THE NEWSPAPER OF AVONDALE, BUCKEYE, GOODYEAR, LITCHFIELD PARK & TOLLESON
Quilters Anonymous active in Goodyear
Holiday light show coming to Goodyear PAGE
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westvalleyview.com
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This Week
NEWS .............. 9 Landis Thanksgiving Day Dinner tradition continues
SPORTS ........ 16 Desert Edge shot-putter receives VT scholarship
9 DAYS ......... 18 Looking for something to do? Check out the 9 Days a Week calendar
NEIGHBORHOOD......10 LETTERS ........................11 BUSINESS..................... 14 SPORTS ..........................16 FEATURES .....................21 SCHOOLS .....................25 OBITUARIES .................27 CLASSIFIEDS................28 EAST
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The Voice of the West Valley for 32 years
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November 22, 2017
Nonprofits plan holiday gift giving for families By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski Estrella Mountain Salvation Army Capt. Joel Harmon and his wife, Rhonda, recognize the need to preserve the human spirit. So they teamed with Toys & More, Agua Fria Food Bank and the Avondale Elementary School District to host a party with a purpose. Set for Saturday, December 16, at Avondale Middle School, the Toys & More party will offer parents gifts for their kids, who will be in a different room having fun. “The parents will go to one area in the school, while the kids enjoy cookies and crafts,” he said. “We’re going to have inflatables for kids that are fun, while the parents walk through and receive the toys the community has bought specifically for them.” Christmas angel tags, available at Palm Valley Church, give children the chance to say what they want for the holidays. “They’re real specific in what their Christmas wish is,” he said. “We’re trying our best to really center in on what those children would really enjoy.” Harmon said the Salvation Army helped families in similar distress, but he wanted to do more. Teaming with the three organizations solidifies the future for the event, which has attracted more than 1,700 children from 700 families, said Rusty Hood, a Palm Valley Church mission
Joel and Rhonda Harmon stand outside the Salvation Army on Third street in Avondale. (West Valley View photo by Jordan Christopher)
pastor who works with Toys & More. During weekend services, congregants can take a tag from Connection Point and purchase two gifts for each child named on the slip of paper. All gifts must be purchased and returned by Sunday, December 3. To donate, call the Salvation
Army at 623-932-0472 or Palm Valley Church at 623-536-2106. Aside from toys, parents will receive food boxes that include turkeys. They can have their kids’ presents wrapped, too.
Gift...continued on page 3
Company with ties to Bill Gates invests $80M in WV By Connor Dziawura A company tied to Bill Gates recently invested $80 million in Belmont, a masterplanned community near Tonopah. Mt. Lemmon Holdings LLC purchased a majority stake—close to 54 percent—in the nearly 25,000-acre plot of land. The transaction was a cash sale by the Arizona real estate investment group Belmont
Partners, according to Business Real Estate Weekly of Arizona. The sale price values the entire property at about $7,500 per acre. While not originally disclosed by Belmont, Mt. Lemmon Holdings was revealed to be a subsidiary of Cascade Investment LLC, an asset management firm
owned by Gates, according to the Arizona Republic. All involved parties, however, have yet to confirm or name the investor. “Belmont is an incredible opportunity for the state of Arizona,” said Grady Gammage Jr., a representative for the deal.
Gates...continued on page 2
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