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Vol. 77 No. 14
Inside This Week THE VOICE OF BUSINESS
NEWS...............4 Fire department rescues snake from condo blaze
April 1, 2021
State Farm Stadium vaccine site ‘a free-for-all’ BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI Glendale Star Executive Editor
Joel Coen went for his COVID-19 vaccination at State Farm Stadium on March 24, the day appointments opened to those 16 and older. He thought he would receive his vaccination within an hour, just like his friends and family did at other locations. During his three-hour wait at the staterun location, he saw lines of cars that stretched past the football stadium, Gila River Arena and beyond Tanger Outlets; a bus crash into a car; folks cutting in lines; and unruly behavior that included the theft of Cardinals and ASU signs. “It was horrendous,” Coen said. “Nobody was directing traffic. At one point, I took a couple of photos. A bus was stuck and trying to move, and it hit a car while I was sitting there.
“I thought, ‘What in the world is happening right now?’ It was just pandemonium. I was talking to a friend at the time, and I saw someone steal an ASU sign. It was a freefor-all.” He said he called the Glendale Police Department, and he felt he wasn’t taken seriously. “They said, ‘State Farm will have to figure it out. We don’t have enough resources,’” he recalled. “I said, ‘You guys are going to have some serious problems soon.’” The Glendale Police Department didn’t respond to questions before deadline.
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When Joel Coen went for his COVID-19 vaccination at State Farm Stadium on March 24, he saw lines of cars that stretched past the football stadium, Gila River Arena and beyond Tanger Outlets; a bus crash into a car; folks cutting in lines; and unruly behavior that included the theft of Cardinals and ASU signs. (Photo courtesy of Joel Coen)
Glendale school finds in-person learning a blessing BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI Glendale Star Executive Editor
BUSINESS .... 12 Community Tire Pros celebrates three decades
OPINION..................... 10 SPORTS .......................11 BUSINESS.................. 12 FEATURES.................. 17 RELIGION ................... 20 YOUTH........................ 22 CLASSIFIEDS ............. 23
Glendale American School Principal Dr. Amy Troutt hasn’t seen a school year like this one, but it’s not the typical answer. “This may sound weird to say, but it’s been one of the best years yet,” said Troutt, whose school opened to hybrid learning in October. In a hybrid learning model, half of the school’s students attended at a time. Students with last names starting with A-L arrived Monday and Thursday, and those with last names starting with M-Z came Tuesday and Friday. Parents were asked to
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send students to school after 7:20 a.m. and to pick them up by 1 p.m. On Monday, March 22, Glendale American School, like many other schools, returned to full in-person learning. “We had the chance to practice with half students,” Troutt added. “It’s gone so smoothly. Before the gate opened, I had more students on campus, which is typical for a first day of school — a third first day of school, that is. “I was out front, just hanging out with the kids, and naturally they’re standing 6 feet apart. They were bright and happy and ready to go. The last year has changed
their world. They get it. They understand the world has changed. Kids are just OK with that. They’re excited and wanting to be here.” When she full in-person learning to her educators, she added, “They just looked at me and said, ‘We got this.’” “It’s been so cool. Our educators are doing good things every day.” The staff’s acceptance is a testament to Troutt’s work ethic, but she noted they make her better. “One of the beautiful things about the last year is I had more time with my clas-
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