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THE NEWSPAPER OF AVONDALE, BUCKEYE, GOODYEAR, LITCHFIELD PARK & TOLLESON
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Rep. Sierra recovering from COVID-19
BUSINESS .... 20 WESTMARC’s ‘Best of the West’ is back
NEWS ............... 8 Tolleson Union high schools to remain online
OPINION ...............17 BUSINESS.............. 20 SPORTS ..................22 FEATURES ..............23 OBITUARIES ...........26 CLASSIFIEDS ..........27 SOUTH
October 14, 2020
The Voice of the West Valley for 35 years
DV spikes during pandemic BY TOM SCANLON
West Valley View Managing Editor
NEWS .............. 7
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As it has been for the last three decades, October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. While there is increased attention on physical and psychological harm done by partners or family members, that does not mean it is under control. Indeed, the closures and stay-home measures of the pandemic may be contributing to a sharp rise in domestic violence, both in the county and West Valley. According to Maricopa County Attorney Allister Adel, “there has been dramatic increase in submittals of domestic violence-related homicides and attempted homicides to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.” From January through June, MCAO received 32 reports from local law enforce-
ment agencies for domestic violence-related homicides or attempted homicide. That was double the number of reports of the first half of 2019. “This spike is alarming,” Adel said. “The impact that this pandemic has had on victims of domestic violence is real. These numbers show that people need help.” Adel’s office is prosecuting one of the most dramatic instances of alleged domestic violence—though it did not result in a death. Bryshere Ronald Gray, an actor and rapper best known for playing Hakeem Lyon in the long-running TV show “Empire,” will be in Maricopa County Superior Court for a preliminary hearing Thursday, Oct. 15. On July 12, according to Deputy Coun-
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“Empire” actor Bryshere Gray is accused of choking and threatening his wife—the most sensational case of domestic violence in the West Valley, which is on the rise in 2020.
(West Valley View file photo)
Goodyear Civic Square moving ahead BY JAKARIA ROSS
West Valley View Contributing Writer
Despite disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Goodyear is moving forward with the $87 million Goodyear Civic Square at Estrella Falls project. On Sept. 28, Goodyear City Council pushed the project ahead, approving the preliminary plat of Parcel A at the site. The Civic Square project will bring a new civic park, four-story city hall,
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two-story library, office suites, shops and a parking garage. Groundbreaking near McDowell Road and Pebble Creek Parkway just north of Interstate 10 is scheduled for April 23—Mayor Georgia Lord’s birthday. Long before she was elected mayor, Lord helped craft a vision for the civic center. She was the chair of a committee that initiated a project that has been discussed for nearly four decades, with excitement fading as the Great Recession sidetracked
a previous plan. “The downturn came and I was the mayor then and it broke my heart. I had to vote down beginning that project,” Lord said. “This time, the area is better, more centralized for both sides of Goodyear and I love the partnership with the developers.” City Manager Julie Arendall noted a civic square was first planned for Goodyear
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