THE NEWSPAPER OF AVONDALE, BUCKEYE, GOODYEAR, LITCHFIELD PARK & TOLLESON
Wildlife World Zoo introduces new giraffe PAGE
WV couple melds paint and wine PAGE
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westvalleyview.com
INSIDE
This Week
NEWS .............. 4 Vietnam vet heals others with 12-step program
The Voice of the West Valley for 32 years
World Golf Hall of Fame member Marilynn Smith
9 DAYS ......... 17 Looking for something to do? Check out the 9 Days a Week calendar
LETTERS ..........................9 BUSINESS..................... 12 SPORTS ..........................15 FEATURES .....................19 NEIGHBORHOOD......22 YOUTH ...........................24 OBITUARIES .................26 CLASSIFIEDS................27 NORTH
March 14, 2018
Luke Days brings the Blue Angels back to Valley By Sherry Jackson Fighter jets screaming through the air, tours of historic aircraft and parachute teams descending from the sky are some of the activities planned for Saturday, March 17, and Sunday, March 18, at Luke Air Force Base’s Luke Days. Organizers wanted to give the public a “more robust and dynamic experience” this year. Therefore, they invited the U.S. Navy Blue Angels aerial demonstration team to headline for the first time since 1992. “The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds aerial team had a change in command after their schedule was published. Luke Days was the first show of their 2018 season,” said Kiley Dougherty, 56th Fighter Wing, chief of media operations. “But the Thunderbirds canceled because they were not going to have enough practice in with the new team changes. Once we were informed of the cancellation, we asked the U.S. Navy Blue Angels if they had an opening in their schedule and they did.”
The Blue Angels
SPORTS ........ 15
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The Blue Angels team will perform for nearly 30 minutes each day with in-flight acrobatics reaching speeds up to 700 miles per hour and flying as close together as 18 inches. The Blue Angels are the nation’s oldest flight team (since 1946) and is considered one of the world’s greatest aero-
U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds perform at Luke Days in 2016. (West Valley View file photo)
batic demonstration teams. Lt. Dave Steppe, events coordinator with the Blue Angels, said the team is “excited” and really looking forward to performing at Luke AFB. The Blue Angels understand Luke AFB is “Air Force country” and the Thunderbirds usually are the ones to perform at the show, he said, but with the scheduling
conflict, they’re “happy they can be there and grateful for the opportunity to perform.” “The area is a first time for many on the team,” Steppe said. “There will be a lot of opportunity while were there. We want to soak up the city and the base as much as we
Luke...continued on page 6
Freeway crews prepare to move on South Mountain Park By Paul Maryniak The Arizona Department of Transportation and Connect202Partners are beginning one of the most controversial phases of the South Mountain Freeway project. ADOT recently announced crews are setting the stage for construction of the freeway’s 3-mile “central segment” through the southwestern edge of South Mountain Park. The eight-lane highway will require Connect202Partners, the consortium of companies that is designing and building
the freeway, to cut a 200-foot-wide swath across three peaks. That plan has been vehemently opposed by the Gila River Indian Community and nearly two dozen Southwestern U.S. tribes because Native Americans consider South Mountain a sacred site. However, the tribes failed to convince federal courts that highway planners had not conducted sufficient study to avoid what Native Americans called the desecration of the mountain, which they call “Muhadagi doag.”
The 22-mile freeway is envisioned as a detour around I-10’s heavily congested Horseshoe Curve and downtown Phoenix by connecting the 59th Avenue and Chandler interchanges on the interstate. The $1.7-billion freeway – the most expensive highway project in state history – is scheduled to be completed near the end of next year. The initial work signals an acceleration of the project. Up till now, crews have
Freeway...continued on page 2