Glendale’s Community Newspaper
Vol. 77 No. 13
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NEWS...............5 Walmart arson subject arrested by police
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March 25, 2021
Judge Finn set to retire from city court BY JAKARIA ROSS
“It doesn’t have to be 40 hours a week, but I Presiding Judge Elizaam not looking to retire beth Finn is retiring after 58 and not work.” years of service with mulFinn spent most of tiple courts, including the her early career workGlendale City and Phoenix ing with her parents, Municipal courts. performing clerical Facing several challenges tasks in her father’s law in her last year, such as illfirm at age 13. ness in the pandemic, Finn “My dad was a lawis set to leave the bench yer,” Finn said. “I startMarch 25. She is the state’s ed working in his law longest-serving judge. firm doing the filing. I “I never wanted to be Court judges and staff, including Presiding Judge Elizabeth Finn, center, wear purple to think he did it to try to a judge. It was a terrible support domestic violence victims pre-pandemic. (Photo courtesy of city of Glendale) persuade me not to be fluke, but I found my passion when I be- work in fields she’s passionate about — an attorney, but it didn’t work. I ended up came a judge,” Finn said. mental health, homelessness and domestic doing the billing and receiving. My mother “I always say that I’ve been able to do violence. did all the legal research for the law firm. more off of the bench than I’ve been able “I’d like to stay in the judicial arena, so When ASU law school opened up in 1967, to do on the bench in an individual trial.” I’ll be looking for something in those ar- she was in the founding class. I was there During her retirement, Finn plans to eas or a combination of them,” Finn said. SEE JUDGE PAGE 4
Glendale Star Staff Writer
West Valley freeways pave way for economic growth BY MARCUS BRAITHWAITE
NEWS............ 16 Mountain Ridge track is ready to ‘impose’
OPINION..................... 10 BUSINESS.................. 14 SPORTS ...................... 16 FEATURES.................. 18 RELIGION ................... 20 YOUTH........................ 22 CLASSIFIEDS ............. 24
Glendale Star Contributing Writer
The West Valley has become a driving force for economic growth in Arizona, and the region is staying in the fast lane with development along five hot business corridors. Its proximity to California ports and strategic connections to Mexico and the CANAMEX Corridor historically have provided the West Valley with the ability to attract companies and workforce talent — but now, those opportunities are boom-
The Glendale
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ing as significant freeway development and advanced industry corridors circle the western suburbs. According to Sintra Hoffman, president and CEO of WESTMARC, there is more than 11 million square feet of approved square footage for office, entertainment, health care and retail and other advanced industries along freeway frontage in the West Valley. These key commerce corridors, Hoffman said, highlight diverse and industry-specific uses, such as health care, advanced
business services, information technology, manufacturing, engineering and aerospace, and logistics and supply-chain management. The region serves as a major transportation hub and access point via roughly 200 miles of freeway frontage along the Loops 101, 202 and 303 and Interstates 10 and 17. Rick Buss, economic development director for the city of Peoria, agreed that transportation is a key component to long-
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