SCHOOL FUNDING SPARED FROM BUDGET CUT, PAGE 10
westvalleyview.com — the newspaper of Avondale, Buckeye, Goodyear, Litchfield Park & Tolleson, AZ 50¢ Wednesday, May 11, 2016 (623) 535-8439
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Polling places added for special election
CUTTING CORNERS
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Changes result from problems with March primary election
STEALING FROM THE RICH Tonopah Valley High School drama students performing The Somewhat True Tale of Robin Hood — Page 12.
FUEL FIASCO Diesel fuel put into unleaded tanks at Buckeye gas station — Page 3.
BALANCING THE BUDGET Litchfield Park expects revenue bump for fiscal year 2016-17 — Page 10.
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View photo by Jordan Christopher
LAWN MOWER RACERS zip around a corner May 7 during the Buckeye Spring Demolition Derby at the Helzapoppin’ Rodeo Arena in Buckeye. To see all photos from this shoot, go to www.westvalleyview.com/pictures.
Bringing the right balance Food banks try to bridge gap for nutritious options by Shane McOwen
need to have that, too.” Wilkins said food banks especially welcome fruit and Nutrition often comes down vegetables that have longer shelf to a decision, a fork in the road lives and items that don’t need to between what is healthy and what be refrigerated, but can be kept in is easy and cheap. a cool, dry place. For many in need, there’s only BY D E R SO SPON “Think along the lines of one path. Each meal is crafted things you set in a bowl on your out of necessity, and healthy counter,” Wilkins said. “Kids options are all too often out love bananas, but bananas don’t of the price range for families last very long. They love grapes, looking to stretch the month’s but those are things that need last dollar. to be refrigerated. Bulk, processed Those things break foods become the down pretty rapidly.” easiest, sometimes Apples, oranges, only, option for those melons, carrots and facing financial potatoes are a few struggles, leaving Mail carriers nationwide will pick up items that hold up out key nutritional canned food donations Saturday on well over the course elements in the diet. their regular mail routes for the 24th of the week, Wilkins All Faith annual National Association of Letter said. Community Services Carriers’ Stamp Out Hunger food drive. “Those fruits and Director Cassie The drive is limited to nonperishable things like that, they Wilkins understands food items, such as canned fruits and have a more stable that reality, and hopes vegetables, soups, pasta, peanut shelf life,” Wilkins local food banks can butter, tuna, rice and cereal. said. “We can get be a bridge between The food drive began in Arizona in those in and utilize the two choices. 1976, and evolved into a national event in them over the course That’s not always 1992. More than 2 million pounds of food of a week and not the easiest option was collected in 2015 across Arizona. have them go to for the food banks, Donated items benefit St. Mary’s waste.” though, because Food Bank. All food collected in the Canned food items, timing is everything West Valley during the drive will go to while high in sodium, when dealing with local food banks. can also provide perishables. For information, visit the website servings of fruits and “It’s definitely a vegetables. Wilkins helpstampouthunger.com or contact struggle to not wind up said items that aren’t Jerry Brown at 602-343-3160 or with so many starchy loaded with added jjbrown@firstfoodbank.org. items all the time, or preservatives are things that are really always in demand at loaded full of sugar,” food banks. Wilkins said. “We can’t necessarily handle fresh Many food options don’t provide the produce all the time, because it breaks down (See Balance on Page 5) fast. We can’t take it in large quantities, [but] we staff writer
lley
West Va caring And the community business
Stamp Out Hunger
by Glenn Gullickson staff writer
After widespread outrage over the lack of polling places in the county for the last election, cities in the West Valley will have four additional locations for voters to cast their ballots in next week’s special election on two propositions. There will be 11 polling places in the region for the May 17 election, up from seven for the March vote, which got national attention when voters waited hours to cast ballots in the Arizona Presidential Preference Election. This time around, voters will decide Proposition 123, a measure that would add $3.5 billion to K-12 public education funding over the next decade, and Proposition 124, which reforms Arizona police and fire pension funds. For next week’s vote, Maricopa County election officials added two polling places in Avondale at the First Baptist Church Garden Lakes and First Southern Baptist Church. Two polling places will also be added in Buckeye, in addition to another location in the city that served as a polling place in March. The March election was conducted without a voting location with an Avondale postal address, although the polling place at Litchfield Park First Baptist Church is within Avondale’s borders. That church will also serve as a polling place for next week’s election, as well as two locations in Goodyear, one in Tolleson, one in Tonopah and one in Waddell that were used in the earlier election. They are among 116 polling places in Maricopa County for the election, almost double the number of voting centers that were open in March’s election. Avondale City Councilman Lorenzo Sierra, who called on the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate how polling places were determined in the last election, said most of the problems in southwest Avondale have been remedied with the additional polling places. But Sierra said he would like to see better access for voters in the Cashion neighborhood. Maricopa County Supervisor Steve Gallardo, whose District 5 covers much of the region, has been an outspoken critic after the last election and voted against the polling place plan for next week’s election when it was presented to the County Board. Gallardo said the county lacks a standard for determining how many polling places there should be and where they should be located. “How do we know how many polling places there should be in Avondale?” Gallardo asked. He said election officials should reform the process by seeking local input before establishing voting sites. “The people of Avondale know their (See Polling on Page 5)