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This Week
NEWS .............. 3 Tolleson primary candidate questionnaires
SPORTS ........ 15 TUHS three-star wide receiver commits to ASU
9 DAYS ......... 17 Looking for something to do? Check out the 9 Days a Week calendar
LETTERS ........................10 BUSINESS..................... 12 SPORTS ..........................14 FEATURES .....................18 YOUTH ...........................22 OBITUARIES .................24 CLASSIFIEDS................25 NORTH
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The Voice of the West Valley for 33 years
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August 8, 2018
Verrado pitcher died of fentanyl overdose By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski Verrado High School baseball player Bryan McKinsey died May 9 of a fentanyl overdose, according to a medical examiner’s report obtained by the West Valley View. McKinsey, 17, was found unresponsive at home. A small baggie containing blue pills and aluminum foil were found in McKinsey’s wallet. A suicide note wasn’t found and there was no suicidal ideation or intent to do self-harm, family and friends told the medical examiner. The Buckeye Police Department’s report given to the West Valley View was mostly redacted and did not show cause of death. The medical examiner also found tramadol, a painkiller, and Mirtazapine, a generic version of the antidepressant Remeron, in his system. Both lungs were congested, and he had a clinical history of depression, according to the report. Pharmaceutical fentanyl is a synthetic opioid pain reliever, approved for treating severe pain, typically advanced cancer pain. It is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine, reports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2016, synthetic opioids (primarily illegal fentanyl) passed prescription opioids as the most common drugs involved in overdose deaths in the United States, ac-
Bryan McKinsey, shown here pitching his last game, was remembered by Verrado High School’s baseball game during postseason play. (Photo by Trisha Madrid)
cording to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. That year, the drugs were involved in nearly 50 percent of opioid-related deaths, up from 14 percent in 2010.
Most recent cases of fentanyl-related harm, overdose and deaths in the United States are
Verrado...continued on page 2
General Plan, candidates on the August ballot By Connor Dziawura
Election Day is quickly approaching, and residents who are on the early voting list should already be receiving ballots by mail. Set for Tuesday, August 28, the upcoming primary election will see residents around Maricopa County vote on a variety of candidates and propositions. Early ballots began hitting mailboxes August 1. But those who wish to vote the traditional way will have plenty of opportunities across the West Valley. Here are a few:
Avondale City Hall, 11465 W. Civic Center Drive, is open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday. It will also be open as a mega site from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, August 18. Emergency voting will be held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, August 25, and 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, August 27. It will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Election Day. Councilman Lorenzo Sierra is changing focus to run for the Arizona House of Representatives’ Legislative District 19, and three council seats are open. Avondale
residents’ ballots will show Curtis Nielson and incumbents Bryan Kilgore and Tina Conde. Buckeye City Hall, 530 E. Monroe Avenue, will begin accepting early voters from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, August 18. It will then be open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, August 20, through Thursday, August 23. This location is accepting ballot drop-offs from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday. It will be open from 6
Ballot...continued on page 3