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This Week
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The Voice of the West Valley for 35 years
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December 30, 2020
The West Valley’s top 20 of 2020 BY TOM SCANLON
West Valley View Managing Editor
NEWS .............. 6 Only ‘consumer’ fireworks are legal to use this week
NEWS .............. 7 COVID-19 vaccine ‘1A’ rollout continues
NEWS .............. 8 $1.9 million lottery ticket sold in Buckeye
OPINION ................. 9 BUSINESS.............. 11 FEATURES ..............12 YOUTH ..................14 OBITUARIES ...........16 CLASSIFIEDS ..........16 NORTH
The closing credits are ready to roll on an unforgettable, often regrettable year. The COVID-19 pandemic was a true global disaster, killing millions across the Earth. Though the West Valley’s year was largely shaped by the devastating spread of the coronavirus, and the shutdowns and slowdowns called by state, county and school officials, there was quite a bit of “non-COVID news” in 2020. Here are 20 of the top stories of the year in the West Valley:
20. Jackie Meck retires The longtime mayor’s life could share the same title as a history book written by his wife, Verlyne Meck: “Buckeye Then and Now.” Many wonder what Buckeye “now” will be like, without the soft-spoken Meck, who quietly helped shepherd the explosive growth of Buckeye over the last decade. Before retiring from public life, Meck was Buckeye’s mayor since 2008, win-
The looks of 2020 was masks, as Avondale Mayor Kenn Weise, left, and other officials urged West Valley residents to wear masks to slow the spread of COVID-19. Above, the future arrived in 2020, as Amazon launched a robotics delivery center in Goodyear. (West Valley View file photos)
ning three consecutive four-year terms. (He was previously mayor from 1973-75 and served on Buckeye City Council from 1968 to 1975.) At age 79, he decided not to run for reelection in 2020: “It’s time for younger people to be the leaders of Buckeye.” The new mayor of Buckeye, Eric Ors-
born, faces the unenviable task of following in Meck’s footsteps.
19. Bank robber busted An alleged serial robber was nabbed after Goodyear police found a discarded
Top 20...continued on page 2
Overdoses spike during pandemic BY TOM SCANLON
West Valley View Managing Editor
More than 330,000 Americans have died from COVID-19—with nearly 5,000 of those deaths in Maricopa County. Indirect impacts are also powerful, as the pandemic is contributing to a frightening rise in drug overdoses.
According to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Dec. 18 press release, new data suggests “an acceleration of overdose deaths during the pandemic.” According to the CDC, over 81,000 drug overdose deaths occurred in the United States in the 12 months ending in May 2020—the highest number of overdose
deaths ever recorded in a 12-month period. In Goodyear, data on drug overdoses in 2020 shows “a pretty dramatic increase,” said Goodyear Fire Department Fire Chief Paul Luizzi. In 2019, the Goodyear Fire Department
Spike...continued on page 4