THE NEWSPAPER OF AVONDALE, BUCKEYE, GOODYEAR, LITCHFIELD PARK & TOLLESON
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westvalleyview.com
INSIDE
This Week
20
December 16, 2020
The Voice of the West Valley for 35 years
Big changes for holiday events BY TOM SCANLON
West Valley View Managing Editor
NEWS .............. 9
TUHSD classrooms to stay closed through March
NEWS ........... 10 Goodyear City Council approves raises
BUSINESS...... 13 Massive Alamar project’s first residents move in
OPINION ...............12 BUSINESS.............. 13 SPORTS ..................15 FEATURES ..............16 YOUTH ..................19 OBITUARIES ...........21 CLASSIFIEDS ..........23 NORTH
Rising numbers of COVID-19 cases around the West Valley—and the world, for that matter—altered but did not stop an annual holiday tradition. The city of Litchfield Park again held Christmas in the Park festivities Dec. 12 and 13, though with a new format for “a safe and healthy environment.” The biggest change were masks, required of festival goers and vendors. Those who attended, like Aiden Lane, 7, and Gemma Lane, 4, enjoyed a rarity in Arizona: outdoor ice skating. Litchfield Elementary School’s north lot became the North Pole, with an ice rink and holiday market. Masks were required and group sizes limited. Meanwhile, the classrooms inside the school remain empty. Litchfield Elementary School District is one of many districts across the West Valley that closed classrooms—and may not reopen them after a two-week holiday/
Aiden Lane, 7, and Gemma Lane, 4, try ice skating during the Christmas in the Park festival Dec. 12 in Litchfield Park. (West Valley View photo by Pablo Robles)
winter break. “Local health trends indicate that there is a good chance that we will remain in distance learning beyond Jan. 4,” according
to a Dec. 11 Litchfield Elementary School District announcement.
Christmas...continued on page 3
Tolleson officials cheer planned city complex BY TOM SCANLON
West Valley View Managing Editor
On Dec. 8, Tolleson’s new mayor and elected council members were sworn in during an online ceremony. Before they leave office, they may be attending meetings at a new city hall.
With a population of just over 7,000, Tolleson has not experienced the explosive growth of neighbors like Goodyear and Buckeye. While official numbers from this year’s census have not been released, the most recent U.S. Census figures show Tolleson has
a population of 7,342, compared to 6,545 a decade ago, a 12% increase. In the same time, Litchfield Park increased by 32% (4,886 to 6,436), Buckeye by 56% (50,851 to 79,620), Avondale by 16% (76,132 to
Cheer...continued on page 2
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