January 9, 2019 • Vol. 17, No. 8
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Woman celebrates 106th birthday in Peoria with dancing, cake BY TARA ALATORRE
Pictured: Hilda Lee Jones, her son Matthew (right) and her grandson Edward (left) cheers in celebration of her 106th Birthday in Peoria on Jan. 2, 2019. Photo courtesy of Seasons Hospice and Palliative Care of Arizona
PEORIA – Hilda Lee Jones celebrated her 106th birthday last week by dancing with her 87-year-old son, Matthew, while donning a crown and sash at a party held for the momentous occasion inside the Immanuel Campus of Care in Peoria. “I feel so happy, I feel wanted, and I feel that there is love in this room,” Jones said while smiling from ear to ear at her birthday party. The oxygen she wore seemed like a fashion accessory that was just part of her stylish ensemble as she blew out her birthday candles – for a second time – with vigor and a smile. Jones is sharp, witty and making 106 look good as she twirled on the dance floor with her only
son in the dining hall, while staff from the care facility gathered around to watch. Born on Jan. 2, 1912, in Dallas, Texas, Jones can still remember the street she was born on, Haskel Avenue. As a young child she would come to live in Palestine, Texas, with her grandparents after her mother died at the young age of 29 from the Great Flu Pandemic of 1917, and her father died while serving win World War I. Her sister and only sibling would die 10 years after her mother, leaving her with not much family. Her family losses would cause her even more hardship as Jones eventually
106th BIRTHDAY continued on page 12
Softball coach arrested Keeping history in the spotlight: Peoria adds important building to Historic Register for child sex crimes MCSO seeks additional victims BY TARA ALATORRE
WADDELL – The Maricopa County Sheriff ’s Office (MCSO) Special Victims Unit and the West Sacramento Police Department (WSPD) arrested a self-employed baseball and softball hitting coach from Waddell for multiple child sex crimes on January 4. Forty-two-year-old Jack “Buck” Thomas was arrested on an outstanding felony warrant from California after several victims that he coached came forward and alleged that they had been
PEORIA – Future generations will now get a glimpse into Peoria’s past, thanks to a recent naming of Peoria High School’s Old Main on the National Register of Historic Places. The Keeper of the National Register recognized the iconic building, located at 11200 N. 83rd Avenue, and Peoria’s commitment to preserve the original structure and historical essence. Recognized properties must be at least 50-years-old, have maintained the integrity of
touched inappropriately by him. The victims stated that they were sexually assaulted during private hitting instruction with Thomas, and at least one of the victims was assaulted in Maricopa County after she travelled to Arizona for training, according to MCSO. Detectives believe that there are additional victims within Maricopa County and MCSO and WSPD are continuing to investigate.
COACH ARRESTED continued on page 13
Pictured: Peoria High School's Old Main building, which was recently added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Photo courtesy of the City of Peoria.
PEORIA OLD MAIN continued on page 14
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• Service Directory
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