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This Week
NEWS..............3 Zoo owner saw dreams come to fruition
NEWS..............4 Preschool program wins Golden Bell award
OPINION...................... 7 SPORTS...................... 11 FEATURES.................. 17 RELIGION................... 21 YOUTH....................... 24 CLASSIFIEDS.............. 27
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January 20, 2022
Peoria’s Hometown Newspaper
Ducey gives final State of the State to WV BY LAUREN SERRATO Peoria Times Staff Writer
Gov. Doug Ducey gave his State of the State address to the West Valley at the Phoenix Raceway in Avondale on Jan. 12, hosted by WESTMARC. Avondale Mayor Kenn Weise welcomed the room filled with local dignitaries, business leaders and community members to the event. He referred to the West Valley as the “heartbeat of Arizona” and deemed the area the “economic driver for the state of Arizona” in the decades to come. Ducey took the stage, marking his eighth and final State of the State address. It may be his last year, but he promised a busy 2022, focused on education and changes to the southern border. “As I stand here today, the job is not done,” Ducey said. “The goodbyes are
going to come later, much later. Today is not a farewell tour. I intend to make the most of every moment and work very hard every single day all along the way for my employers, the citizens of this state.” To begin, Ducey assured the state is strong, touching on some of the highlights during his time as governor, including telemedicine and Arizona’s largest tax cut, which now stands as the lowest flat tax in the nation. Ducey said Arizona has changed during his seven-year tenure. “Today, a lot is different in Arizona,” he said. “We have more citizens, our budget is balanced, our economy is roaring, and our government is smaller and more efficient than it’s ever been.” Ducey focused on education in his speech, addressing the impact the pandemSEE STATE PAGE 6
Gov. Doug Ducey gave his eighth and final State of the State address to the West Valley at Phoenix Raceway in Avondale on Jan. 12. (Photo courtesy of WESTMARC)
Large North Peoria development enters final phase BY SCOTT SHUMAKER Peoria Times Staff Writer
Vistancia, a massive planned community development in North Peoria west of the Loop 303 at Lone Mountain Parkway, is entering its final phase of development. The opening of a 10-acre recreation center called Sovita Club recently at NorthPointe, the last undeveloped phase of the 7,100-acre Vistancia, was the latest sign that the new subdivision has steam as it
heads toward full buildout. Currently, Vistancia has about 7,800 homes. NorthPointe is planned to eventually add another 3,200 homes. About 300 have been built. Vistancia is one of three large, planned communities underway outside Loop 303, south of Lake Pleasant. Saddleback Heights, northwest of Vistancia, is approved for up to 8,200 homes, and Lake Pleasant Heights, to the northeast, could have up to 6,500.
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Kimberley Clifford, director of marketing for NorthPointe, said that the timing is good for the realization of Vistancia’s “finale community,” as she called it. She said that changes from COVID-19 and the start of construction on a $12 billion semiconductor plant owned by Taiwanese tech company TSMC south of Vistancia are boosting demand for housing in North Peoria. SEE DEVELOPMENT PAGE 3
