July 2015
Relentlessly local coverage of Gilbert and our neighboring communities
Birds of a feather
Buddy, a blue-and-yellow macaw, shares a moment with Aurie Pike at Joe’s Farm Grill.
Supreme Court rules sign ordinance unconstitutional
Station 7 to provide faster response times
BY KEN ABRAMCZYK
BY TAMARA JUAREZ
Good News Presbyterian’s Rev. Clyde Reed said he only wanted to inform the public of the church’s Sunday services and location. Little did he know that his church’s legal challenge of the Town of Gilbert’s sign ordinance would roll its way through U.S. district and circuit courts and land in the legal lap of the U.S. Supreme Court. The justices ruled unanimously recently on the side of the church that the Town of Gilbert had violated the First Amendment by placing limits on the size of signs announcing church services. The ordinance had various restrictions on signs, allowing for political signs up to 32 square feet and up to 60 days after The Rev. Clyde Reed speaks on the U.S. a general election, ideological signs up to Supreme Court ruling in favor of church 20 square feet and for an indefinite time, signage while his wife stands in support. GSN SEE UNCONSTITUTIONAL PAGE 6
The Town of Gilbert celebrated the relocation of Fire Station 7 on June 20 with a grand opening and ribbon cutting. The new two-story, threebay station at 625 W. Warner Rd. was moved more than a mile closer to town to keep response times under 4 minutes. Previously, firefighters arrived in about 5 minutes. The decision to build the station was made after extensive data analysis, which determined the new location would Town of Gilbert officials said the relocation of a fire station boost efficiency and cut will lower response times and increase safety for on-duty SEE STATION 7 PAGE 4
photo by Tim Sealy
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firefighters. Submitted photo
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