THE NEWSPAPER OF AVONDALE, BUCKEYE, GOODYEAR, LITCHFIELD PARK & TOLLESON Buckeye The Wigwam Valley DAR hosts names ‘Good Easter Citizens’ egg hunt PAGE
23
PAGE
westvalleyview.com
INSIDE
This Week
NEWS .............. 8 Microsoft reveals Goodyear plans
SPORTS ........ 16 Father coaching sons on Verrado baseball team
9 DAYS ......... 18 Looking for something to do? Check out the 9 Days a Week calendar
LETTERS ........................11 BUSINESS..................... 14 SPORTS ..........................16 FEATURES .....................20 NEIGHBORHOOD......23 YOUTH ...........................25 OBITUARIES .................27 CLASSIFIEDS................28 SOUTH
25
The Voice of the West Valley for 34 years
May 1, 2019
Hickman’s controversy goes national with documentary BY CONNOR DZIAWURA
West Valley View Managing Editor
Tonopah residents and activists who have been fighting against nearby Hickman’s Family Farms operations for around half a decade just got a national boost via the documentary “Right to Harm.” Residents allege adverse health and other issues as a direct result of Hickman’s presence in their community. One of the film’s focal points, Sonia Lopez, reported her son’s health improved when they moved 26 miles away from Hickman’s. The film, which was recently screened by ASU’s Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability, covers five stories in eight states and a host of residents who live near concentrated animal feed operations (CAFOs). The lengthy Hickman’s situation, which spans Tonopah and Arlington, is one portion of the film. In the documentary some residents living close to CAFOs across the nation claim they have developed rashes and, potentially, cancer. Water pollutants and odors have been reported, along with decreased property values. As a result, homes can be difficult to sell. According to the documentary’s website, CAFOs release more than 160 toxins, including ammonia and hydrogen sulfide. Ammonia exposure can cause watery eyes, scratchy throat, coughing and tight-
Tonopah resident Dan Mack, left, is interviewed for “Right to Harm” by directors Matt Wechsler and Annie Speicher. (Photo courtesy Right to Harm)
ness in the chest. Additionally, the website reports CAFOs can generate as much feces and urine as a small city. And when raw animal waste is used as fertilizer, groundwater can be contaminated with nitrates, E. coli, rotavirus and campylobacter. Fans can also blow contaminants into the air. “As a filmmaker, I will say that any documentary film is made by a filmmaker
or by an artist, so it does have a point of view. I’m certainly willing to admit that,” said co-director and cinematographer Matt Wechsler during a Q&A after the screening at Tempe’s Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. “The point of this film is to show people in America that it’s not right to produce food in a way that is inequitable for some
Hickman...continued on page 4
66 West Valley schools at risk for measles outbreak BY JORDAN HOUSTON
West Valley View Staff Writer
At a time when state vaccination rates are on the decline, 66 elementary schools in the West Valley are at risk for a measles outbreak. Using data from the Arizona Depart-
ment of Health Services, the West Valley View found that 66 schools in Avondale, Buckeye, Glendale, Goodyear, Litchfield Park, Peoria and Tolleson have less than 95% of their kindergartners vaccinated for Measles Mumps Rubella. The Center for Disease Control and Pre-
MEDICATION ASSISTED DRUG & ALCOHOL DEPENDENCY TREATMENT
Suboxone • Vivitrol • Counseling
vention says coverage rates below that number no longer protect those who can’t be vaccinated — such as babies, people with certain medical conditions and pregnant women.
Measles...continued on page 2
7331 E. Osborn, Suite 410, Scottsdale, AZ 85251 www.truesolutionshealth.com
CALL (480) 550.7842 FOR A CONFIDENTIAL CONSULTATION