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THE NEWSPAPER OF AVONDALE, BUCKEYE, GOODYEAR, LITCHFIELD PARK & TOLLESON
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INSIDE
This Week
Prosecutor speaks up to save lives BY TOM SCANLON
West Valley View Managing Editor
NEWS .............. 3 Goodyear celebrates its 75th birthday
FEATURES .... 15 Ballet teams with Goodyear for virtual show
YOUTH ......... 18 Local Boys and Girls clubs get support
OPINION ................. 9 BUSINESS.............. 13 SPORTS ..................14 FEATURES ..............15 YOUTH ..................18 OBITUARIES ...........19 CLASSIFIEDS ..........21 WEST
January 20, 2021
The Voice of the West Valley for 35 years
In two decades as a Maricopa County prosecuting attorney, Gina Godbehere has seen some grisly crime scenes. Though her main function is to prove guilt in court, she takes a boots-on-the-ground approach, arriving at murder scenes as police are still identifying witnesses and investigators taking photos of those who were living just minutes before. Godbehere investigates dozens of homicides each year and has seen it all — shootings, stabbings, horrific car wrecks. What she saw five years ago at Independence High School in Glendale buckled her knees: Two 15-year-olds were dead after a murder-suicide. When she arrived at the campus the morning of Feb. 12, 2016, police officers were putting up crime scene tape and helicopters flying overhead. “What was different was all of the parents in the blocked-off areas. You could just see in their faces the sense of urgency,” Godbehere said.
She paused in her description to compose herself. “I’m a mother of two girls and can’t imagine that happening to my daughters — the school is on lockdown and a lot of anxiety, figuring out what we had and making sure the school was safe,” she said. As the investigation unfolded, it only disturbed the veteran prosecutor more. “In the days after, we heard there was some indication that (the shooter) had got a gun and had some conversations with other people. But nobody took that threat seriously,” Godbehere said. “When you think about that, with almost every shooting that occurs it’s the same story: When you look back, there’s warning signs.” Another reason the Independence High tragedy hit Godbehere so hard was it was in her backyard. She was raised in Peoria and educated in Glendale, first at Cactus High, then at Glendale Community College. She moved to then-sleepy Goodyear two decades
Speak...continued on page 2
Gina Godbehere, right, a Maricopa County prosecuting attorney, is one of the founders of Speak Up, Stand Up, Save a Life. She is shown at a previous conference with co-founder and Pendergast Superintendent Dr. Lily Matos DeBlieux, left, and keynote speaker Jeremy Anderson. (Photo courtesy Speak Up, Stand Up, Save a Life)
1B vaccine expands as COVID-19 rages
BY TOM SCANLON
West Valley View Managing Editor
Pandemic pessimists and oasis optimists alike have reason to dig into their views. COVID-19 continues to ravage the West Valley, with a stunning acceleration of the spread over the last week.
West Valley coronavirus numbers surged far past the marker of 100 cases per 100,000 in a one-week period that is considered “substantial spread.” Litchfield Park and Waddell topped 800 cases per 100,000, Buckeye and Goodyear went over 900 cases per 100,000, and Avondale and Tolleson breached 1,000 COVID-19
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cases per 100,000 over the last week. The West Valley cities showed a 50% increase compared to the previous week, according to Maricopa County figures. According to Centers for Disease Control
Vaccine...continued on page 4
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