BUCKEYE MAN MISSING AT SEA PRESUMED DEAD, PAGE 4
westvalleyview.com — the newspaper of Avondale, Buckeye, Goodyear, Litchfield Park & Tolleson, AZ 50¢ Wednesday, October 26, 2016 (623) 535-8439
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W. Valley to honor veterans
PULLING TOGETHER
VETFest in Avondale kicking off series of Veterans Day events by Glenn Gullickson staff writer
PUBLISHED AUTHOR Millennium High School student has story published in Spanish book — Page 13.
HONORING THE DEAD Dia de los Muertos returning to Avondale — Page 11.
DAILY UPDATES! News Updates and fresh Classified ads posted Monday - Friday at 4:30 p.m. online at www.westvalleyview.com Volume 31, No. 29 32 Pages 1 Section Circulation: 75,474 INDEX Classifieds .................... 28 Editorials & Letters .......... 6 Obituaries ...................... 26 Sports ........................... 15 Briefcase ....................... 11 9 Days a Week............... 24 Recycle this paper
A street festival featuring art created by veterans will kick off several events in the West Valley to mark Veterans Day. VETFest will be from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday on Western Avenue in Historic Avondale. Up to 88 vendors are expected to participate in the event, according to Colleen Schorr, VETFest co-chair and president of the Historic Avondale Merchants Association. Many of the Valley artists showing and selling their work have participated in art therapy programs for veterans, Schorr said. The arts and crafts will represent several mediums, including paintings, drawings, sculptures and jewelry. “This is an avenue where they can sell their work,” Schorr said. Event coordinators hope to build on the attendance of about 5,400 at the first VETFest last year and are adding three blocks for vendors that will be set up on Western Avenue between Dysart Road and Third Street, Schorr said. The day will start with a performance of the national anthem, color guard representing a Tolleson ROTC group and a parade of motorcycle groups down Western Avenue. “There will be a lot of military flavor,” Schorr said. Entertainment will perform on two stages, including members of the Alice Cooper Solid Rock Foundation, a choral group and Native American performers. A children’s zone in Dennis DeConcini Park at Western Avenue and Fourth Street will feature bounce houses and an obstacle course. Information about services and employment for veterans will be available outside the Sam Garcia Western Avenue Library, 495 E. Western Ave. Food trucks and a beer garden will also be part of the event. At dusk, members of American Legion Post 61 will conduct a flag disposal ceremony, which involves burning the flags. Those who wish to dispose of a worn or tattered flag may take it to VETFest. Parking will be available at Agra Fria High School, 530 E. Riley Drive, Avondale, with shuttles to Historic Avondale. Proceeds from the event will be donated to charities serving veterans. For information, contact Schorr at 623-694-7779.
Goodyear Art will also be the focus of a Veterans Day event in Goodyear, where a sculpture will be unveiled Nov. 11 during the city’s Tribute to Veterans at Goodyear Ballpark, 1933 S. Ballpark Way. The sculpture at the ballpark’s entrance was designed and fabricated by veterans in the Art: A Path to Healing program led by Connie Whitlock, director of WHAM Art Association. Veterans attended classes once a month for a year to create the work, titled “Brotherhood,” which stands as a reminder to the camaraderie (See Veterans on Page 3)
View photo by Jordan Christopher
AVONDALE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY EMPLOYEE WES HARRIS works with his team members to pull a fire engine across the finish line at the annual fire truck pull Oct. 19 at the Avondale Civic Center. The city holds the event every year to raise money for United Way. To see all photos from this shoot, go to www.westvalleyview.com/pictures.
Cool cats
5 feline cubs on exhibit at Wildlife World Zoo by Emily Toepfer assistant editor
The Baby Animal Nursery at the Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park is the cat’s meow right now. Visitors can see a white tiger, leopard and three lion cubs on exhibit at the zoo, 16501 W. Northern Ave. in Waddell. All five babies receive around-the-clock care by the zoo’s hand-raising team, including bottles of formula several times a day, which visitors can watch in the nursery. Over the next few months, they will begin the transition to include meat in their diet, said Kristy Morcom, director of media relations. The African lions were born Sept. 17 at the zoo, and the litter includes two males and one female. Their parents can be seen on exhibit in the Safari Park. If you’re playing hooky to visit the cubs, you’ll fit right in with the trio, who are named Ferris, Cameron and Sloane after the main characters in the American classic movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with them. The white tiger and leopard were both born at another zoological facility last month, but will now call Wildlife World home. Teeka, the female African leopard, was born Sept. 10. While she’s smaller than her cub counterparts, Teeka is just as feisty. The nimble, powerful cats live in Sub-Saharan Africa and can also be found in Northeast Africa, Central Asia, India and China. The female Bengal tiger, who doesn’t yet have a name, was born Sept. 12. The zoo is holding a contest on its Facebook page to name the cub, and the winner will receive a one-year membership good for two adults and two children. While the cubs are cozy in the nursery, all three feline species are threatened in the wild by habitat loss and poaching, Morcom said. Lions are known as the King of the Jungle, but the species is now listed as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, Morcom said. “Sadly, the population is believed to have
View photo by Jordan Christopher
KRISTY MORCOM, director of media relations at Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park, holds Sloane, a 1-month-old African lion cub, Oct. 14 in the zoo’s nursery. To see all photos from this shoot, go to www.westvalleyview.com/pictures. fallen by up to 50 percent in the last 50 to 60 years,” she said. Tigers once ranged over most of Asia and may have numbered more than 100,000, but have lost about 93 percent of their home range and are categorized as critically endangered, Morcom said. The species is estimated at about 3,000 cats in the wild, but only half live in regions with viable populations, suitable habitat and sufficient prey, she said.