West Valley View - North Zone - 04.20.2022

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THE NEWSPAPER OF AVONDALE, BUCKEYE, GOODYEAR, LITCHFIELD PARK & TOLLESON

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This Week

NEWS .............. 3 New law counters ‘shameful medical billing’

FEATURES ..... 23 WV woman grows Desert Edge choir program

YOUTH .......... 27 West Point mariachi singer defies the odds

OPINION ...............14 BUSINESS.............. 18 SPORTS ..................20 CALENDAR ............21 FEATURES ..............22 OBITUARIES ...........25 YOUTH ..................26 CLASSIFIEDS ..........28 NORTH

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19 April 20, 2022

Heck’s new classroom due to $100K donation BY LAUREN SERRATO

West Valley View Staff Writer

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s the West Valley continues to grow, schools are doing their best to keep up with the increasing population and cater to the large number of new students each school year. Part of that effort is adding new projects on campus, including beautification and upkeep to attract new families. L. Thomas Heck Middle School received a $100,000 donation at the end of 2021 to assist that effort. “It was such an amazing surprise when I found out about it,” said Kristin Casillas, principal of L. Thomas Heck Middle School. “It was an incredibly exciting gift. That’s a huge amount of money for a school to use, unrestricted, to do what you want with it.” The donation came from Fosters Outriders, an organization that approached Dr. Thomas Heck, the previous superintendent of the Litchfield Elementary School District, about

wanting to give back to the community. As he played a major role in arranging the donation, Heck was given the opportunity to help decide where the money was allocated. Heck, however, wanted the students and staff to have the ultimate voice as to what they wanted to see in their school. “He told us to take it to the teachers, take it to the students, get their input, and that’s exactly what we did,” Casillas said. “We asked each homeroom class to brainstorm a list of ideas. The two areas we gave them were campus beautification and enrichment opportunities for students, because those are the things that in speaking with our students and our staff that were lacking on our campus. We wanted our students to be proud of their school and enjoy being here.” Based on the student feedback, two major projects are in the works on campus: an outdoor classroom and a community garden.

Heck...continued on page 4

L. Thomas Heck Middle School is working on two projects: an outdoor classroom and a community garden. (L. Thomas Heck Middle School/Submitted)

Goodyear police lieutenant’s termination upheld BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI West Valley View Executive Editor

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oodyear City Manager Julie Karins upheld the termination of Dwayne Pollard, a former Goodyear police lieutenant, on April 11. On Nov. 19, 2021, Pollard was terminated for violating department policies when it came to how he processed multiple death investigations.

Pollard appealed his termination, which was heard by an independent hearing officer. Following the hearing and upon review of all facts presented in the case, the hearing officer recommended to the city manager that Pollard’s appeal be denied and that the termination be sustained. The cases involved 11 natural death investigations in which Pollard examined the deceased individuals in a way that’s

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not consistent with what’s expected with these types of cases. The department’s policy said the medical examiner is generally the only person permitted to move, handle, search or remove a person known to be deceased. An officer can make a reasonable search of an individual who is believed to be de-

Police...continued on page 4

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