Glendale’s Community Newspaper
www.glendalestar.com
Vol. 77 No. 32
INSIDE
This Week THE VOICE OF BUSINESS
NEWS...............8 City names engineering services director
August 5, 2021
Family remembers couple killed in Kansas crash BY TYLER WEGLEITNER Glendale Star Staff Writer
Brianna Carrasco remembers her mother, Brenda Carrasco, as a kind-hearted soul who was always there for her and her three siblings. She knew she could depend on her mom for anything. “She was supportive, she was always there for us, very caring. She was our goto person,” Brianna said. “She was loving and forgiving, and we were her world, so she would do anything for us.” Kansas television station KAKE reported that Brenda Carrasco and her fiancé, Raymond Kennedy, were driving through Kansas on the morning of July 26 when their vehicle struck a cow and rolled multiple times. Brenda and Raymond died at the scene. Brianna mentioned at the time of the
collision, their dog was in the vehicle. The dog has not yet been located, and the family is still trying to find him. “We’re just looking for him. He’s serviced, and he was very important to my mom and Ray, and we just want to know that he’s found,” Brianna said. She said Brenda and Raymond were traveling to Nebraska for one of Brenda’s work assignments when the crash happened. Brenda worked in health care for many years and had a passion for taking care of people. Brenda worked as a traveling certified nursing assistant. “She loved making anybody’s day better. Not only did she work in CNA, but she also took care of my great-grandmother, so her grandmother, and then she also took care of her mother and father before SEE COUPLE PAGE 3
GoFundMe accounts have been set up for Raymond Kennedy and Brenda Carrasco. They were killed in a car crash in Kansas. (Photo courtesy of the Carrasco family)
Glendale program puts homeless on road to self-sufficiency FEATURES .... 21 Couple jazzes up speakeasy-style nightclub
OPINION..................... 12 BUSINESS.................. 18 FEATURES.................. 20 RELIGION ................... 24 YOUTH........................ 26 CLASSIFIEDS ............. 28
BY GLENDALE STAR STAFF The city of Glendale has partnered with A New Leaf and Glendale Community College (GCC) to help residents experiencing homelessness become self-sufficient. The city has allocated $1.2 million of U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development grant funding to deliver services through quick and efficient implementation of a tenant-based rental assistance (TBRA) program. This temporary voucher program will provide housing opportunities to eligible individuals or families who are experiencing homelessness in Glendale but are
“housing ready” and can likely sustain their housing after the period of assistance, which can be up to two years. The program will be administered by A New Leaf and will include application and case management support for applicants. This partnership was born when GCC President Teresa Leyba Ruiz reached out to city officials about the possibility of collaborating to provide housing support for Glendale residents attending their campus. “My intention was to learn about Glendale’s housing programs, and instead we had a powerful conversation about the possibilities that would benefit both the city of
Glendale and GCC students experiencing housing insecurity,” Leyba Ruiz said. The GCC partnership will provide GCC students who are accepted into the TBRA program with critical support services including employment, computers, life skills training, and academic support while they pursue their learning that will ultimately elevate the student and their family. “The timing was perfect,” said Jean Moreno, director of community services. “When Teresa shared stories of students that stayed as long as they could in the student union and used fitness facilities SEE PROGRAM PAGE 3
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