BUCKEYE SHOOTING RANGE TO CLOSE FOR SUMMER, PAGE 3
westvalleyview.com — the newspaper of Avondale, Buckeye, Goodyear, Litchfield Park & Tolleson, AZ 50¢ Wednesday, June 21, 2017 (623) 535-8439
Have a news tip? Send it to news1@westvalleyview.com
AND THE WINNER IS … Avondale earns All America City honors — Page 2.
PARK PLAGUED Vandals cause $20K worth of damage at West Valley community park — Page 2.
BIGGER BUDGET Tolleson budget grows $9 million over last year — Page 3.
DAILY UPDATES! News Updates and fresh Classified ads posted Monday - Friday at 4:30 p.m. online at www.westvalleyview.com Volume 32, No. 11 20 Pages 1 Section Circulation: 78,344 INDEX Classifieds .................... 16 Editorials & Letters .......... 6 Obituaries ...................... 15 Sports ............................. 8 Briefcase ......................... 5 9 Days a Week............... 14 Recycle this paper
F-35s to resume flights at Luke Fighter jets grounded for more than a week by Glenn Gullickson
View photo by Jordan Christopher
BRIG. GEN. BROOK LEONARD, 56th Fighter Wing commander, gives a press conference on the F-35A pause in flight June 16 at Luke Air Force Base.
staff writer
The Air Force’s F-35 fighter jets are expected to be flying in the skies above the West Valley again today after the planes at Luke Air Force Base were grounded for 11 days when pilots reported problems with the plane’s oxygen system. Brig. Gen. Brook Leonard, commander of the 56th Fighter Wing at the base, said he approved resumption of flights even though the cause of the incidents with the F-35A Lightning II flights may never be determined. He speculated that a number of small factors may have contributed to the problems. Leonard said he grounded flights June 9
out of concern for the safety of pilots and the community after five incidents in which pilots experienced hypoxia-like symptoms related to oxygen deprivation. “We really didn’t know what was happening with the aircraft,” Leonard said during a news conference June 16 at the base. In incidents reported from May 2 to June 8, back-up oxygen systems operated as designed and the planes landed safely, according to the Air Force. “That was a great vote of confidence,” Leonard said.
None of the pilots lost consciousness during the incidents, Leonard said. The incidents involved five different planes and five different pilots who fly the F-35 at Luke, Leonard said. “I have high confidence in the jet,” Leonard said, noting he’s flown the plane for a year. “I’m not concerned that there’s a serious design flaw.” Leonard said five “risk mitigation” factors were established to allow the return to flight, including increasing backup oxygen systems for (See F-35s on Page 5)
Medical pot in Tolleson? View’s annual Council passes rezoning of land near 83rd Avenue, McDowell Road by Chris Caraveo staff writer
Developers of a piece of land in the northern section of Tolleson received approval to continue the process of bringing a medical marijuana dispensary to the city. But not without contention. The Tolleson City Council, by a 4-3 vote May 30, approved the rezoning of a plot of land from C-2 (commercial) to Planned Area Development (PAD). The decision allows the potential construction of a medical marijuana dispensary at a site west of the intersection of 83rd Avenue and McDowell Road. Vice Mayor Juan Rodriguez and council members Lupe Bandin and John Carnero opposed the rezoning. Adam Baugh, who represented Colday Arizona Inc. at the meeting, said Tolleson has been known for its industrial properties but not for commercial ones because of neighboring cities. Baugh said one of the goals with the dispensary being where it is proposed is to encourage visitors to make use of existing and new retail outlets. “When I call this a destination use, really what I’m saying to you is this is an intended and purposeful commute and purchase,” Baugh said. The dispensary would occupy 3,000 square feet of a 10,000- to 12,000-square-foot piece of land. Bandin and Carnero opposed the rezoning with the agreement that a potential dispensary at the location poses a risk to students at an elementary school in the area. Previous city officials recognized dispensaries may try to
operate in Tolleson. In turn, they zoned certain areas for such purposes away from schools, houses of worship and main roads such as Van Buren Street and McDowell. “This council member simply cannot vote to pave the way for full-blown sales of marijuana on our McDowell Road,” Bandin said. Councilwoman Clorinda Erives contrasted the dispensary’s security measures with that of a Circle K, which is nearer to the elementary school than the proposed location of the dispensary. Where the dispensary requires a person to have a medical marijuana card to enter a restricted area to access products, the convenience store has no barriers to vices such as alcohol and even cigarettes. When visiting a Valley dispensary, Erives said one thing that stood out to her was when one of the associates referred to everyone as a patient rather than a customer or client. “That’s huge for me. This is a patient who’s getting their medication at the dispensary,” she said. “Now, if this was recreation, I wouldn’t be having this conversation. But this is not that.” Mayor Anna Tovar disputed Carnero’s statement that Tolleson Elementary School District Superintendent Lupita Hightower said “no” to a medical marijuana dispensary being near a school. Tovar said minutes from a previous council meeting showed Hightower had said she would not answer for or against the dispensary. Other than that, Tovar did not speak on the issue at the meeting but responded to questions via email, calling medical marijuana a controversial topic not to be taken lightly. “As a two-time cancer survivor, I understand the painful and traumatic journey that people go through. Therefore, I am in support of people having options for medical treatments,” Tovar (See Pot on Page 4)
food drive donations up Banks see 600 lb. increase over previous year by Kourtney Balsan special to the View
The West Valley View’s 12th annual food drive has ended with a total of 2,724 pounds of food being donated to local food banks. This year’s total surpasses last year’s of 2,122 pounds, which was a major decrease from the year previous at 4,204 pounds of food collected. From 2015 to 2017, the weight of donations dropped in comparison from a 2017 Ford F-150 truck to a 2016 Kia Soul. Although the View’s food drive didn’t collect as much food as it once did, food donations are remaining fairly consistent for the Agua Fria Food & Clothing bank, which distributes food at locations in Avondale and Tonopah, Executive Director of the Agua Fria Food & Clothing bank Leanne Leonard said, adding she can only speak for the two years she has been director. In general, food donations are always low in the summer, she said. “Food donations definitely drop off about midspring to the end of summer. That’s the slowest time for donations,” Leonard said. Although the bank can’t measure the amount of impact and meals provided per pound donated, it typically translates it to a dollar (See Food drive on Page 4)