THE NEWSPAPER OF AVONDALE, BUCKEYE, GOODYEAR, LITCHFIELD PARK & TOLLESON Waddell Happy New historian Year from pens White the chamber Tank guide of commerce PAGE
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This Week
The Voice of the West Valley for 33 years
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January 2, 2019
Air Force vet given home in Tolleson By Connor Dziawura
NEWS .............. 7 LP man indicted in child exploitation case
SPORTS ........ 16 PebbleCreek community expands golf course
9 DAYS ......... 17 Looking for something to do? Check out the 9 Days a Week calendar
LETTERS ........................10 BUSINESS..................... 12 SPORTS ..........................14 FEATURES .....................18 NEIGHBORHOOD......20 YOUTH ...........................22 OBITUARIES .................23 CLASSIFIEDS................24 NORTH
The holidays are a time of giving, and Miles Morell learned that in a big way just days before Christmas. Thanks to a caring community, the U.S. Air Force Security Forces veteran was presented with a brand new, fully furnished two-bedroom home within the new Christopher Todd Communities at Country Place complex in Tolleson. An excited Morell called it a blessing. “I wasn’t able to help move. They wouldn’t let me, because they did not want me to see the place. So, already you’re anticipating, ‘Oh, what’s it going to look like?’” Morell said with a grin. “When I came in, it just looks amazing.” Morell, 26, originally of Tucson, enlisted after high school. He spent six years with the Air Force, going on two tours, and estimates having spent approximately three years and eight months of this time away. He has served in Kuwait and Afghanistan, and was honorably discharged in 2016. He suffers from PTSD. “I chose not to re-enlist because I spent so much time already away from my boys that I wanted to come out and be a father full-time,” explained Morell, a single father of Keoni, 7, and Zayd, 2. Upon entering the home, Morell and his sons appeared amazed and grateful at the furnishings and décor, as well as a fully decorated Christmas tree and baked treats on the kitchen counter. “I felt great,” Keoni offered succinct-
U.S. Air Force veteran Miles Morell, second from right, was given a home in Tolleson by Christopher Todd Communities. Also pictured are, from left, Kathy Page, communications manager; Morell’s sons, Keoni, 7, and Zayd, 2; and Chad Bowman, vice president of operations. (West Valley View photo by Pablo Robles)
ly when asked how the new home made him feel. He expressed excitement over seeing his new bedroom and camouflage-sheet-laden bunk bed.
Through Christopher Todd Communities’ A New Lease on Life program, Mo-
Veteran...continued on page 2
Verrado baseball alum dies in car crash By Eric Newman
Verrado High School graduate and University of Sioux Falls freshman baseball player Nicholas Breckyn Montaño is remembered as a caring student who excelled at anything he set his mind to. Montaño, 18, died Saturday, December 15, in a one-vehicle car crash at the intersection of west I-10 frontage road and
north Cotton Lane in Goodyear while home on Christmas break. A Nissan passenger vehicle, driven by an 18-year-old man from Glendale, failed to stop at the intersection, said Quentin Mehr with the Department of Public Safety. Driving through the intersection, the vehicle struck the orange plastic jersey barrier on Cotton Lane. The driver and the
front seat passenger were transported from the scene and admitted to a local hospital for severe injuries. Montaño, the backseat passenger, died at the scene from his injuries. The crash is being investigated. “As talented as he was between the lines,
Alum...continued on page 3