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Wednesday, December 9, 2020
Happy Valley, I-17 interchange completed BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI Foothills Focus Executive Editor
NEWS .........................5
Rescue encourages community to save pig
OPINION ..........17
Eviction holds expire this month
FEATURES ......23
Mom thanks Barrow for calming nature
OPINION ................... 12 BUSINESS ................. 18 FEATURES ................ 23 YOUTH ...................... 32 CLASSIFIEDS ............ 33 Zone
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onstruction of one of the first major diverging diamond traffic interchanges at I-17 and Happy Valley has been completed. Drivers are using a modernized interchange with more lanes—three in each direction—on the new bridge crossing over the freeway. Prior to the Arizona Department of Transportation’s $50 million project, traffic was limited to one lane in each direction over the old Happy Valley Road bridge. The old bridge was demolished as part of the reconstruction work and replaced with a wider span that allows an improved
see INTERCHANGE page 10
Crews work on the diverging diamond intersection at Happy Valley Road and the I-17. (Photo courtesy Arizona Department of Transportation)
Holiday tradition becomes another COVID-19 casualty BY TARA ALATORRE Foothills Focus Contributing Writer
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or more than 65 years the community has gathered for the Foothills Christmas Pageant, a nondenominational live Christmas reenactment that takes place under the stars in the Sonoran Desert. But like so many other events in 2020, the organizers recently canceled it due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This would have marked the 68th year that residents of Cave Creek and the surrounding communities would have gathered for the traditional free event. Spectators come from all around the Valley and the country to watch the production that includes the Four Kings on horseback and a choir performance. “It was quite obvious that we would not be able to do social distancing, and we did not see a way to pull it off this year,” said Toby
Payne, the pageant’s organizer. “It was a group consensus.” Normally, there are 250 to 400 spectators for each night of the performance to see the homespun pageant that started in 1952 by the local 4-H Club. It originally took place at the base of Black Mountain, then eventually moved to the Spur Cross Ranch Conservation Area.
see TRADITION page 8