing tots to the game. (David Minton/GSN Staff Photographer)
Inspiring Excellence in Every Learner
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“As she got to the parking lot, while on the sidewalk outside the entry/exit to the park, Billie Jean’s roller skate got caught in a defectively designed, constructed and maintained sidewalk joint,” the claim said. “Ms. Federico was unaware that the joint was wider and deeper than other joints in the sidewalk.” According to the claim, Gilbert Fire and Rescued arrived to find Federico “in noticeable pain” that she described as 10 out of 10 and was given nasal pain management.
