Glendale’s Community Newspaper
Vol. 76 No. 16
INSIDE
This Week
www.glendalestar.com
Demand falling, dairies dump milk BY SARA EDWARDS
Glendale Star Staff Writer
NEWS...............4 Love thy neighbor - but from a safe distance
April 16, 2020
As a dairy farmer, there’s nothing Paul Rovey loves more than seeing a kid drink a glass of milk. But lately, Rovey’s stomach goes sour as he watches his workers do what once was unthinkable and now is routine: dumping milk. Rovey Dairy in Glendale is not the only one. Fellow West Valley dairy farmers Bill Kerr in Goodyear and Jen Millican of Stotz Dairy in Buckeye are also pouring perfectly good milk down the drain. “We’re dumping milk right now that has no home,” Kerr said. “Those milk trucks that you see on the road? “We’re dumping 20 of those a day.” The past few weeks have been es-
pecially painful for the dairy farms as restaurants and schools are closing or scaling back to prevent the further spread of COVID-19. Grocers limiting milk purchases by customers also created a problem of too much supply, causing farmers to dump milk. Rovey took over the family dairy farm in 1978. He said while dairy farms have seen a decrease in demand due to milk alternatives like almond and soy milk, the farms are being hit especially hard with the pandemic. Rovey said cows produce milk all day, every day. “We can’t stop milking the cows, and when we have the demand decrease drastically, then we have all this milk that has to get disposed of,” he said. SEE MILK PAGE 3
Cows don’t stop, so Rovey Farms in Glendale and other dairy farmers have been dumping milk, due to falling demand.
(Photo courtesy Rovey Farms)
Glendale has more than 80 COVID-19 cases BUSINESS ... 14 Unemployment skyrockets, but companies are hiring
OPINION..................... 12 BUSINESS.................. 14 FEATURES.................. 16 YOUTH........................ 17 RELIGION ................... 18 CLASSIFIEDS ............. 20
BY TOM SCANLON
Glendale Star Managing Editor
Data from the state’s new COVID-19 ZIP code map shows Peoria-Glendale zip code 85382 with 71 positive cases April 14 — the most in state, slightly ahead of 85714 in Tucson, which had 70 cases. Though some parts of 85382 may have Glendale mailing addresses, all of the ZIP code is in Peoria, said Glendale Mayor Jerry Weiers. “We understand Peoria’s ZIP code 85382 borders Glendale’s northwestern
boundaries and according to recent data, it shows a higher number of COVID-19 cases,” Weiers said. “We wish our neighbors to the west a speedy recovery and Glendale will keep doing what we are doing, following the CDC recommendations and governor’s orders.” Yet even if 85382 isn’t Glendale, it’s quite close. The Glendale shops at Arrowhead Towne Center are across Bell Road from their Peoria 85382 competitors. And Abrazo Arrowhead Hospital in Glendale is just a few blocks away from
the 85382 neighborhood Glendale 85308, which includes Abrazo Arrowhead, had 28 positive COVID-19 cases as of April 14. Other ZIP codes in Glendale with COVID-19 cases include 85303, 12; 85301, 30; and 85302, 15. The total of those four gives Glendale 85 COVID-19 positive results, although those numbers can be misleading, as ZIP codes can be split between cities — like 85308, which includes part of Phoenix.
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SEE MAP PAGE 2