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This Week
NEWS .............. 6 Superintendent to help repair Puerto Rico school
SPORTS ........ 16 Millennium girls’ basketball defeats Gilbert
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LETTERS ........................11 BUSINESS..................... 14 SPORTS ..........................16 FEATURES .....................20 NEIGHBORHOOD......22 YOUTH ...........................24 OBITUARIES .................26 CLASSIFIEDS................27 EAST
The Voice of the West Valley for 33 years
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December 19, 2018
Buckeye woman giving Mexican kids access to education By Carrie Snider
Kathleen Duncan didn’t expect to help hundreds of children get their education. Now she can’t imagine doing anything else. Duncan, a Buckeye resident who owns Duncan Farms with her husband Arnott, said when she became an empty nester she wondered how she could give back to the community. With a degree and experience in the field of child psychology, helping children appealed to her. But she realized the West Valley wasn’t the only community in her life. Her family vacations in Rocky Point (Puerto Penasco) and she wondered how she could help. “I found an emergency children’s shelter there and would go every week for the next three years,” Kathleen Duncan works with students at homework club in Rocky Point. (Photo courtesy Kathleen Duncan) she said. “I was able to see the impact.” Mexico public school is free for kinderMany Rocky Point parents cannot She spent her time helping children garten through middle school, but par- afford those expenses, which is why the meet their basic needs, but in the back ents are required to provide uniforms, dropout rate is so high. of her mind she wanted to do more. A supplies and transportation. Plus, famEducation...continued on page 2 new opportunity arose when she learned ilies must pay high school tuition.
Ex-Avondale sergeant appealing firing for alleged racial posts By Connor Dziawura
A former Avondale police officer is appealing his September firing for allegedly posting racially motivated statements on Facebook. The city’s attorney, Susan Segal, told the West Valley View former Sgt. Sean Maas “was terminated for posting insensitive or inappropriate posts on Facebook that had an effect on the workplace.” Though Segal said she could not discuss the content of the posts, she con-
firmed they will be made public following the internal investigation and appeal. Maas was placed on administrative leave August 22, after he returned from another leave. He was terminated on September 13, which he appealed four days later. Segal would not discuss the past leave of absence, though she told the West Valley View it was personal and unrelated. In addition to Segal declining to comment on the contents of the alleged Facebook posts, a statement provided to the
West Valley View by Avondale Police’s public information officer, Sgt. Thomas Alt, said the department does not have “specific knowledge of the specific post.” Attorney James Green of Smith & Green told the West Valley View the alleged Facebook posts were directed at his clients, Reginald and Erica Sayles. Reginald, a former Avondale police officer, became friends with Maas through their time together on the force, he said.
Sergeant...continued on page 3