Glendale’s Community Newspaper
www.glendalestar.com
Vol. 75 No. 48
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NEWS...............4 Glendale Glitters lights up downtown
November 28, 2019
$400 million casino looking for a full house BY ERIC NEWMAN
Glendale Star Staff Writer
The owners of the Valley’s newest casino are pushing $400 million worth of chips into the pot. Now, they need another 1,300 workers for a full house. With the opening three months away, Desert Diamond Casino West Valley’s major hiring campaign boosted with a Nov. 19 event. Executives had a hard time keeping a poker face at a ribbon-cutting for an employee café. Indeed, casino management doubled down, saying the new cafe will help attract employees and “raise the bar” in the casino industry.
The Break-Away Café offers a full-service dining menu, several tables around an open lobby and even comes with several employee convenience stores. General Manager Don Ayres previously worked for some of the top casinos in the world, including some high stakes casinos in Las Vegas. He said this is the most spectacular dining facility for employees he has seen. He said some long-time workers were moved to tears of joy about the facility. “We know for a fact this place is only as successful as our customers’ experience is,” and how good “our employees are treated,” Ayres said. The café is just one of many features of
Glendale leads in homelessness
the new Desert Diamond Casino West Valley, which a press release said will open in Glendale Feb. 19. But, the new employee lounge isn’t the only spectacular new feature at the new Desert Diamond Casino. The $400 million, 1.2 million-squarefoot casino will have a 75,000 square-foot gambling floor, featuring slots, bingo, card games and other gaming favorites. There are no card tables in the interim space, only a variety of slots and video game machines, so the new games and tables will be a welcome addition. There will also be five new restaurants, including an Italian restaurant, steak and SEE CASINO PAGE 2
Living Room • Bedroom Children’s Furniture • Dining Room • Electronics Outdoor Furniture • Office/Entertainment
BY TOM SCANLON
SPORTS ........ 22 Dream comes true for ASU-bound pitcher
OPINION..................... 14 BUSINESS.................. 16 SPORTS ...................... 22 CALENDAR ................ 24 FEATURES.................. 26 RELIGION ................... 28 YOUTH........................ 32 CLASSIFIEDS ............. 35
599
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Glendale Star Associate Editor
By most measures, Glendale has done quite well over the last few years. The city climbed out of a brink-of-bankruptcy hole, fueled by multi-million dollar commercial and upscale residential projects. And, as home of State Farm Stadium and Gila River Arena, Glendale is the clear leader in the West Valley sports and entertainment scenes. Glendale is also the West Valley’s leader in a grim category: Homelessness. Every January volunteers around Maricopa County hit the streets to count the “unsheltered” population. While some definitions of “homeless” include those living in shelters, hotels/moSEE HOMELESS PAGE 3
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