West Valley View - November 23, 2016 by Times Media Group

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Recall election in the works

Buckeye residents disputing water billing want mayor, others out of office

by Glenn Gullickson staff writer

Leaders of a group of Buckeye residents who are angry about disputed water bills are preparing a recall campaign to remove the city’s

longtime mayor and up to three other members of the City Council.

It’s an effort that could take months that one of the possible targets called “a distraction” from working on the water customers’ issues.

Community to vote on sex offender ban

Palm Valley Phase I in Goodyear could prohibit Level II, III offenders

by Emily Toepfer assistant editor

One Goodyear neighborhood is gearing up to vote on whether or not to ban some sex offenders, even if they currently live there.

The homeowners association for Palm Valley Phase I recently sent a letter to homeowners stating it has determined that Level II and III sex offenders, who are classified as intermediate and high risk, present an “unreasonable danger” to the community.

Homeowners are being asked to vote on an amendment to the community’s declaration of covenants, conditions and restrictions that would prohibit offenders from living there, said Curtis Ekmark, an attorney representing the homeowners association.

Furthermore, if approved, Level II and III sex offenders who currently live in the community would be forced to move in 60 days, even if they own the property, he said.

The vote will take place Dec. 2 during the annual meeting of the homeowners association, but people can also mail in their votes ahead of time, Ekmark said.

He said the decision wasn’t spurred by an incident, but because the Legislature passed a bill last year allowing HOAs to regulate sex offenders living in their communities if it’s included in their covenants, conditions and restrictions.

“I think when the board read that, a light bulb went off that said, ‘Oh, if we put that in the CC&Rs, we can ban sex offenders,’” Ekmark said.

Palm Valley Phase I has about 1,300 houses in a one-squaremile area between McDowell and Thomas roads and Litchfield and Dysart roads. It also has one elementary school and a city-owned park within its boundaries.

According to the Goodyear Police Department, one Level II sex offender lives in the community, a 33-year-old man who was convicted in 2004 of attempted sexual conduct with a minor and sexual abuse. His two victims were known to him.

The police department sent a notice to the West Valley View on April 5 stating he had moved into the neighborhood, residing about 520 feet from Palm Valley Elementary.

His Level II status doesn’t meet the criteria to prohibit him from living near a school, said Lisa

Kutis, a spokeswoman with the Goodyear Police Department.

Level III sex offenders who have been convicted of dangerous crimes against children must live more than 1,000 feet from a school or child care facility, according to Arizona statute. State law also requires registered sex offenders to notify the sheriff’s office of their new address within 72 hours of moving. Local police must then alert residents within 45 days about a sex offender moving into their neighborhood.

If the person doesn’t have a permanent address, he must register with the sheriff as a transient every 90 days, providing a description and physical location of any temporary housing.

Ekmark said he’s sure the homeowners association would work with any sex offenders who would be required to move.

“My guess is, if they come and say, ‘Hey, we need a little bit more time,’ I’m sure the association would accommodate that based on the fact that the law would just be going into effect,” he said.

It’s also not completely clear how the HOA plans to keep future sex offenders from moving into the community, but Ekmark said homeowners would be responsible for knowing who they’re renting to.

“I think it’s just like anything else — they’re not going to like set up a police force or anything,” he said. “If they become aware of it, then they’ll address it. It’s like if somebody paints their house purple or something, people see it and go, ‘Hey, you’re not allowed to do that.’”

The proposed ban on sex offenders appears to only apply to Palm Valley Phase I at this time.

Palm Valley has five communities that are managed by five separate HOAs — Phase I; Phase II and III, which are combined; Phase V; Phase 8 North Parcel; and Phase 8 South Parcel.

Residents in Phase II and III received an email Nov. 16 from manager Jocelyn Badley stating the “issue” in Phase I is not related to their communities, and her administrative assistant responded to an email from the View, saying she’s not aware that their board is considering the same proposal.

Lori Grove, a managing agent for

Come one, come all

Annual free dinners bring communities together on Thanksgiving Day holiday

by Emily Toepfer assistant editor

The early birds started prepping for Thanksgiving dinner almost a week ago, because they have thousands of mouths to feed.

In Tolleson, volunteers have been hard at work cooking food for 2,000 people who will attend the annual Dr. Charles A. Landis Thanksgiving Day Dinner.

The free meal has become a tradition since it was started in 1982 by a group of city and school district leaders who saw a need in the community and formed the nonprofit Tolleson Service Committee.

Dinner is open to everyone, and consists of turkey, ham and all the fixings, including mashed potatoes, broccoli, stuffing, rolls and

pumpkin pie, said Charles Landis, who the event is named after.

Landis was the superintendent of the Tolleson Union High School District from 1978 to 1992, and is among the dinner’s founders.

This year’s meal will be from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday at Tolleson Union High School, 9419 W. Van Buren St. in Tolleson. Take-out food will also be offered starting at 1:30 p.m.

More than 150 volunteers helped with the event last year, including adults and students from the Tolleson Union High School District’s five campuses.

Frank Leon, 72, has volunteered with the meal for more than

Papers were expected to be filed this week to start the process of collecting signatures for an election to recall Buckeye Mayor Jackie Meck

(See Recall on Page A4)

View photo by Jordan Christopher

TOLLESON VOLUNTEER SYLVIA MORTENSEN cuts ham Monday in preparation for the annual Dr. Charles A. Landis Thanksgiving Day Dinner in Tolleson.

Meet ‘Mister Black Friday’

Man camps out 2 weeks to be 1st shopper in line at Avondale store

By Glenn Gullickson staff writer

Jarvis Johnson expects to be spending Thanksgiving with his family, but the celebration will occur on the sidewalk in front of an Avondale big box store.

When up to 30 members of his extended family visit for the holiday, the Glendale man will have spent two weeks camping out in front of the store before it opens at 5 p.m. Thursday for its Black Friday sale.

But Johnson figures it will all be worth it because he’ll be first in line to scoop up the bargains at the Best Buy at Gateway Crossroads at McDowell Road and 99th Avenue.

“I love doing Black Friday,” he said. “I enjoy being out here.”

Johnson, 26, is also gaining some celebrity as “Mister Black Friday” for what’s become a tradition at the store that dates back about 10 years.

In fact, it’s become something of a profession for Johnson, who was recently featured in a Best Buy ad.

Johnson isn’t a sidewalk sitter, but more of an urban camper who has been living under canopies that cover all the comforts of home, including a double-size mattress, a couch and an electronic fireplace that provides a little heat and serves as a console for a 49-inch television that he bought at last year’s Black Friday sale.

To prepare meals, he has a microwave and pressure cooker on a table loaded with foodstuffs.

He’s after more TVs this year, with his eye on a model that’s discounted to $200 from $450.

It’s what Johnson called “great deals” such as that motivate him, but he’s obviously enjoying the attention as well.

Judging from the scores of interviews with local media and radio stations from all over the country that he said he’s done, Johnson thinks he may be the most devoted Black Friday shopper around.

While some stores don’t allow camping out before the big sale day, Johnson said Best Buy hasn’t discouraged him; in fact, it’s helped him out, including placing security rails around his campsite after a barbecue that had been donated to him was stolen.

“They’re good to me, they take care of me,” he said.

Johnson acknowledged that the electronics store compensated him for doing the Internet ad, which made it easier for him to take time off from his warehouse job in Phoenix.

“What they gave me for 49 seconds of work, I probably make in six months,” he said.

Still, Johnson said there are drawbacks to spending days and nights on the sidewalk, especially when low temperatures dipped into the 50s last week and the

forecast threatened rain.

“It takes a toll,” he said. “It’s tough, it’s just a lot.”

He said he misses his wife, Tinosha, and their daughter, Genesis, 2, and son, Micah, 1.

The family visits daily and Tinosha stays at the campsite when Johnson runs errands or heads home to take care of his dogs and shower.

For more urgent matters, Johnson said he uses the facilities in Best Buy or at nearby stores, restaurants and gas stations.

Johnson expected to have more company when other shoppers start lining up a couple of days before Black Friday, a crowd that he said could number in the hundreds before the store opens.

Black Friday wasn’t such a big event when Johnson waited in front of the store the first time in 2006 for two days, he said.

Last year, he spent a week on the sidewalk.

While camping in the wilderness doesn’t interest Johnson, he is a veteran of waiting for big events, including lining up for 20 hours in advance of President Barack Obama’s visit to Phoenix last year and waiting for First Lady Michelle Obama’s appearance earlier this year. The payoff was photos of his children with the first couple.

As people pass by his camp, Johnson promotes about a dozen sponsors who have provided food, furniture or cash.

“A lot of people come by,” he said, but he understands they might think he’s crazy.

“People can call me crazy all they want, but when’s the last time they camped out in front of a store and made a commercial?” he said.

Dinners

(From Page A1)

five years, at first tackling the pots and pans and now preparing the hams and side dishes.

“I enjoy helping the people out, and I get to meet some people who haven’t done that before,” Leon said.

Volunteers often become “regulars” at the dinner, said Armando Morado, who was on the Tolleson Union High School District Governing Board and suggested the idea of a free meal.

“All I can call it is a blessing, because without pay, with all the abuse we give them as far as dealing with crowds, they still stay strong and come back the next year,” Morado said.

Sylvia Mortensen, 76, is among the volunteers who have been involved from the very beginning.

She worked as a bus driver at Tolleson Union High School for 22 years, and still helps cook and debone turkeys, along with cleaning, cutting and steaming vegetables.

“That first year was trial and error, but it’s just grown to something beautiful that families bring their families to, and there’s generations that come eat dinner,” Mortensen said. “It’s amazing how many hands come and participate.”

Donations to the Tolleson Service Committee are tax deductible, and are accepted all year.

To donate or volunteer for the dinner, contact Morado at 602-810-5481 or Landis at 623-680-6684.

Helping the hungry

In Avondale, the American Legion Crandall-Palmer Post 61 is preparing to serve hundreds of meals to the homeless, under privileged and on-duty police and firefighters Thursday.

The free dinner was started nine years ago by Avondale residents Helen and Jim Swartz. Jim is a past post commander.

About 100 people were served in the first year, and the event has since grown to feed more than 800, Helen said.

“People do not seem to be thankful for what they have, and that to me is really sad, because there’s so many people that are in need of what we do, and that’s the reason we do it,” Helen said. “As long as I have my health, that’s what I’m going to be doing.”

The full Thanksgiving meal will be served from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday at the post, 35 N. Dysart Road, Avondale.

Volunteers are needed today to help set up the hall, and from 10 a.m. Thursday until after the meal for cleanup.

“I don’t turn down any volunteers — I ask anybody and everybody to come,” Helen said.

To volunteer or donate, call Helen at 623-203-8606 or the post at 623-932-4960.

Emily Toepfer can be reached at etoepfer@westvalleyview.com.

View photo by Jordan Christopher

JARVIS JOHNSON camps outside Best Buy Nov. 17 in Avondale to be first in line for the Black Friday deals.

Business Briefcase

by Shane McOwen staff writer

Welcome to the Business Briefcase, everyone.

Happy Thanksgiving Eve! I hope everyone has a great holiday lined up for tomorrow.

I also wish everyone a safe Black Friday. It’s a pretty intense day, and if you don’t believe me, check out some of the videos on YouTube.

Long before I delivered Business news straight to your fingertips, I worked in the r etail sector. Oh b oy. Fun times. Italics is the international font of sarcasm, r ight?

Anyway, remember to be extra nice to the folks putting in 10-hour shifts that day.

If you’re not into the Friday theatrics, maybe Small Business Saturday is more your speed.

It’s been around since 2010, and emphasizes shops “along Main Street,” those owned by members of the community and not national chains.

cream.

The clinic is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

For information, visit medpost.com.

In Historic Avondale, BOONGarden is open for business at 214 W. Western Ave.

BOONGarden is an art and garden space, and also sells coffee, tea, frozen lemonades, cappuccinos and homemade granola bars.

As its name suggests, BOONGarden is all things gardening. Owner Kelly Meadows has her Master Gardener Certification, and leads various gardening classes throughout the week. The space has seven raised beds filled with growing vegetables and herbs.

“It’s a completely edible landscape,” Meadows said.

BOONGarden was born out of Meadows’ desire to share her knowledge of gardening. She considered transforming her backyard into a space she could host classes, until coming across an empty space along Western Avenue. From there, the idea snowballed into BOONGarden.

SHOP SMALL – SHOP BIG – SHOP SOUTHWEST VALLEY

Go to www.SouthwestValleyChamber.org to ﬁnd shopping, dining, services, and more right in the Southwest Valley community. It’s our community. Doing business locally helps everyone! Let’s build our community together!

“Basically, I love Western Avenue,” Meadows said. “I was going to rehab this building, and it evolved. I had ideas of bringing people into my own backyard, showing them how to grow things.

If you’re against leaving the house, Cyber Monday is for you! That’s the day to be on the lookout for all the online deals.

There really is something for every type of consumer this weekend.

Let’s get down to business.

If all the run-around for the Thanksgiving holiday knocks you off your feet, the new MedPost Urgent Care has you covered.

The urgent care facility opened Nov. 14 at 13840 W. Camelback Road, in the relatively new Litchfield Marketplace shopping center.

The urgent care facility is open 365 days a year (366 on leap years) and offers walk-in care, online or phone check in, and referral options when additional care is needed.

Even if you’re not sick, you might want to head down on Dec. 3 for a special treat.

MedPost is asking folks to go on down from noon to 2 p.m. Dec. 3 for an open house featuring the Arizona Coyotes mascot, Howler, and free pizza and ice

[I found] this public place and figured I could have an opportunity to bring people in there and demonstrate food growing.”

BOONGarden is participating in the upcoming Avondale WinterFest Dec. 3, and is adding classes all the time.

Hours are 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

For information on classes and menu items, visit boongarden.com.

Lastly, the Jack in the Box in front of the new Sportsman’s Warehouse in Avondale is now open.

The giant sign saying “Now Open” was my first clue, and the twin balloons was my second. Just thought I should pass on the news.

That’s all for this week, folks. Again, I wish everyone a great holiday. Happy Thanksgiving!

Send tips, questions or comments to smcowen@westvalleyview.com.

Take care, everyone.

Shane McOwen can be reached at smcowen@westvalleyview.com or on Twitter @ShaneMcOwen.

Shane McOwen

and Vice Mayor Michelle Hess, according to leaders of the effort.

Recall leaders said they will also consider targeting Councilmen Craig Heustis and Eric Orsborn.

The four are the City Council’s veterans and a majority of the seven-member governing body that has been embattled in recent weeks after residents started protesting water bills of hundreds of dollars for thousands of gallons of water they said they didn’t use.

Recall leaders said they are unhappy with how the city has handled the issue.

“We believe they have been derelict in their duties,” Chad Taylor said. “We don’t have any other choice but to recall. The objective is to clean house.”

But Orsborn said the recall is “a distraction from what we’re trying to accomplish” in serving the needs of the customers.

“I don’t know what the reasoning for the recall would be,” Orsborn said.

Meck, who was re-elected mayor in August, said the city is still working on the problem.

“We don’t have the answer right now,” Meck said. “We are doing everything possible. This has taken on a life of its own.”

The issue erupted in October, when dozens of water customers claimed they had received super-sized utility bills that the city blamed on water leaks or theft.

The controversy appeared to be settling down earlier this month after the residents attended a City Council meeting and Taylor had a meeting with Meck and other city officials.

Meck said he thought Taylor left that meeting satisfied with assurances that disputed water bills would be frozen while charges were investigated.

But the issue flared again when a group of 18 residents took their disputed bills to City Hall and customer service representatives didn’t seem aware of policy changes and were “dismissive,” according to Taylor.

When the residents asked to speak to Dave Nigh, the city’s water resources manager, they were told he was being secluded from the public, Taylor said.

“All they have done is make people angrier,” Taylor said. “They’re not in a hurry to fix the problem because they’re profiting from it.”

Heather Wilson, another leader of the recall, said Meck failed to make a public statement on the issue.

She said the group also has not heard from a public relations firm the city hired to deal with the issue.

During interviews with the West Valley View, Meck, Orsborn and Hess acknowledged there had been communication problems, which were exacerbated by recent resignations by members of the city’s public information team.

“We weren’t able to get information out,” Meck said. “We weren’t talking, and we should have been.”

The communication issue was part of what Hess called a “perfect storm” that created the issue, including a change in leadership when the city manager retired earlier this year and the city’s assuming customers from the Valencia Water Co. after it was acquired last year.

Hess said the recall threat is “frustrating” for city

policy makers.

“I feel like this recall stuff is a little premature. It seems fast, it seems rash,” she said. “We sometimes can’t move as fast as they would like.”

Heustis said he doesn’t know the intentions of the recall leaders, but said they might be going after the wrong people.

“You fire the problem,” Heustis said, suggesting that city staffers could take the fall for the controversy.

The fact that no one seems to have lost a job over the issue is among the complaints of the recall leaders.

“You go after whoever’s in charge,” said Jeff Hancock, another leader of the recall who has been critical of the billing.

“There’s a lot of trust issues right now. We need to let them know we’re not backing down and we’re not afraid of them.”

Residents with disputed water bills said they have contacted state legislators representing the area as well as the Arizona governor’s and attorney general’s offices.

Taylor said the FBI has also been contacted.

Recall leaders said complaints about water billings have been growing since the issue hit the news, with 150 to 180 members of the organization’s Facebook page.

Orsborn said the city has been doing a good job of taking steps to mitigate the issue after installing a hot line to deal with complaints.

By the end of last week, 112 customers had made contact. Out of 58 complaints related to spikes in water usage, 33 were resolved, many by finding a leak, according to the city.

This week, the city said visits to homes where residents have issues have been scheduled at the rate of three an hour.

City officials noted that the number of complaints is a fraction of the 18,000 water customers in the city of about 62,000 residents.

“We just need to be patient and get through the process of resolving the issue and we’ll get to the bottom of it,” Orsborn said.

Recall leaders said it seemed suspicious that water bills have returned to normal after they made some noise, and they noted that a check of several water meters found no problems with the devices.

“That reaffirms that something else is going on here that’s fraudulent,” Taylor said.

Even before the citizens group filed a statement that they would pursue a recall, officials at City Hall considered the threatened action serious enough that research was being done on how it would proceed.

City Clerk Lucinda Aja said she wasn’t prepared to say how many signatures would be necessary to trigger a recall election, with some questions still being considered by attorneys.

According to state law, to make an official subject to recall, petitioners need to gather a number of signatures from registered voters equal to 25 percent of all the votes cast in the last election for that official.

Based on that, in the August election, 6,869 votes were cast for all the candidates for mayor, which would mean 1,717 signatures would need to be collected in 120 days for Meck to face a recall.

Considerably fewer signatures would be needed for a recall of one of the council members, who represent districts in the city.

The Maricopa County Recorder’s Office would have 60 days to certify petition signatures, Aja said.

If the required number of signatures were found valid, the city would schedule a special election no sooner than

90 days later in the first month that elections are held — March, or more likely given the timetable, August or November.

Candidates could file to run against officials being recalled, and the recall leaders said they could recruit people to run for office.

Taylor said he would like to see “one of our average, normal citizens” run against the mayor.

Aja noted that the city hasn’t budgeted for a recall election, which she estimated would cost about $58,000 if the city did an election by mail or $97,000 for one with polling places.

The county charges the city for managing the election based on the number of registered voters, she said.

Aja said the only time in history that Buckeye has had a recall was in 1999, when four City Council members were on the ballot and one was removed over a public safety issue.

Recall leaders said they won’t have any problem gathering signatures.

“We have people ready to pound the pavement,” Taylor said.

But it could prove tough to keep a spotlight on the issue for months for a recall effort against public officials who have won their positions by wide margins in the past.

Meck, practically an institution in Buckeye, was re-elected in August to his third consecutive four-year term as mayor with 55 percent of the vote.

A Buckeye native, Meck previously served as mayor from 1973 to 1975 and as a member of the council from 1968 to 1975 and 2002 to 2006.

Since he’s retired, Meck said, “Buckeye is all my interest.”

He said a recall will sidetrack his efforts to recruit business to the city and create jobs.

Hess was re-elected to a second term in August with 65 percent of the vote to represent District 3. She was named vice mayor this year.

Hess said most people are happy with the council.

“We’ve done a lot of good things,” she said. “We’ve not heard complaints. We’ve never been accused of integrity issues.”

If she faces a recall, Hess said she wouldn’t resign to avoid another election.

“I do this because I love my city,” she said. “I’m going to keep doing my job.”

In 2014, Heustis was re-elected with 98 percent of the vote and Orsborn was re-elected with 69 percent to terms that would expire in 2018.

Not targeted by the recall is G. Patrick HagEstad, who was appointed to the District 4 seat earlier this year.

Taking office in January are Jeanine Guy, who was elected in August to succeed Robert Garza from District 2, who did not seek re-election, and Tony Youngker, who replaces Brian McAchran in District 1. McAchran ran for mayor, losing to Meck.

Buckeye officials said adjusting rates for the higher tier water users will be considered when the City Council reviews the city’s water rates for 2017 at a work-study session at 3 p.m. Nov. 28 and during a special meeting of the council that follows at 6 p.m. at City Hall, 530 E. Monroe Ave., Buckeye.

Hess said the meetings were planned before the controversy over water billings.

Glenn Gullickson can be reached at ggullickson@westvalleyview.com.

The Agua Fria Food & Clothing Bank invites you to join us this holiday season as we serve 1250 Holiday Boxes at our locations in Avondale and Tonopah!

To serve the needy in the West Valley we need your help!

Please consider supporting this project. A donation of $45 ﬁlls a box and feeds a family for the holidays!

Canned food items, frozen chickens, frozen hams, frozen turkeys, toys, or monetary donations are needed by December 18th for Christmas. For questions call 623-932-9315, email Aguafriafoodbank1227@aol.com or write P.O. Box 845 Avondale, AZ 85323. Physical donations can be dropped off at 405 East Harrison Dr. Avondale, AZ 85323 from 8am-12pm Monday-Friday.

(From Page A1)

Phase V, said a ban on sex offenders could be something her community discusses in the future.

“It is not a topic we have previously addressed, but I suspect we will keep an eye out on how things go at Palm Valley Phase I, and that it may become a topic of discussion,” Grove said.

Managers for the other phases did not respond to an email asking if their HOAs are also contemplating similar action.

Florian T. Walter, D.O

Raj S. Rathee, M.D. Jordan Oland, M.D. B.J. Ho, D.O. Sarah Colwell, D.O. Ingrid Gold, CNM

Jenny Boles, RNC, WHNP Britt Michie, RNC, MSN, WHNP

We have much to be thankful for

While some of us are still reeling from the presidential election results, we still have much to be thankful for, such as our right to voice our displeasure over election results thanks to our ﬁrst amendment. But there’s so much more. We, here at the View, would like to share with you, dear readers, some of the things we’re thankful for.

• We’re thankful for you, dear readers, for making us the newspaper of record for the entire West Valley. We’re also thankful for the news tips you provide and the letters to the editor you submit. You never fail in keeping the debate lively.

• We’re thankful for you, dear advertisers, for keeping our doors open when so many businesses were shuttering during the recession. And again, for you, dear readers, for patronizing our advertisers, allowing them to stay open, as well.

• We’re thankful for the never-ending giving spirit of the West Valley, which comes through every year for summer food drives, Thanksgiving meals (see the story on Page 1) and adopted families for Christmas.

• We’re thankful that our Thanksgiving Day dinner is cheaper by about 3 percent this year than it was last year, according to the Arizona Farm Bureau. For a family of 10, the meal is estimated to cost $46.27 this year compared to $47.83 last year (every little bit helps).

• We’re thankful that AAA cares so much about our safety on the road that it’s once again offering its Tipsy Tow Thanksgiving Eve. Apparently, the night before Thanksgiving is one of the most celebrated nights of the year at bars and restaurants (perhaps because nobody wants to cook a big dinner the night before the big dinner?), so starting at 6 p.m. today, anyone can call 1-800-AAA-HELP (1-800-222-4357) and request a “Tipsy Tow” for himself or someone else and AAA will provide a free 10-mile tow and ride home. Standard tow rates will apply for tows exceeding 10 miles.

• We’re thankful that while some areas of the country are already experiencing snowstorms, our Thanksgiving Day forecast calls for 72 and nothing but sunshine, something we’ll never have to shovel.

• We’re thankful that our extended forecast means we shouldn’t have to use our air conditioning again until next year.

• We’re thankful that our state parks are offering free admission on Black Friday. They’re billing it as “Put off the holiday shopping, get outside, and burn off those Thanksgiving calories by enjoying the outdoors with family and friends,” but we know there are enough hours in the day to do both (just don’t tell them). Anyone wanting to take advantage of the deal needs to stop by an REI store (the Goodyear distribution center does not count, so you’ll have to go to one in Flagstaff, Paradise Valley, Tempe or Tucson) or the Arizona State Parks’ Outdoor Recreation Information Center at Interstate 17 and Pinnacle Peak Road by 5 p.m. today to pick up a free pass. For a complete listing of state parks, go to azstateparks.com.

• Back to that election, we’re thankful that despite unprecedented ugly campaigns, we all still get along. Heck, four of us from the newsroom with differing political views all went out to lunch last week and nobody throttled anyone!

• Locally, we’re thankful that West Valley voters passed each and every school bond/override measure.

• We’re thankful that campaign signs should all be down by the end of the day as today marks 15 days after the election, which is the deadline for candidates to remove them.

• And finally, we’re thankful we have a new sheriff, who should restore the office’s good name, end racial profiling and save us taxpayers money by simply doing the job we elected him to and staying out of court. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

Our Viewpoint editorials represent the opinions of the West Valley View editorial board, which is composed of Publisher Elliott Freireich and Managing Editor Cary Hines.

OUR READERS’ VIEWPOINTS

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

L etters to the editor are published without any editing. Any errors in spelling, punctuation or grammar are those of the author. Two online reader polls have indicated that a majority of View readers prefer that the letters not be edited.

Apathy reigns supreme

Editor:

Not that many years ago America voted for one of two parties based on points of view, but few would ever have supposed that either party was motivated by other than patriotism. Sadly, today is a different day. It seems to me the greatest challenge we have in our country today is not terrorism, the economy, etc. No, the greatest challenge we have is apathy. The most shocking example to date I’m aware of is the humorless, foul-mouthed Bill Maher. In his recent HBO show he stated in reference to HRC’s continuing email probe that “I don’t know what they’re going to find, and I don’t care...I don’t care if she’s got Jon Benet Ramsey in her basement...” also comparing this email scandal to Brady’s so-called “Deflategate” scandal in relevance and importance. Really? Do you find humor in this statement? Maher is upset at Anthony Weiner for his emails but he isn’t concerned about Weiner’s nor

Clinton’s illegal and dangerous behavior. That, is our problem today. The Left and its minions support the Marxist motto “the ends justify the means,” and that is the precursor to a lawless society, otherwise known as Hillary’s America.

Jason Russell Goodyear

U.S. must part ways with U.N.

Editor:

While the media are reporting about newly found Clinton emails sent to Huna Abedin, her secretary; Hillary didn’t seem that surprised or worried over the revelation. It maybe a set up to keep us from what President Obama is really up to. Distractions from the real issues are part of his games. He has blatantly ﬂouted how he strayed from his constitutional authority and how much power he has usurped for himself.

The “Cap & Trade” program Obama wanted to pass years ago but failed. In truth it’s an energy tax. He has “recently granted” a regulatory agency the crooked — EPA — the illegal power to levy the tax on American businesses without passing the law through Congress. Passing this bill would stiﬂe the U.S. economy, drive prices thru the roof, alter our way of life, all for no environmental

beneﬁt.

President Obama with the collusion of the U.N. are also pushing for a “Global IRS”, taxes on your bank transactions, on carbon energy, tobacco and more. These taxes would suck billions of dollars out of the pockets of American taxpayers. It’s nothing more than a Global Welfare Scheme for 3rd World Countries, at our expense.

The U.N. could now claim power to try our military men and women for “Crimes against humanity” and the U.N. court won’t give them the protection of America’s “bill of rights!”

While the U.N. abuses our sovereignty it threatens to strip America’s voting power if we don’t pay millions in dues. Only be getting the U.S. out of the U.N. can we stop Obama from endangering our sovereignty. We must pass the “American Sovereignty Act”. God bless America and all who work tirelessly to keep us informed. Prayer is the best “Armor of God”, Padre Pio.

Analie Maccree Goodyear

Antiquated

Electoral College

Editor:

For all of you that are just as angry as I am over Trump

1050 E. Riley Dr., Avondale, AZ 85323 (623) 535-8439 [535-VIEW] • FAX (623) 935-2103

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THIS WEEK'S QUESTION

LAST WEEK’S RESULTS

(From Page A5)

being President-elect, I suggest that it is time we all get off our collective asses and abolish the out of date, dysfunctional, electoral college that put him there!

Had the situation been reversed, we would have had to endure months of wrangling by the Trump camp over “rigged elections”. I’m proud of the conciliatory Democratic response by President Obama and Hillary Clinton. I understand that they are trying to preserve the democratic process with a smooth transition into the White House.

But if you are just as angry as I am over this election and if you feel that the voters of America (who favored Hillary by over 300,000 votes) should have determined the outcome of the election, then I urge you to make the effort to contact congressmen and others in ofﬁce that can take steps to correct the outdated voting process that no longer reﬂects the will of the People!

Terri Bartoletti Litchﬁeld Park

County recorder fails us

Editor:

Ms. Purcell,

After your recent video interviews I felt compelled to clear up what appears to be your grey area and confusion regarding your performance. I understand from your video responses that you are proud of your staff. That does conflict however with the lack luster, slow, mediocre performance of the vote tabulation and the resources assigned to it within the state of Arizona by you. This indictment in no way reflects on your staff, but on the poor management decisions you have made in support of the election process. You may think that these delays are normal. They are not however acceptable to the voters. This seems to track very closely to the overall deterioration of the civility, ethics, integrity and accountability of our elected officials during this election

process. Four days after the election and you have just barely finished the vote count. The grey area denoted on the national voting map is an embarrassment to the voters of Arizona and to the country. Your contempt for the voters is evidenced by your dismissive, blasé attitude regarding being questioned about your poor performance and is further evidence that you feel you have no accountability to the voters. So in closing let me clear up one grey area for you. You have been in the office too long. The position of County Recorder is not a lifelong career. Your “normal” is really a slow deterioration of your own performance over the last 15 years for which you feel no obligation to correct. It is time for you to leave office and let a more nimble and pragmatic person with an attitude of public service to take over. The voters need to move toward a more responsive County Recorder.

Paul Bartoletti Litchﬁeld Park

Mandate claim is specious

Editor:

I’ve heard a lot this week about a so-called mandate Donald Trump and the Republican party have received.

I say horse-puckey!

Realistically, a mandate can only be conferred as a result of a signiﬁcant majority vote. To claim a “mandate” when you’ve actually lost the popular vote is one ﬁnal “Pinocchio” by Trump’s party.

Steve Berliner Buckeye

to the Editor 1050 E. Riley Dr. Avondale, AZ 85323 or e-mail: editor@westvalleyview.com

authors, not the View, are responsible for the “facts” presented in letters. Letters To The Editor policies can be viewed at WestValleyView.com.

We hear you, Buckeye

by Jackie Meck Buckeye mayor

I’m proud to call Buckeye my home. I have lived here my entire life and I have always listened to my friends and neighbors and worked to solve problems. That’s the spirit of Buckeye I grew up in and that’s the spirit of Buckeye now.

We are here to help people and I want to say that we hear folks and their concerns with their water bills. I’d like to take this opportunity to share some information and ensure that everyone knows that we are doing everything we can to solve these problems.

And, while we may have more than 18,000 residential city water customers, we understand that for each one of you, your concern is important and you must be treated with respect.

Therefore, as soon as we realized there was an issue with the customer service that Buckeye water customers were receiving, we took action.

The city set up a hotline to ensure that folks with concerns about their water bills were directed to one place so the city could ensure their concerns were addressed.

And people did just that.

Since creating the hotline, the city has received 112 calls.

Twelve of those calls were for things unrelated to high water bills or spikes in usage. Those were folks who wanted their water turned on or had questions about their sewer service. We helped each of those individuals ﬁnd answers.

Fifty-eight of the calls were from customers who experienced a spike in their water usage.

Regardless of the issues, each case has been reviewed and city staff has completed 90 visual inspections of meters.

Thirty-three cases have been resolved and staff continue to work with customers to address their concerns. And yes, some of the cases that were resolved involved folks who had a water leak and did not realize it. But, that is OK. We are still adjusting bills and ensuring that people are not saddled with water bills they cannot and should not be expected to pay.

I think it is also important to let people know that we have tried to reach 18 people to follow up on their concerns and they have not returned our phone calls or emails.

So, I want to remind everyone of the process. Because we can only help you if you let us know you have a problem.

The ﬁrst step is calling the water hotline at 623-349-6900 or emailing us at waterhotline@

buckeyeaz.gov.

When appropriate, the city will place a hold so that your water WILL NOT BE shut off and you DO NOT incur any additional fees.

From there, the city will work with all customers to take action, which may include searching for leaks, independent meter testing, in person meetings and potential bill reduction. Each case is different, so that is why we are encouraging everyone to contact the hotline.

Our city is one of the fastest growing cities in the nation — our population grew by almost 700 percent in less than 10 years. We are no longer a small town; we are a city with a new set of challenges. As with any transition, growing pains are to be expected.

We have been taking proactive steps over the past few years to keep up with growth and modernize our water system. With these goals in mind, the city purchased Global Water Resources and took actions to adjust its water rates, which hadn’t been updated in 30 years. Customers are adjusting to changes in the water rates and the city is adjusting to the increase in water customers and the customer service model we inherited. We recognize that the city must step up when it comes to customer service and communicating with its citizens.

We are looking into the water rates and are hoping to ﬁnd ways to reduce the burden on our taxpayers, protect all of our water customers and continue to promote conservation. The council will discuss water rates at our next City Council workshop and council meeting Nov. 28. The workshop begins at 3 p.m. and the council meeting starts at 6 p.m. As always, we encourage all of our residents to attend our public meetings and provide thoughtful feedback.

We are also taking steps to help our residents take greater control of their water usage. The city is working to install a system-wide, smart wireless water meter reading system, which will go online next year. Soon, all customers will be able to log onto their account anytime to get a real time check on their home’s water usage.

To anyone with concerns, we hear you and we appreciate the chance to make things right. It takes time to review every case and give

Baby White Tiger, Baby Spotted Leopard and Baby African Lions

Jackie Meck

Inside Sports:

Estrella Foothills, Buckeye hoops previews; A.F., E.F., Westview have athletes sign letters of intent

Good will factor Suns playing with house money

by Shane McOwen sports writer

Out of nowhere, the Phoenix Suns have earned themselves some good will with the fans for the 2016-17 season.

Sure, the Suns are winning at a comparable rate to last season’s dismal 26-56 campaign, but not all win totals can be measured the same. Right now, winning percentage isn’t the Suns’ highest priority, nor should it be.

For the Suns, it’s all about on-court growth and developing consistency in play, because for once, the franchise looks like it has its core foundation in place.

The Suns added three rookies this past offseason who all look like they’ll be stalwarts for years to come. Forward Marquese Chriss has already cracked the starting lineup, and has had moments of solid play. Forward Dragan Bender and guard Tyler Ulis have each done some good things on the court in limited play.

The jury is still out on the ceiling of each of those three, but adding them to emerging star Devin Booker, bulldog scorer T.J. Warren and center Alex Len — who’s starting to look like he’s capable of handling big minutes — the Suns have found a path to contention through their own draft picks.

Right now, the team’s earned good will has overshadowed a sixyear playoff drought. There’s a path for this team to hit relevancy status, something the Suns really haven’t had since the waning moments of the 2010 Western Conference Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Suns’ good will can last for the entirety of this season, but what’s the path for that to happen?

First, the Suns need to continue the commitment to the young players. Experience is the best teacher. A player can practice a drill until he wears out the bottom of his shoes, but unless those skills are tested at game speed against top-notch opponents, it’s all for nothing.

Playing the veterans over the young guys may translate into a few more wins in the now, but it’ll inevitably slow the team’s progress in the long run. The more experience the young Suns can accumulate this season, the faster they’ll develop into the players they’re destined to be.

Bender and Chriss are getting solid rookie minutes, and that needs to continue through any growing pains. Ulis has played the least of the trio, but has made the best of his time on the court. He’s shown flashes of solid playmaking ability, something the team can definitely use from the point-guard position moving forward.

The Suns’ front office can help itself out in playing the team’s youth by moving on from some of the veterans on the roster. This is tricky, because a strong veteran presence in the locker room helps the continuity and stability of a team, and can be just as integral to building a solid foundation. Guys such as Jared Dudley should be off limits for trade consideration. His presence on the team is just as much about teaching young players the intricacies of NBA life as it is stretching the floor and hitting corner threes. Trading him for a later first rounder may end up doing more harm than good down the road.

The Suns would gain even more good will among the team’s fans by getting something of value in return for Brandon Knight.

Knight was the face-saving move of the 2015 deadline, when the team shipped Goran Dragic off to Miami to meet his trade demands. Knight was brought in to replace Dragic and keep the Suns’ two-headed, point-guard system running smoothly.

Unfortunately, Knight has been nothing short of a disaster in Phoenix. He’s been oft injured, and hasn’t performed well when on the court. Knight is shooting under 40 percent in the sixth-man role, and has been ice cold from beyond the arc.

We’re far enough away from the Dragic trade that the team won’t get blasted publicly for moving on from Knight. Plus, the Heat haven’t gotten off to a good start, which bodes well for the Suns, who have Miami’s first-round pick in 2018 and 2021. The Suns may yet win that trade when everything’s said and done.

The Suns have the league’s worst defense, surrendering a paltry 115 points per game so far. This will only be a problem to fans this season if that number stays the same, or worse, increases by the end of the season. If the team continues to work at defense, show effort and improvement, the fans will recognize the trajectory is heading in the right direction.

In all, the best thing for the Suns this season is to show improvement, gain experience and cohesiveness, and still finish near the bottom of the standings. Adding another top-five pick to this core should have Suns’ fans salivating.

The Suns are one of the few teams in the bottom of the NBA who have a long-term plan on deck with talented players who make sense playing with each other.

It’s going to be a bumpy ride, but the Suns just may be on their way to the promised land.

Shane McOwen can be reached at smcowen@westvalleyview.com or on Twitter @ShaneMcOwen.

Youthful Lady Tigers ready to carry torch

ceiling is high. We’ll be a team that probably come January will be hitting full stride.”

by Shane McOwen sports writer

The 2016-17 season will be a fresh start for Millennium girls basketball.

The Lady Tigers have positioned themselves as a basketball powerhouse in recent years, making runs to at least the semifinals of the state tournament in each of the last four years, including a title game appearance in 2015.

Those teams are gone.

Millennium graduated 15 seniors in the last two years.

However, the future is still bright. What the Lady Tigers lack in experience, they certainly can make up for in talent and size, coach Cory Rojeck said.

“We’re young, but we’re returning three freshmen who were on varsity last year, and we have a really good freshman class this year,” Rojeck said. “The

This version of the Lady Tigers will be the biggest team Rojeck has coached at the school, he said. Dominique Phillips, 5-11, Alaina Diggs, 6-1, Alexyss Newman, 6-0, and Ali Zelaya, 6-3, will look to fill out a formidable post attack.

“There’s going to be times in the year where we’ll have three 6-footers on the court at one time, and we’ve never had that,” Rojeck said. “It definitely makes us more versatile on offense. We’re going to be able to score more inside than we have before.”

The forwards and centers won’t be limited to just paint duty on offense, Rojeck said.

“We have a lot of kids who can do it from both,” Rojeck said. “Dom, Ali and Newman, they can score inside and out. All three of those kids can knock down jumpers, which makes our offense very versatile.”

On defense, the team’s size will force a few changes in philosophy, Rojeck said. In prior seasons, Millennium’s guard-heavy team was able to press

Shane McOwen

View photo by Ray Thomas

DOMINIQUE PHILLIPS, 24, of Millennium looks to shoot over a pair of Desert Vista defenders last season during a game at Grand Canyon University. Phillips is one of a few returning Lady Tigers players, as Millennium has graduated 15 seniors over the past two years.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Buckeye hoops ready for tougher challenge

by Casey Pritchard sports editor

A high-powered offense helped Buckeye’s boys basketball team go 26-5 and advance all the way to the Division IV state quarterfinals in 2015-16, but the Hawks will face a sterner challenge this season.

Buckeye was moved from the second to lowest division to third from the top this year, 4A, and will compete against much tougher opponents on a regular basis. It’s something coach Randy Bland is excited about, he said.

BOYS BASKETBALL

“The players are, too, because they get to compete night in, night out, instead of having to wait two or three weeks between games to get a decent team to play,” Bland said.

Not only is Bland excited about the challenging competition, but he also thinks his team is even better than it was last year, he said.

“Practice is looking really good, the intensity is there, the effort it there,” Bland said. “We’ve got a lot of young guys that are talented. We had a scrimmage [Nov. 17] against [El Mirage] Dysart and we competed really well. I thought they did a good job with competing and playing together. I’m excited. I think we’re better than last year.”

Bland is confident his team is better, despite losing two of the team’s best three scorers to graduation in Devante Brown and Art Bojorquez.

“I think we’ll be a more balanced scoring team, a better shooting team that can attack defensively,” Bland said. “So, we’ll score a lot of points off our defense with how fast we are. We’re a lot faster than last year.”

One of the Hawks’ speedsters is Alonzo Williams, who improved significantly during the summer, Bland said.

“I’m looking for a big year from him,” he said. “The biggest thing is confidence and believing in himself. I think that was the missing factor [last year], his mental state was a little weak. I think that’s going to be his strength this year, so hopefully, he has a big year. He’s gotten better, his shot has improved, he’s quicker.”

Williams will be one of the key players to pick up the slack after Brown’s departure, as Brown ran the offense last year. Elias Anderson, a junior, will also see time in that role.

Buckeye will be without one of its best players from last year for the beginning of the season because of an injury. Senior Jacob Jefferson, who is 6-foot-7, hurt his knee during football and will be out until at least early December. In his absence, Perez Amos will take over in the middle.

“He’s a 6-6 kid who can rebound and block shots,” Bland said. “I’m expecting a big year from him.”

Some newcomers this year are Otis Frazier, a sophomore, and Deven Foster, a junior who transferred from Michigan. Bland said both players are going to be really exciting.

“Otis had about 30 points against Dysart, and Dysart was a pretty talented team last year,” Bland said. “He’s 6-4, athletic, can handle, really good shot, two-way player, can lock up defensively. He has a very smart IQ basketball wise.”

Buckeye also has a couple of transfer students from Youngker in junior Ethan Hamilton and sophomore Adam

(See Buckeye on Page A9)

View photo by Ray Thomas

JACOB JEFFERSON of Buckeye focuses on the hoop last season against Yuma Catholic. Jefferson returns for his senior season after being one of the Hawks’ leading scorers in 2015-16.

all over the floor, creating havoc and turnovers. Now, the Lady Tigers will rely more on their length to disrupt opponents’ offensive sets.

“With our height, it’s not going to be a man-to-man [system] for 80 feet,” Rojeck said. “We’re going to have to find a way to use the length to cause issues when we’re on defense. We’re not a slow team by any stretch, we just had some burners [in past seasons]. This year, we don’t have quite that speed, but we have more length than we’ve ever had.”

Rojeck expects some growing pains on defense, but feels like the team will grasp the concepts by mid to late season, he said.

“The biggest thing for us with our youth is getting everyone on the same page defensively,” Rojeck said. “That’s going to be the biggest challenge for the coaching staff and players this year. The last couple of years, by the time [the last two graduating classes] were juniors and seniors, we’d been in that same defensive system for two years. It wasn’t like reteaching defense or anything, it was hitting the ground running.

“With this team, it’s really getting the girls to understand the concepts we want done, and why we want that done. I think we’re going to get there. We’re not there yet, but we’ll be there.”

Opening tests

The Lady Tigers won’t be playing in a Thanksgiving weekend tournament for the first time with Rojeck as coach. Instead, the team will take the time to get an extra

week of practice, which should prove beneficial for a team with eight combined freshmen and sophomores out of 13 total roster spots. Senior Alexis Vaughn is the lone holdover from the state-championship appearance in 2015.

“There’s going to be some mistakes early on in November and December, because a lot of times, you’re working with a lot of 14- and 15-year-old varsity kids, some who are playing at the high school level for the first time,” Rojeck said. “That’s the nice thing about not having a Thanksgiving tournament, we get this young group an extra week of practice. A lot of the teams we’re playing next week aren’t going to be able to practice.”

Millennium will play in two tournaments during the winter break: The Nike Tournament of Champions at Gilbert Highland High School and the Las Vegas Holiday Tournament in Las Vegas.

The Lady Tigers will open the season with tough tests on multiple fronts: quality of opponent and packed schedule. Millennium has four games in five days to open up, and then follows that with a trip to Chandler Hamilton, a perennial 6A conference power.

“We play Hamilton the second week of the season, and that’s going to be a big test,” Rojeck said. “We’ll see early how far we have to come when we get to February. A lot of times, it can be a humbling experience, but I think we’re going to be able to compete.”

Rojeck has high hopes for the upcoming freshman and sophomore classes, for this season and beyond.

“This might be the best freshman/sophomore class we’ve ever had, and that’s saying a lot because the last two senior classes were really good,” Rojeck said. “It’s not learning basketball over again, but it’s learning new relationships over again.”

Millennium begins its season with a region contest at 7 p.m. Nov. 28 at home against Tolleson.

“We’ll be competitive. We’ll be good,” Rojeck said.

(From Page A8)

Hamilton, but they won’t be able to compete for the Hawks until January because of the transfer rule. Overall, the Hawks should go 10 players deep, Bland said.

Buckeye will compete in the Southwest Region of 4A, matching up against Estrella Foothills, Youngker, Yuma Gila Ridge and Yuma. Some of its non-region games include Phoenix Cortez, St. Phoenix Mary’s and Tempe Marcos de Niza, all of which were playoff contenders in higher divisions than Buckeye last season.

Knowing they would face better competition this year, the Hawks’ players were motivated to work out during the offseason, Bland said.

“They were consistent and committed to working out so we can prepare for the bigger teams we are going to play this year, because we knew at the end of the season we were moving up a division,” he said. “So a lot of guys got in the gym and improved their game. I’m excited, and they’re ready to go. I know they’re tired of beating up on each other.”

Buckeye opened the season Monday in the Give Thanks Classic at Gilbert Campo Verde and Scottsdale Notre Dame Prep high schools. The Hawks beat Coolidge, 86-47, in their opener Monday. The tournament continues today and runs through Saturday, with a day off Thursday for Thanksgiving.

“The tournament we’re playing in is 5A, so those are bigger schools,” Bland said. “It’s just getting more experience, getting more exposure. It’s good to play the better teams, builds up your power rankings, builds your confidence before you hit [region] and state playoffs.”

2 Estrella seniors sign with D-I schools

Zoey Nelson to Eastern Washington, Bri

Wilbur to Siena

by Casey Pritchard sports editor

A pair of Estrella’s brightest female stars each signed their national letters of intent Nov. 9 to join Division I colleges next fall.

Zoey Nelson, who was the Arizona Division III state individual tennis champion in 2015, and Bri Wilbur, the Lady Wolves’ slugging softball shortstop, are headed to Eastern Washington University and Siena College, respectively.

“I’m really excited,” Nelson said. “I feel like all the hard work over the years has paid off and I’m excited to see what the future has for me in college. I’m just overall thrilled.”

“I’m very excited,” Wilbur said. “I’m very glad I have this opportunity.”

Nelson, who was the third-place finisher her freshman year before winning the title as a sophomore, took last year off from high school tennis to concentrate on outside tournaments. She was contacted by Eastern Washington, which is in Cheney, Wash., and competes in the Big Sky Conference, at the end of spring, and kept in contact throughout the summer.

“I felt really comfortable with the coach and took my official visit in September. I got to meet the team and see the campus and athletic facilities, and at that point, I knew this was a really good fit for me and it felt comfortable,” Nelson said.

perfectionism, I really think fuels her to do her personal best. I’m delighted and excited about her future.”

Nelson said her father always pushes her to give it her all on the court, which also means that no matter what happens, always fight.

“So I’ve always kind of stuck with that mentality no matter what it may be, even if it’s for school, do my best to get that good grade, or even in life, no matter what,” she said.

Nelson isn’t sure what she wants out of tennis in the future, but she may take a year off after college, or play in some International Tennis Federation tournaments.

“I want to try, maybe after [school], depending on where my tennis level is, going out and seeing what else I can do with it,” Nelson said.

Bri Wilbur

Wilbur’s goal was to play collegiately, but she never thought she would end up in New York, she said. Siena College is in Albany, N.Y., and participates in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.

“The campus was super pretty, I like the small class sizes, and I like the coaches of the team,” Wilbur said.

Wilbur credits Estrella Foothills softball coach Randi Isaacs with helping to get her into school at Siena.

“She got me a video, got me on the coach’s radar, so she helped me a lot,” Wilbur said. Isaacs grew up in Albany, and she’s worked softball camps for Siena in the past.

“[Tennis is] something I’ve gotten to do so much with. I think it’s shaped me into the person I am today, especially with the traveling I’ve had to do and the people I’ve got to meet who have had an impact on me. Overall, I think it’s made me into who I am today.”

“Everybody I met there was super friendly and welcoming. I don’t want to say that was my biggest fear, but that’s the thing I was most worried about, how I would get along with everybody.”

Tennis has been a part of Nelson’s life for 10 years, and it’s very important to her, she said.

“It’s something I’ve gotten to do so much with,” Nelson said. “I think it’s shaped me into the person I am today, especially with the traveling I’ve had to do and the people I’ve got to meet who have had an impact on me. Overall, I think it’s made me into who I am today.”

Amanda Schell, who coached Nelson for two years at Estrella and was also her personal coach on the side off and on for the last 10 years, said Nelson is a true, blue competitor.

“She’s a kid who I knew was going to succeed in the sport because of her mindset, determination, and at times, her perfectionism,” Schell said. “Her

“[Wilbur] didn’t know where she wanted to go, she was looking at a variety of schools, and this is the school that is in my hometown, and I thought it would be a perfect fit for her,” Isaacs said. “She went on a visit and thought it was a great fit, too. Academically, she’s incredibly smart. She’s a great catch for them.”

Wilbur has been a force in the middle of the Estrella Foothills batting order the past three years, including her junior season when she batted .508. Wilbur led the team in hits (31) and RBI (22), while also slugging six doubles and two home runs.

“She’s a natural leader on and off the field,” Isaacs said. “She’s not necessarily the loudest person on the field, but when the job needs to get done, she does it.”

An example of that was when Estrella played Youngker April 13. The Lady Wolves trailed 4-2 in the fifth inning when Wilbur hit a grand slam, propelling them to a 7-4 victory.

“Things like that; she steps up when it’s absolutely necessary,” Isaacs said. “She was solid all year long.”

Wilbur plans to study psychology at Siena.

(ABOVE) BRI WILBUR

awaits a pitch during the 2016 state softball playoffs. (Right) Zoey Nelson hits a forehand shot during a 2015 home tennis match. The Estrella Foothills seniors each signed national letters of intent to play collegiate athletics at Division I schools.

View photo by Ray Thomas

View photo by Mike Rincon

— Zoey Nelson Estrella Foothills tennis player

Perez signs at Lindenwood

Westview softball star off to Missouri school for softball

by Shane McOwen sports writer

Westview softball’s Ceairra Perez signed her letter of intent Nov. 9 to play softball at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Mo.

Lindenwood is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II school that competes in the MidAmerica Intercollegiate Athletics Association.

“I’ve always loved softball,” Perez said. “I’m just going to do what I love for four more years.”

Perez made a big leap from her sophomore to junior year at Westview. She hit .412 last season as a junior, more than 100 points higher than the previous season. She also had seven doubles, three triples, one home run and 16 RBIs.

“I figured she would go somewhere,” Westview coach Larry Wonner said. “Any of the junior colleges I thought would take her. For a bigger school, it’s really exciting. It’s really exciting to know people are out there looking for you in a different state.”

Perez started her Westview softball career in left field and moved to shortstop last season.

“She’s my best shortstop. She’s my best outfielder. She hits the ball well,” Wonner said.

Perez has also made an impact as a leader, Wonner said. Nearly the entire softball squad was in attendance at the signing ceremony.

“She’s a great teammate,” Wonner said. “Good leader.” Wonner said he felt lucky to have Perez on the team.

“I didn’t think I was ever going to see her,” he said. “She came out in the summer as an incoming freshman, and there was this talk that they were going to move to Verrado. I didn’t expect to see her, but she showed up.”

Perez doesn’t think the reality of signing will hit her until she steps foot on campus next fall, she said.

She recommended her teammates get started on the recruiting process early.

“I’m kind of the first one to go to college in my family, first athlete,” Perez said. “I’ve been telling [my teammates] to start now. It helps out. I got lucky, [if they don’t start now], they might not have the chance.”

CEAIRRA PEREZ of Westview sets to throw the ball last season against Shadow Ridge. The Lady Knights’ senior signed a national letter of intent to play at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Mo.

View photo by Ray Thomas

Estrella Foothills eager to reach potential

Rafael Alvarez

Five points.

That’s the margin Estrella Foothills’ boys basketball team lost by in the Division III state title game last season against Phoenix Scottsdale Christian Academy.

Wolves head coach Rich Gutwein said the 29-4 record the team had last year is in the past. The 2016-17 season is a fresh start and wins aren’t just handed to you, which is something Gutwein emphasizes to his team, he said.

While it isn’t the same Wolves team as last year, Gutwein said it’s been fun watching the players grow and try to get to where they want to be.

“It’s always enjoyable to work with a group and see them develop,” he said. “Our goal is to have them reach their potential as a team, and as individuals. This is a really good group that is working exceptionally hard.”

BOYS BASKETBALL

Gutwein said the Wolves’ offseason training is something he’s satisfied with, and they’re continuing to improve as the weeks go by.

“The biggest thing I try and reinforce with our guys is that winning doesn’t just happen, and it really can’t be the goal in itself,” Gutwein said. “Each practice has to be a huge investment of time and energy. If we can stack a bunch of great practices together, then winning can become a by-product of our efforts. But because we won a lot of ballgames last year entitles us to nothing this year.”

Winning ballgames could become more difficult after Estrella lost Arizona Interscholastic Association Division III Player of the Year Rex Greabell, firstteam all-state wing Antaveus Brown and all-state honorable mention forward Joe Logan. Greabell led the team in scoring and rebounding last year with 18 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. Brown was the Wolves’ second-leading scorer and thirdleading rebounder with 14.9 points and 5.1 rebounds per game, while Logan was second in rebounds and third in assists per game with 6.9 and 2.3, respectively.

Gutwein said the transition of replacing such key contributors is exactly “the way it should be.”

“It’s a process,” he said. “We have some guys who have been in the program combined with a couple newcomers battling it out for spots in the rotation.”

Some of the guys who have been in the program are Ricky Robinson, Grant Greabell and Sammy Harris. Last season, Robinson led the team in assists at 6 per game. Grant Greabell was third in points per game with 12.6, fourth in rebounds with 4 and second in assists with 3.3. Harris contributed 3.5 rebounds per game, which was fifth highest on the team.

“I am very pleased with the progress we have made thus far going into week three of practice,” he said. “We have a long way to go, but we are getting better.”

Despite the progress being made, Gutwein pointed out the areas in which he feels the team still needs to improve upon.

“I would say we need to focus on being an exceptional defensive team both in the half court and in transition,” he said. “Offensively, we need to really refine our offensive transition game and, in turn, be able to execute in the half court.”

Execution will be critical for the Wolves, and they’ll have to make sure they do it against quality opponents, as Gutwein said the team’s schedule could pose a real test. However, he said it’s something he’s looking forward to.

“Our schedule is a great challenge beginning with the [Phoenix] Sunnyslope tournament,” Gutwein said. “Lots of difficult games throughout the year, along with a great region schedule. [It’s a] great opportunity.”

With a supportive student body and community standing behind the program, Gutwein said this season will come down to the players and the team as a whole playing to the ability they’re capable of.

“Our goal, what I expect, is that we will reach our potential both as individual players, and as a collective group,” he said. “And let the results take care of themselves.”

Estrella opened its season Monday in the Sunnyslope Hoopsgiving Tournament, losing to Phoenix Moon Valley, 76-58. The Wolves play Prescott Valley Bradshaw Mountain today. The tournament concludes Friday, with a day off Thursday for Thanksgiving.

Agua Fria has 2 athletes sign collegiate letters

by Shane McOwen sports writer

Agua Fria had two athletes sign collegiate letters of intent to play at the next level Nov. 9, the first day of the early signing period.

Bryce Fowler, a forward on the boys basketball team, and Destinee Cabrera, starting shortstop and utility player on the softball team, each committed to schools in a small ceremony in front of family, friends and coaches.

Fowler signed on to play at California State University, Sacramento. Sacramento State, as it’s more colloquially known, is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I school. The basketball team competes in the Big Sky Conference.

“You could tell they were the most interested in me,” Fowler said. “They put in a lot of time. The head coach came out here the first day the coaches were allowed to visit.”

Fowler said he enjoyed his visit to the campus.

“When I went out there on the official visit, I could just tell it was the right place for me,” he said.

Fowler had a few offers, but none checked as many boxes as Sacramento State, he said.

“[Interest] kind of slowed down a little bit after club season ended,” he said. “I had two D-I offers and one D-II offer. I had a bunch of D-II schools just waiting to see what I was going to do.”

As a junior during Agua Fria’s run to the Division II state final game, Fowler was second on the team in both scoring, 14.1 points per game, and rebounding, 7.5 per game.

Paradise Valley

Cabrera signed her letter of intent to play at Paradise Valley Community College in Phoenix.

Paradise Valley is a two-year school and competes in the National Junior College Athletic Association.

Cabrera said her choice became a no-brainer after visiting the campus.

“I had opportunities to go look at other schools and stuff, but I felt that Paradise Valley was the one for me,” she said. “They had what I wanted to major in. [The field] was really, really nice. It wasn’t too crowded. I felt like it was the perfect fit for me, and it was still in state.”

Paradise Valley head coach Nick Candrea was on hand for the signing, and said Cabrera is part of a really good signing class for the school.

“We’re really excited,” Candrea said. “We’re excited with what’s going to happen next year.”

Shane McOwen can be reached at smcowen@westvalleyview.com or on Twitter @ShaneMcOwen.

View photo by Ray Thomas

BRYCE FOWLER, right, of Agua Fria drives the lane last season against La Joya. Fowler signed his national letter of intent to play collegiate basketball at California State University, Sacramento next year.

Gema Fernandez, M.D.

Maria R. DiLeo, M.D.

Kim Roberts, W.H.N.P.

Cari L. Cowling, M.D.

James M. Johnson, M.D.

Briggs J. Geier, D.O.

Raymond D. Suarez, M.D.

Joseph Perez Fernandez

Joseph Perez Fernandez, 69, of Goodyear died Nov. 7, 2016.

Mr. Fernandez was born March 19, 1947, in Dededo, Guam, to Vicente Lujan Fernandez and Maria Fernandez. He served in the U.S. Army from 1966 to 1985, achieving the rank of staff sergeant.

He is survived by his wife, Cecilia I. Fernandez; two daughters, Theresa Chapman and Stacey Cruz; two sons, Joseph and Jason Fernandez; one sister, Elenita Foley; six grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

Services were Monday at Thompson Funeral Chapel in Goodyear. Interment will be at a later date at the National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona in Phoenix.

Condolences for the family may be left at thompsonfuneralchapel.com.

Sheftel Cohen

The world lost a bit of its sparkle on October 28th, as Dr. Sheftel Japhe Cohen (“Shep” as he was known to his family and friends), 78, passed away peacefully in his home in Goodyear, Arizona.

Shep entered the world at 12:49 a.m. EST on March 25, 1938, in Brooklyn, New York, to parents Benjamin David and Anna Japhe Cohen. Shep grew up in Brooklyn where he graduated from Yeshiva Flatbush High School in 1955. Shep ventured to upstate New York for college where he studied nuclear physics at Cornell University. Shep subsequently received his Medical Doctorate from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri, where he graduated in 1963. After medical school, Shep headed farther west and spent 16 fulfilling years as an Anesthesiologist in Denver, serving at Denver Children’s Hospital, Denver General and St. Anthony. He then left Denver for Minneapolis in 1988 where he served as the Chief of Anesthesia at the Minneapolis V.A. Hospital for 12 years until his retirement in 2000. During his time at the Minneapolis V.A., he also served as the Associate Professor of Anesthesia at the University of Minnesota Medical School. After his retirement from the V.A., he assisted patients in primary care and pain management until 2010. In 2012, he and his wife, Mary, left Minnesota and retired in Arizona where he spent time with his loving family exploring the beauty of the American Southwest, sampling the finest Phoenix restaurants, expanding his knowledge base through online academic lectures, and cheering on Arizona’s sports teams, especially the Arizona Coyotes.

Shep’s father and mother precede him in death.

Shep is survived by his sister, Debbie Cohen Indyk; his wife, Mary Anne Cohen; his three children, Matthew (Terri) Cohen, Ahron (Dana) Cohen and Sarah (Sam) Emmons; one stepson, Brian LoBue; and five grandchildren, Duncan Miller and Jacob, Asher and Chloe Cohen; Ahron (Dana) welcomed Shep’s newest grandchild, Carson Cohen on November 11th, 2016.

Shep was laid to rest at a graveside service at Phoenix Memorial Park on a beautiful autumn day on November 2nd in the presence of his close family members and friends.

Condolences for the family may be left at www.sinaimortuary.net. Contributions in Shep’s honor may be made to the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation or to the Arizona Humane Society.

Aurora M. Contreras

Aurora M. Contreras, 90, of Avondale died Nov. 13, 2016.

Mrs. Contreras was born Sept. 4, 1926, to Francisco and Maria Del Rosario Madril.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 64 years, Manuel; one son, Danny; and one grandchild.

She is survived by four sons, Manuel Jr., Mike, Ramon and Martin; two daughters, Maria and Carmen; 20 grandchildren; 51 great-grandchildren; and 11 great-great-grandchildren.

Funeral services were Nov. 18 at West Resthaven Funeral Home in Glendale, with interment at Resthaven Park Cemetery in Glendale.

Todd ‘Eeyore’ Frederick Dittmer

Todd “Eeyore” Frederick Dittmer, 45, of Goodyear died Nov. 11, 2016, from ALS Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Mr. Dittmer was born April 7, 1971, in Lowell, Mass., to Walt and Helen Dittmer.

He graduated from Louisiana State University with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice.

He served in the U.S. Air Force, obtaining the rank of staff sergeant and then commissioning as an officer. He obtained the rank of lieutenant before being diagnosed with ALS, for which he was medically retired from military duty.

During 15 years in the Air Force, he was a weapons director and air battle manager, was deployed in support of Operations Allied Force and Southern Watch and served other duties as an air defense operations expert.

He is survived by his wife, Mignon; two daughters, Mackenzie and Mollie of Goodyear; his mother, Helen Campbell; one sister, Ashley Jungwirth of Oshkosh, Wis.; and two brothers, Michael Dittmer of Roseville, Calif., and Christopher Dittmer of San Francisco.

A memorial service is planned for December in Arizona. Memorials may be made to the ALS Association or Hospice of the Valley.

Carole Anna Coleman

Carole Anna Coleman, 72, of Goodyear died Oct. 22, 2016.

Mrs. Coleman was born Oct. 13, 1944, in San Antonio to Clayton and Charlsie Vandergrift.

She was a member of the Hole In One Club and the Hydro Hotties.

She is survived by her husband of 51 years, Ronald Coleman Sr.; three children, Kelly Anderson, Kim Coleman and Ron Coleman Jr.; five grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.

A memorial service will be at 2 p.m. Nov. 30 at Tuscany Falls Country Club, 16262 Clubhouse Drive, Goodyear. Memorials may be made to the Parkinson’s and Movement Disorder Alliance at pmdalliance.org.

Condolences for the family may be left at thompsonfuneralchapel.com.

Antonio Aguirre Jr.

Antonio Aguirre Jr., 63, of Goodyear died Nov. 19, 2016, in Surprise.

Mr. Aguirre was born Jan. 22, 1953, in Ray, Sonora, to Antonio and Margarita Aguirre.

He was a member of the Avondale Elementary School District Governing Board for more than 20 years.

He is survived by one daughter, Amanda Aguirre Celaya; two sons, Tony Aguirre III and Alex Aguirre; his mother, Margarita Aguirre; two sisters, Velma Montano and Norma L. Aguilar; one brother, Anthony Yslava; and nine grandchildren.

Funeral services are pending. Visit thompsonfuneralchapel.com for service date and time and to leave condolences for the family.

(See Obituaries on Page A15)

Joseph Fernandez

Aurora Contreras

Todd Dittmer Carole Coleman

Antonio Aguirre Jr.

Douglas J. Wall

Constantina Alavez Garcia

Constantina Alavez Garcia, 60, of Tolleson died Nov. 6, 2016, in Phoenix.

Constantina Garcia

Mrs. Garcia was born March 10, 1956, in Oaxaca, Mexico, to Juan Reyes and Epifania Garcia.

She is survived by her husband, Ruben Hernandez; two daughters, Thania Colin and Jenny Alavez; one son, Brandon Hernandez; her mother, Epifania Garcia; seven siblings, Teresa Alavez, Angel Alavez, Rodolfo Alavez, Sadot Alavez, Isais Alavez, Gorgonio Alavez and Gaudencio Alavez; and one grandchild.

Services have been held.

Condolences for the family may be left at advantagefunerals.com.

A word about obituaries

The West Valley View publishes free obituaries for people who were residents or former residents of the West Valley.

We also encourage the use of photos with obituaries. Photos will be cropped to a head shot, so they must be of fairly high resolution (at least 200 dpi) if submitted electronically.

Free obituaries are edited to conform to newspaper style. People who wish to have obituaries published verbatim, without any editing, may purchase a paid obituary; call 623-535-8439.

Funeral homes may submit obituaries using our online form at westvalleyview.com; click on Submit an Obituary. They may also email, fax or mail us obituaries. Our email is news1@westvalleyview.com. Our fax number is 623-935-2103. Our mailing address is West Valley View, Inc., 1050 E. Riley Dr., Avondale, AZ 85323.

Lowell E. Frederick, 84, of Peoria, AZ, passed away on November 14, 2016. He was born on July 14, 1932 in Janesville, Wisconsin. Lowell was a proud “railroad man” at heart and loved working for the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad Company as a telegrapher.

He lived the last seven years of his life at the Lifestream Cook Center in Youngstown, AZ, where he used his witty personality and strong faith in Jesus Christ to bring joy to others in this skilled nursing facility. He was an active member of North Phoenix Baptist Church, then at First Baptist Church of Sun City. A long-time Chicago Cubs fan, he was thrilled with their 2016 World Series win. His sister, Valerie, and brother, Joe, preceded him in death. He is survived by cousins, Pat (Paul) Querry of Hummelstown, PA and Bob (Faye) Hazen of Festus, MO and many close friends. A memorial service will be held at the Cook Center Chapel at 10 a.m. Wednesday, November 30, 2016. Call 623-933-4683 for information.

Buckeye police issue sex offender notices

View report

Buckeye police have issued a public alert about registered sex offenders who have moved into the city.

Jared Rutledge, 34, is living at a home in the 25900 block of West Runion Drive, southeast of Canyon Springs Boulevard and Beardsley Parkway in Buckeye, said Detective Tamela Skaggs, a spokeswoman with the Buckeye Police Department.

In 1994, Rutledge was convicted in Washington of sexual assault. His victim, a girl, was known to him, Skaggs said.

Ernest Sloat, 48, is living at a home in the 25800 block of West Whyman Street, southeast of Lower Buckeye and Rooks roads in Buckeye, Skaggs said.

In 2000, Sloat was convicted in New York of sexual abuse in the first degree. His victim, a woman, was known to him, Skaggs said.

Adrian Villareal, 39, is living at a home in the 200 block of South Fourth Street, southeast of MC85 and Fourth Street in Buckeye, Skaggs said.

In 1996, Villareal and two accomplices were convicted of sexually assaulting a woman in Phoenix, Skaggs said.

Neither Rutledge, Sloat, nor Villareal are wanted by any law enforcement agency, Skaggs said.

Buckeye police did not provide information on what level sex offender each man is classified as. The alerts are the result of the Arizona sex offender law that took effect in 1996. The law requires community notification for some sex offenders.

Teen shot during attempted burglary

View report

The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office is investigating after an 18-year-old was shot Nov. 16 while attempting to burglarize a house near 231st Avenue and Lower Buckeye Road in Buckeye, officials said.

Two residents returned to the house at about 1 p.m. and noticed an unknown vehicle parked in front, said Detective Doug Matteson, an MCSO spokesman.

They went inside and confronted an 18-year-old who was burglarizing the house, Matteson said.

During an ensuing struggle, the teen was shot multiple times, and he was transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, Matteson said.

NEED EXTRA

The West Valley View is seeking to hire individuals as Independent Contractors newspaper delivery routes! SUV, light truck or similar heavier duty vehicle preferable. Papers available for pick-up Tuesday night. Deliver late night (after 10:30 p.m.), overnight or early morning. Deliveries must be completed by 9 a.m. Wednesday mornings. Valid: Drivers License, Auto Insurance, Vehicle Registration all required. Background check and clean MVR (driving record) mandatory. Experience a plus. Please ll out an application, background authorization and submit all required documentation at our of ces at: 1050 E. Riley Dr. on the NE corner of Elesio C Felix Jr. Way & Riley, south of Van Buren & east of Dysart. You can also email Publisher@westvalleyview.com

Teen indicted in cyber attack on 911 system

View report

An Arizona teen was indicted Nov. 7 for allegedly carrying out a cyber attack on 911 emergency call systems in Maricopa County, including Avondale, according to the Arizona Attorney General’s Office.

Meetkumar Desai, 18, was arrested Oct. 27 by the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office Cybercrimes Unit and is facing four felony counts of computer tampering, the Attorney General’s Office said.

Between Oct. 24 and 26, four law enforcement agencies received more than 300 hang-up 911 calls, which were made by a computer malware application that had the potential to shut down 911 services across the county, the Attorney General’s Office said.

The calls were allegedly made to MCSO and the Avondale, Surprise and Chandler police department emergency call centers, the Attorney General’s Office said.

Silent Witness seeking info on woman’s death

Silent Witness is asking the public for help after a woman was found dead Nov. 9 on county land at 107th and Southern avenues.

A body, identified as Sabrina Rollins, 39, was reported to the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office at about 7:30 a.m. by a rancher.

Rollins was believed to be homeless and from the Southeast Valley. She was last seen wearing a blue shirt, black shorts and tennis shoes in the area of 35th Avenue and Lower Buckeye Road in Phoenix, said Sgt. Jamie Rothschild, a spokesman for Silent Witness.

She also went by the nicknames “Star” and “Estrella,” he said. Anyone with information regarding the case is asked to contact Silent Witness at 480-948-6377 or 480-837-8446 for Spanish. Tips can also be left anonymously online at silentwitness.org.

View report

Sabrina Rollins

Meetkumar Desai

Jared Rutledge

Ernest Sloat

Adrian Villareal

Lowell E. Frederick

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Aetna Medicare is a PDP, HMO, PPO plan with a Medicare contract. Our SNPs also have contracts with State Medicaid programs. Enrollment in our plans depends on contract renewal. See Evidence of Coverage for a complete description of plan benefits, exclusions, limitations and conditions of coverage. Plan features and availability may vary by service area. This information is not a complete description of benefits. Contact the plan for more information. Limitations, copayments, and restrictions may apply. Benefits, formulary, pharmacy network, provider network, premium and/or co-payments/co-insurance may change on January 1 of each year. Members who get “Extra Help” are not required to fill prescriptions at preferred network pharmacies in order to get Low Income Subsidy (LIS) copays. You must continue to pay your Medicare Part B premium. The Part B premium is covered for full-dual members. Our dual-eligible Special Needs Plan is available to anyone who has both Medical Assistance from the state and Medicare. Premiums, co-pays, co-insurance, and deductibles may vary based on the level of Extra Help you receive. Please contact the plan for further details. Other pharmacies, physicians and/or providers are available in our network. The formulary, pharmacy network, and/or provider network may change at any time. You will receive notice when necessary. A sales person will be present with information and applications. For accommodation of persons with special needs at sales meetings, call 1-855-252-4979 (TTY: 711). All persons eligible for Medicare may receive a $10 Reward Card with no enrollment obligation. Non Aetna Medicare Advantage members must attend a sales meeting, schedule an appointment, or request an information kit to receive the offer. Current Aetna Medicare Advantage members, must call the number in the advertisement for instructions on how to receive the offer. Not to exceed more than one $10 Reward Card per person. Offer valid while supplies last. Participating physicians, hospitals and other health care providers are independent contractors and are neither agents nor employees of Aetna. The availability of any particular provider cannot be guaranteed, and provider network composition is subject to change. The Silver&Fit program is provided by American Specialty Health Fitness, Inc. (ASH Fitness), a subsidiary of American Specialty Health Incorporated (ASH). Healthways and SilverSneakers are registered trademarks of Healthways, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries. ©2016 Healthways, Inc. All rights reserved. Aetna complies with applicable Federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex. ATTENTION: If you speak a language other than English, free language assistance services are available. Visit our website at www.aetnamedicare.com or call the phone number listed in this material. ESPAÑOL (SPANISH): ATENCIÓN: Si usted habla español, se encuentran disponibles servicios gratuitos de asistencia de idiomas. Visite nuestro sitio web en www.aetnamedicare.com o llame al número de teléfono que se indica en este material. (CHINESE): www.aetnamedicare.com Y0001_4002_8947_FINAL_1000001 Accepted 11/2016

A place to call home

Veteran given mortgage-free house in Goodyear

by Emily Toepfer assistant editor

While Nov. 11 is often bittersweet for retired Army Staff Sgt. Joseph Moncreif, this year’s Veterans Day was definitely on the sweeter side.

Last week, Moncreif, along with his wife, Mollie, and their daughters Elizabeth, 8, and Jocelyn, 6, were presented the keys to their new 2,278-square-foot mortgage-free home in Goodyear thanks to Operation Homefront and the Meritage Homes Corp.

The family was previously living in privatized housing on Luke Air Force Base in Glendale, and the entire house could probably fit in the living room of their new home, Moncreif said.

“We always dreamed of owning a home, but we were probably never going to have a chance to do it,” he said. “This is probably one of the best opportunities I’ve ever gotten. It’s overwhelming.”

Moncreif served almost 14 years in the Army, during which he secured and prepared ammunition and reported to the commander during battle.

His four deployments included Kosovo in 1997, Kuwait in 2000 and Iraq in 2003 and 2005. After being shot, stabbed, bombed and surviving three helicopter crashes, he medically retired with an honorable discharge in 2010.

“Veterans Day always brings back a lot of memories, so it’s bittersweet,” Moncreif said. “There are a lot of people I knew who would have loved to have had this opportunity.”

Since its inception shortly after Sept. 11, 2001, Operation Homefront has placed more than 550 veterans and their families in mortgage-free houses with the help of Meritage Homes through the “Homes on the Homefront” program.

“Our mission is to build strong, stable and secure military families so that they can thrive in the

communities they have worked so hard to protect,” said Robert Thomas, Operation Homefront’s chief operating officer.

For Mollie, the home is a place she can finally relax, and the luxurious tub in her new master bathroom is her favorite part, she said.

“In the homes we’ve rented, the adult bathrooms always have the stand-up shower and the kids gets bathtubs, but I don’t want to be in the kids’ tub,” she said. “This is my place.”

Emily Toepfer can be reached at etoepfer@westvalleyview.com or on Twitter @EmilyToepfer.

View photo by Jordan Christopher

RETIRED ARMY STAFF SGT. JOSEPH MONCREIF, left, and his wife, Mollie, explore their new home Nov. 11 in Goodyear. The family was given a mortgagefree home courtesy of Operation Homefront and Meritage Homes Corp.

View photo by Jordan Christopher

JOSEPH MONCREIF, right, poses with his wife, Mollie, and their daughters, Jocelyn, 6, and Elizabeth, 8, Nov. 11 in their new Goodyear home.

View photo by Jordan Christopher

JOSEPH MONCREIF relaxes in the shower of his new Goodyear home Nov. 11.

Submitted photo

SAGE FOREMAN, 13, third from right, smiles as President Barack Obama presents medallions to “kid science advisers” Oct. 21 at the White House. The Centerra Mirage STEM Academy seventh-grader was one of 11 youths chosen from 2,500 across the country who shared ideas for ways to improve science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, education during a conference in Washington, D.C.

Goodyear boy meets Obama during STEM summit in D.C.

by Glenn Gullickson staff writer

A Goodyear youth’s idea for a national technology field trip day is getting attention from officials in the U.S. government, including President Barack Obama.

Sage Foreman, 13, a seventh-grader at Centerra Mirage STEM Academy in Goodyear, shared his idea during a conference at the White House that was highlighted by meeting the president.

Sage, the son of Robert and Melissa Foreman, was one of 11 youths from across the country designated as “kid science advisers” during their White House visit on Oct. 21.

The youths from first grade to high school were selected from among more than 2,500 who had

submitted ideas for ways to improve science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, education.

Sage said his idea for a technology field trip day involves having students tour the facilities of technology companies.

He said he was told by officials that the idea seemed like something that could be implemented quickly, an important consideration since Obama is leaving office in January and it’s uncertain that the new administration would pursue the program.

Sage said he’s already contacted his school’s superintendent to set up a field trip trial run.

The students were at the White House for about five hours — which Sage said “felt like 10 minutes” — for meetings with advisers to the president for science and technology as well as NASA officials, including astronauts Scott and Mark Kelly.

Sage said a visit with the president hadn’t been guaranteed while the youths had their sessions in the Roosevelt Room.

“They didn’t even let us know, he just came in,” Sage said. “He seemed really cool.”

When Obama shook hands with each student, Sage said he took the opportunity to make an impression by handing the president a business card.

During 30 minutes with the president, Obama took the youths to the Oval Office for pictures and presented each with a presidential medallion.

Sage said he also got a box of M&Ms embossed with the White House seal, which he ate.

The trip was Sage’s second to the nation’s capital this year. As a chief science officer at his school, last summer he was invited to Washington to meet with the White House’s Office of Science and Technology.

Sage, who is also involved in the robotics club at his school, said he became interested in science and technology at age 5 as a fan of Star Wars.

The youth said he has big hopes for the future that could include working as a professor and winning a Nobel Prize.

Glenn Gullickson can be reached at ggullickson@ westvalleyview.com.

Friends of the Buckeye Public Library is raffling a quilt to help raise money for the Buckeye Public Library. Tickets are $1 for one or $5 for six and can be purchased at the downtown library, 310 N. Sixth St., or the Coyote Branch Library, 21699 W. Yuma Road, where the quilt is displayed. The drawings will be held in April at the Friends of the Buckeye Public Library’s annual spring luncheon.

The following page of West Valley View is zoned for the 11/23/16 edition.

Each zone page B3

(B3N=North, B3E=East, B3S=South, B3W=West) appears in its designated geographical zone within the West Valley View circulation boundaries. For the purpose of the online edition, all zone pages appear.

‘We can do it’

Rosie the Riveters visit Avondale school, share stories

by Kourtney Balsan special to

the View

As the song goes, “All day long, whether rain or shine, she’s part of the assembly line. She’s making history, working for victory. Rosie the Riveter.”

While men were off fighting World War II, the women back home were working in transformed factories and shipyards to do their part for America. Known as Rosie the Riveters, they were doing what they were asked to do by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and what they felt they had to do for their country.

“I just feel that the Rosies are representative of everybody, of everyone who worked hard. I really feel that way for me. I can’t speak for the rest of them, but for me. I am just a representative of the women of America way, way back in 1943, ’44,” said Caroline Kilgore, a Rosie. “We all worked for the same thing: for freedom and to bring our boys back, and that was such a wonderful thing.”

Kilgore, 90, of Sun City is a member of a local chapter of the largest organization dedicated to Rosie the Riveters, the American Rosie the Riveter Association. The Arizona chapter visited Garden Lakes Elementary School in Avondale Nov. 10 to participate in its Veterans Day ceremony and share their stories so they will not be forgotten.

Riveting riveters

“I was 16 when I started working, and I worked inside the airplane wing, because at that time, I was small and I could fit inside,” Kilgore said. “I did the butting. The rivet is where they first drill a hole in the airplane, then they have someone on the outside that will put the rivet in and use a gun. And I’m on the inside and I have a big bar and I butt it, we called it butting, until it’s flat and that holds the airplane wing together. And I hoped my airplanes flew because I did the best I could at 16.”

Although she was small, her impact was big. Nearly 19 million Rosies could make fighter jets ready in 68 minutes, Kilgore said.

“You learn to get muscles because that is a heavy job that you do. It’s noisy inside there, and it’s also lonely. I would have no one to talk to. You know you’re all by yourself. And I lost my hearing because of it. But it’s the least I could do to keep America great at that time, and we all worked, every one of us worked. Maybe I was a

(See Rosie on Page B4)

Zamora on Tuesday, November 15, 2016. Published in the West Valley View, and the West Valley Business on November 23, 2016.

Durkin, 16351 West McKinley Street, Goodyear, AZ 85338 for a proposed 3,100 square foot automotive repair facility in an existing facility located at 8335 West Sherman Street, Tolleson, AZ 85353, west of 83rd Avenue (APN 101-12626). The site is approximately 1.04 acres and is currently zoned as I-1 (Light Industrial). The

View photo by Jordan Christopher

CAROLINE KILGORE of Sun City, left, an original Rosie the Riveter, answers questions from pupils Nov. 10 at Garden Lakes Elementary during the Avondale school’s 20th annual Veterans Day celebration. Kilgore worked as a Rosie when she was just 16 years old during World War II.

‘We can do it’

Rosie the Riveters visit Avondale school, share stories

by Kourtney Balsan special to

As the song goes, “All day long, whether rain or shine, she’s part of the assembly line. She’s making history, working for victory. Rosie the Riveter.”

Riveting riveters

Although she was small, her impact was big. Nearly 19 million Rosies could make fighter jets ready in 68 minutes, Kilgore said.

(See Rosie on Page B4)

Renowned Hearing Aid Expert to Visit Goodyear

View photo by Jordan Christopher

‘We can do it’

Rosie the Riveters visit Avondale school, share stories

by Kourtney Balsan special to

As the song goes, “All day long, whether rain or shine, she’s part of the assembly line. She’s making history, working for victory. Rosie the Riveter.”

Riveting riveters

Although she was small, her impact was big. Nearly 19 million Rosies could make fighter jets ready in 68 minutes, Kilgore said.

(See Rosie on Page B4)

Renowned Hearing Aid Expert to Visit Goodyear

View photo by Jordan Christopher

‘We can do it’

Rosie the Riveters visit Avondale school, share stories

by Kourtney Balsan

special to the View

As the song goes, “All day long, whether rain or shine, she’s part of the assembly line. She’s making history, working for victory. Rosie the Riveter.”

Riveting riveters

Although she was small, her impact was big. Nearly 19 million Rosies could make fighter jets ready in 68 minutes, Kilgore said.

(See Rosie on Page B4)

View photo by Jordan Christopher

Rosie

(From Page B3)

riveter, but all America worked, and we wanted to make America great again and free. We wanted freedom for our young ones,” Kilgore said.

Happy Sargol, 93, of Sun City is the Arizona state director for the American Rosie the Riveter Association. She started the local chapter because of her daughter’s curiosity.

“She called me from Georgia and asked me, ‘Mom, who is that lady from World War II?’ And I said, ‘Oh, Betty Hutton?’ I thought she was talking about the pin-up girl. She said, ‘No, the one who wore overalls and had a bandana on her head.’ So I said, ‘No, that’s Rosie the Riveter,’” Sargol said. “She said, ‘How did you know?’ And I said, ‘Well I wasn’t a riveter, but I worked in a war plant.’”

Lynda Frerichs is Sargol’s daughter, making her a Rose Bud.

“Growing up, I never knew about the Rosies,” Frerichs said. “They didn’t think of it as being a special thing. And I think that’s the thing that really stood out to me, that she had never talked about it.”

Sargol said when the war was over, no one wanted to talk about it.

“The world, we were angry. We didn’t want to talk about it,” she said.

“But now, you can’t help but remember,” Elieen Blackler added.

Blackler, 90, of Sun City shares a similar story, as she is also a Rosie.

“I was too young to work anywhere. I was just a freshman in high school, so I worked as a volunteer at an orphanage where their parents were probably overseas,” Blackler said. “I did that until I was old enough to work. Then I worked with the Army Air Base that made milkshakes and rich stuff for the guys to drink before they went overseas, and said goodbye to a lot of them.

And then I got to work at the shipyard.”

Blackler said her most memorable experience was immediately before she became a Rosie.

“I went to an all girls school when the war started and I saw we had a lot of Japanese people who went there. On the morning that the president declared war, we had an assembly and they played the Star Spangled Banner when they declared war. And I turned around, and it still gives me goose bumps, but I turned around and my friends didn’t know whether to stand up or sit down. The Japanese people, they took all the Japanese people away and I never saw them again,” Blackler said.

Paying tribute

Blackler and Kilgore participated in the Honor Flight, which flies veterans and war heroes to Washington, D.C., to remember history and honor the past. It took the ladies to all the memorials and Arlington National Cemetery, where fallen soldiers lie.

“I guess the thing that impresses me the most is seeing all the tombstones in Arlington. It’s so sad to see all those young men killed before they had gotten married, before they lived a life, it was so sad. I still see it in my dreams. And I feel so bad, so bad and they’re making more land for more tombstones which is bad, but I mean is something that we have to do,” Blackler said.

The mission of the Rosies is to keep history alive by informing children about Rosie the Riveters who had a critical role not only in World War II, but also in women’s rights as they were catalysts for feminism and equality, Sargol said.

“We’re the beginning of women who work away from home. When the guys came home to go back to work, we didn’t want to give up our jobs,” Blackler said.

Lawmakers are still making a push toward National Rosie the Riveter day, which would take place May 23 of each year. The Arizona chapter of the American Rosie the Riveter Association meets at 11 a.m. the first Tuesday of the month at the Royal Cafe, 10793 W. Grand Ave., Sun City. The chapter is always looking for more Rosies and Rose Buds to join. For information, call Frerichs at 623-815-3653.

School Notes are published as space permits. The View runs these items free of charge as a service to the community and puts as many into each newspaper as possible. If you have a notice that must run by a certain date, please contact our advertising department at 623535-8439.

Connor Lewis Treptow makes spring dean’s list

Connor Lewis Treptow of Goodyear made the spring semester academic dean’s list at the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. To make the dean’s list, students must have a 3.5 or better GPA.

SRP awards learning grants

Salt River Project has awarded more than $117,000 to Arizona schools, including three in the West Valley, to enhance math and science programs.

Desert Edge High School in Goodyear was given $3,245. The school plans to use the money to purchase a set of 10 graphing calculators to study and analyze data. The grant will be used to enable Algebra 1 students to complete six science, technology, engineering and mathematics projects over the course of a year and compete in an end of the year Inter School STEM competition.

The goal is to integrate physical science concepts into the algebra curriculum that stress real world math connections. The projects include model bridge building, designing electrical circuitry, launching water rockets and constructing solar cars.

Great Hearts Trivium Preparatory High School in Goodyear was awarded $4,978. The school will use the money to purchase sustainable scientific instruments and supplies to support the biology curriculum. The materials will allow students to conduct DNA extraction and gel electrophoresis. The DNA extraction lab will bring a complicated topic to life for the students and bring the subject down to the molecular base level.

Copper King Elementary School in west Phoenix was given $5,000. As part of the STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics) water academy, pupils will take a trip to the Salt River to complete field research.

Pupils will spend one day rafting the river while making observations about wildlife and river ecology, then a second day completing water quality tests and analysis to assess the health of the river, as well as creating river themed art projects. After the field day, pupils will prepare a presentation for the University of Arizona project WET program.

Buckeye resident Sayra Ortegeros receives DAR scholarship

Sayra Ortegeros of Buckeye has received a $500 scholarship from the Buckeye Valley Daughters of the American Revolution in Buckeye as part of the DAR Scholarship program for being an excelling student having graduated from Buckeye Union High School. She is attending Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff and is studying business management.

Kaitlynne Piepiora joins 2016 Teach for America corps

Kaitlynne Piepiora of Buckeye has been selected for the 2016 Teach For America corps and will enter the classroom as a teacher during the fall in Arkansas, where she will serve pupils and families in a high needs area and work alongside school leaders to expand educational opportunities for all children.

View photo by Jordan Christopher

ROSIES HAPPY SARGOL, left, and Eileen Blackler smile alongside Rosebud Carol Ruda as they watch a parade Nov. 10 at Garden Lakes Elementary in Avondale for Veterans Day.

The following two pages of West Valley View are zoned for the 11/23/16 edition.

Each zone pages B6 & B7 (B6N=North, B6E=East, B6S=South, B6W=West) appears in its designated geographical zone within the West Valley View circulation boundaries. For the purpose of the online edition, all zone pages appear.

Old dogs teach new tricks

Avondale P.D. program visits schools to teach children about proper pet treatment

by Glenn Gullickson staff writer

Law enforcement officers use K9 units to assist with fighting crime, but the Avondale Police Department has another group of dogs with a different kind of mission.

“It’s really a great thing to do something you love to do with your dog.”

— Kathleen Tyryfter Avondale Police Department

The department’s Pets in Service program uses a team of five dogs that visit elementary classrooms to help teach children about how to treat pets.

“These dogs are your touchy, feely therapy dogs,” said Debbie Ray, who operates the program as part of her job as volunteer coordinator at the Avondale Police Department.

Ray said the program targets youths from preschool through third grade with lessons about the responsibilities of pet ownership.

Having a dog such as the Australian shepherd mix Baylee Ray or golden retriever Savannah in the classroom can be pretty exciting for the children, but Ray said the visits are meant to be educational.

Lessons include the correct way to approach a dog, why a dog’s tail shouldn’t be pulled and the importance of a healthy pet.

“It promotes that sense of caring for something else,” Ray said.

The lessons also share information about rules and regulations governing animals, such as license and leash laws, Ray said.

“We are not a dog and pony show. We are about public safety,” she said. “We tell it in a way that kids get it.”

Dogs in the program have a temperament that Ray described as “complex,” allowing them to work well one on one or in a crowd.

The dogs are owned by their handlers and certified before being issued vests and police badges.

One or two of the dogs will visit a class in the Avondale Elementary School District about twice a month for the 30-minute program, Ray said.

In the classroom, the handlers do a survey to find who

has a dog and who might be afraid of dogs. Katie Fey, a paramedic who lives in Avondale, said when her dog Baylee Ray goes to the classroom, she uses a stethoscope to have children listen to the dog’s heart

Dogs on Page B7)

View photo by Jordan Christopher

KATIE FEY, Avondale Police Department Pets in Service handler, high fives Baylee Ray, a 7-year-old Australian shepherd mix, Oct. 24 at the Avondale Civic Center. Pets in Service uses five therapy dogs to educate children about the proper treatment of pets.

(See

Pets in Service program handler