State will fight quarantines
Gilbert man helps Africans
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An edition of the East Valley Tribune
INSIDE
This Week
NEWS.................................3 Houses are coming to an East Valley landmark.
COMMUNITY........ 23 Highland football gets more national love.
GETOUT.................... 30 Where to party on New Year’s Eve.
COMMUNITY........................................12 BUSINESS............................................. 16 SPORTS..................................................23 GETOUT................................................ 30 CLASSIFIEDS.......................................34
FREE ($1 OUTSIDE OF GILBERT) | GilbertSunNews.com
Sunday, December 26, 2021
2021 in Gilbert: Covid, change, clashes GSN NEWS STAFF
W
hile 2021 is bookended by COVID-19, Gilbert is decidedly different from what it was a year ago, when lockdowns and closed school campuses were the order of the day. More apartments and houses have arrived and still more were approved for the coming couple years. Town Hall is closed for major renovation but town government has a new leader. Schools welcomed students
into classrooms but the coronavirus still divides the community. And more businesses opened their doors. Here’s a look at some of the year’s highlights. January The town saw a new mayor in four years with Brigette Peterson taking her oath of office, but midway into her first year on the job, she was hit with allegations of ethics violations from a Town employee and three residents. Peterson, who previously served a term
on the Council and over a decade on the Planning Commission, was faulted for exercising poor judgment at times but cleared of any wrongdoing by an independent attorney and Council opted not to discipline her. Construction began on the Lindsay Road Interchange, a joint project between Arizona Department of Transportation and the Town. Completion of the project was anticipated for 2022, though supply-line disrup-
Oooo la la Town logo designer: You can’t please everyone
see YEAR END page 6
BY CECILIA CHAN GSN Managing Editor
I
t hasn’t been an open-arm embrace of Gilbert’s logo since Town Council approved it a year ago this month. While some in the community liked the abstract “G” monogram with its vibrant orange, blue and yellow colors, others have been less than kind in sharing their views of the newly minted symbol that replaced the 20-year-old logo that looked like a swirl and likened by many as a “toilet flush.” “People are comfortable with what they have, whether it’s good or not,” said Douglas Bell, owner and creative director of BrandLoyal in Phoenix. “Lot of times people aren’t open for change, which is fine. But the long game is people are really going to grow into it and understand it more.” Town staff first announced in October 2018 its intention to
see LOGO page 4
Gilbert French Bulldog Kobe was named Frenchie of the Year for 2021 by Mayor Brigette Peterson last week in a competition sponsored by Frenchie Pizza at 3765 S. Gilbert Road, beating out four other dogs in the promotional contest. One contestant couldn’t make it because she gave birth to seven puppies the morning of the event. (David Minton/GSN Staff Photographer)
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