West Valley View - South Zone - 11.24.2022

Buckeye, Goodyear police receive grants

BY JOE MCHUGH West Valley View Staff Writer

Thanks to grants from the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, the Buckeye Police Department and Goodyear Police Department will have the ability to make their respective growing cities safer to walk, bike and drive through.

Buckeye Police received a total of three grants from the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety (GOHS) amounting to $80,000. Each grant will be put toward making the roads safer for drivers, while making sure that there are officers in the right places at the right times.

“This really allows us to multiply our efforts with this grant funding offered by the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety,” said Carissa Planalp, public information officer for the Buckeye Police Department.

“Traffic is an issue that affects all of us, traffic safety in particular. It could be you

on the road; it could be your loved one in the backseat. This applies to everyone, and so this really is a partnership that allows us to keep everyone safe.”

As for the grants, the first of three is a $40,000 grant to cover overtime and other employee-related costs to boost officer presence, enhance road safety and increase officers on patrol to identify intoxicated drivers. The grant also pays for an Intoxilyzer machine for detecting alcohol impairment.

The second grant allocates $12,500 toward special equipment to streamline accident investigations. The funds will make collision reconstruction more efficient to reduce roadway restrictions and provide more accurate information.

The last of the grants is $35,000 to cover the purchase of Lidar and Radar equipment to help officers target areas that experience a higher volume of speeding violations.

“Buckeye takes great pride in ensuring our roads are safe, which requires a strong offi cer presence on our streets,” Buckeye Mayor Eric Orsborn said in a statement.

“These grants will enhance our efforts to reduce speeding, streamline accident investigations and cover the cost of overtime to increase patrol efforts while saving our taxpayers money. It’s a win for our residents, the police department and our city.”

As for Goodyear Police, GOHS handed it a $20,000 grant to be dedicated to the safety of pedestrians and bicycles. The money will be allocated toward making sure officers will be able to effectively patrol areas of need, whether that be school zones, parks or residential areas.

“We have had a couple of fatalities in-

Avondale woman killed near University of Idaho

BY WEST VALLEY VIEW STAFF

Police in Moscow, Idaho, are investigating the deaths of four University of Idaho students at an off-campus residence.

Among the four students who were killed was Xana Kernodle, 20, of Avondale.

On Nov. 13, at 11:58 a.m., officers responded to the residence after a 911 call reported an unconscious individual. Upon arrival, officers discovered the bodies of Kernodle; Ethan Chapin, 20, of Conway, Washington; Kaylee Goncalves, 21, of Rathdrum, Idaho; and Madison Mogen, 21, of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, deceased inside the residence. The deaths have been ruled a homicide.

The cell phone used to call 911 belonged to one of the two surviving roommates.

Autopsies were conducted on Nov. 17, which confirmed the identity of the four murdered individuals and their cause and manner of death as homicide by stabbing. The coroner stated that the four victims were likely asleep, and each was stabbed multiple times.

Reports said Kernodle had defensive wounds on her hands. There was no sign of sexual assault.

Moscow police initially called the murders a “targeted attack” and, in addition, there were no signs of forced entry into the residence.

Investigators determined that Kerndole

and Chapin, who were dating, were seen at a fraternity party on the University of Idaho campus. At 1:45 a.m., the two were believed to have returned to the residence. It had been previously reported that Chapin resided at the home; however, it has been determined that he was only visiting.

The murders have been a shock to the city of Moscow. The 25,000-person population city hasn’t had a recorded murder since 2015, according to state records.

The Kernodle family did not respond in a request for an interview.

A GoFundMe has been started to assist the Kernodles in their time of grieving and can be found at gofundme.com/f/xanakernodle.

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Love’s Travel Stop reopens in Buckeye

BY WEST VALLEY VIEW STAFF

Love’s Travel Stops has returned to serving customers in Buckeye, after recently reopening a store that was closed back in March for renovations.

The store, which reopened on Nov. 10, adds 77 jobs to Maricopa County, 59 truck parking spaces, additional diesel bays and various other improvements after undergoing a complete remodel. It can be found at 1610 S. Miller Road.

“We’re excited to announce the reopening of a 14th location in Arizona, providing customers with another clean, safe and well-stocked location off the highway,” said Shane Wharton, president of Love’s Travel Stops. “The Buckeye location will offer plenty of amenities to ensure that professional drivers and four-wheel customers get back on the road quickly.”

The renovated location is more than 15,000 square feet and open 24/7. For travelers’ convenience, it has 59 truck

Love’s Travel Stops closed its Buckeye location for renovations in March, but it is now open again. (Love’s Travel Stops/Submitted)

parking spaces, 50 car parking spaces, six RV parking spaces, six diesel bays, nine showers and laundry facilities.

For food options, it is home to Chester’s Chicken, Godfather’s Pizza, Subway, Fresh Kitchen, bean-to-cup gourmet coffee and brand name.

It also has a Mobile to Go Zone with

the latest GPS, headsets and smartphone accessories, and Speedco will join the location in 2023.

In honor of the grand opening, Love’s Travel Stops is donating $2,000 split between All Faith Community Services and Arizonans for the Protection of Exploited Children and Adults.

Avondale and Goodyear launch WeRIDE

BY AVION WICK West Valley View Contributing Writer

Uber was founded in 2009 and Lyft in 2012. Ride-sharing apps have been around for over 10 years, and the convenience of a short ride has been experienced across the nation. The citizens of Avondale and Goodyear recently received their own microtransit service.

On Oct. 24, the cities of Avondale and Goodyear soft launched the new WeRIDE system. WeRIDE provides short rides to and from fixed points around the north Avondale neighborhoods to common places like grocery stores.

All vehicles are ADA approved, can hold five people and have bike racks, according to the city of Avondale, and

you can either pay on the app or in exact change during the ride. Zoom is Avondale’s circulator bus system that serves the local residents. Matthew L. Dudley, transit manager of Public Works for the city of Avondale, said public transit was hit hard by the pandemic. The overall riders across both Avondale and Goodyear decreased during COVID-19, and those riders have not returned like expected.

“Zoom used to be 170,000 passengers per year. After COVID, we were down to 70,000,” Dudley said.

But city transit officials like Harold Siguenza, the deputy director of Public Works for the city of Avondale, said WeRIDE will do more than Zoom.

“Not every home has a vehicle for every individual within that home to go and be independent and be able to go do the things that they need to do,” Siguenza said. “We are meeting that need for folks who now don’t need to call someone for a ride. … They can get to those places now with this service.”

Christine McMurdy, project management coordinator for the city of Goodyear, stated that WeRIDE and microtransit in general was brought to both Goodyear and Avondale from outcomes of the Avondale-Goodyear Transit Study led by the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG).

The study states, “Many residents and visitors rely on public transit to access employment, education, or other essential services such as grocery stores and medical appointments.”

“The presence of this service in both cities will increase access for jobs,” McMurdy said. “It is about getting our residents that need work to those jobs.”

This, McMurdy said, really puts WeRIDE above other public transportation services. The specific points on the map allow the rides to be less expensive than other ride services. As well as the Americans with Disabilities Act-approved elements.

“This is a federally funded project, but even if it wasn’t a federally funded project I think it is important to make sure that accessibility is there for all residents,” Dudley said.

One aspect of this service is that feedback is given straight to the WeRIDE team in real time. While speaking with Dudley, he was able to pull up the system that showed 21% of the rides that day were shared rides, which is another reason the ride fees will stay more cost effective for users.

The service had an official launch date of Nov 14. Since then, there has been a significant increase in ridership.

During the first week of service, the city of Goodyear had over 50 riders on the new service, according to McMurdy. The city of Avondale had a very successful launch as well, reaching an average of 45 passengers each day — 44% of those being shared rides, according to Dudley.

“Our focus going forward is to build ridership,” McMurdy said. “Once ridership grows, we can look at how trips are spread throughout the day. That’s the beauty of getting fresh data every day, which accumulates over time. You have a level of control with microtransit that you do not (have) with traditional fixed-route bus services.”

The city of Avondale used the WeRIDE system to replace a section of the Zoom service, however, and Dudley said the transition was a successful one.

“The neighborhood Zoom service that WeRIDE replaced was only picking up around 30 to 50 passengers per day operating from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m,” he said. “In this first week of microtransit service running from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., we’ve easily matched that daily boarding number.”

According to the WeRIDE website, one-way fare passenger fees will go into effect Dec 5: $2 for regular; $1 for seniors over the age of 60, veterans, disabled, and students currently registered at EMCC and Franklin Pierce; and free for children ages 0-5 who are accompanied by a paying passenger age 16 or older who provide and install an appropriate booster or car seat as required by law.

To find a WeRIDE route near you, visit avondaleaz.gov or goodyearaz. gov.

McDonald’s adds new menu items

BY WEST VALLEY VIEW STAFF

McDonald’s is introducing two new menu items — the smoky BLT Quarter Pounder with cheese and the Oreo fudge McFlurry.

The two new, limited-time menu items will be available nationwide beginning Nov. 21. Customers can order both items in restaurants, on the McDonald’s App, or via McDelivery.

The smoky BLT Quarter Pounder

with cheese features a 100% fresh beef quarter pound patty, topped with two slices of melty American cheese, thickcut Applewood smoked bacon, Roma tomatoes, shredded lettuce and smoky sauce on a toasted sesame seed bun. There will also be a double smoky BLT Quarter Pounder with cheese.

The Oreo fudge McFlurry blends McDonald’s vanilla soft serve with hot fudge topping and Oreo cookie pieces.

volving children walking home from school in our city over the past couple of years,” said Curt Raine, patrol sgt. for the Goodyear Police Department.

“One is too many, so having the ability to dedicate more enforcement, in regards to keeping those school zones safe, is certainly a priority for us.”

In addition, Raine said that if there are funds left over, the extra will go to properly compensating officers working overtime shifts.

“Our 40-hour work week isn’t really enough for us to do our day-to-day job,” Raine said. “We have to incur overtime just to function daily.”

In conjunction with making sure that there are officers in areas of need, Raine said he hopes that some of the money would be used toward upgrading equipment, such as putting radars in more locations, so they can gather data of how drivers are driving in any given area. Using this data, Raine and his officers will properly be able to police more areas and protect more people.

In response to receiving the grant,

Goodyear Mayor Joe Pizzillo issued a statement.

“We are very pleased to have been awarded a Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Grant by the Arizona Governor’s Offi ce of Highway Safety,” Goodyear Mayor Joe Pizzillo said.

“The Goodyear Police Department intends to use these funds to engage with our youth through educational events and community outreach, as well as focusing enforcement on distracted drivers and aggressive or reckless driving behaviors that put pedestrians and bicyclists at risk.

“We are a growing community with robust activity generated by retail centers, schools, our Goodyear Recreation Campus and our new Civic Square. There has been a noticeable increase in bicycle and pedestrian traffic, and we are committed to ensuring their safety. These funds support our council’s goal of enhancing the quality of life for our residents by helping them to safely navigate our city as well as enjoy being outdoors.”

Credit Union West makes changes to fees

BY WEST VALLEY VIEW STAFF

Credit Union West recently announced plans to eliminate nonsufficient funds and overdraft transfer fees, while also reducing overdraft fees for transactions honored through its courtesy pay program.

As of Nov. 1, members with personal accounts at the credit union are no longer to be charged with a $35 fee for returned checks or a $5 overdraft transfer fee when funds are transferred from a savings account or line of credit to cover a deficit. Additionally, the $35 overdraft fee charged for items being paid on a courtesy basis has been reduced to $25.

“We view these changes as positive steps to improving the financial lives of our members and increasing the value we provide to the community,” said Karen Roch, president and CEO of Credit Union West. “We have a lot of hardworking Arizonans who are all on their own financial journey to success. Our objective here is to clear the path for those most in need of support to accomplish their goals.”

Credit Union West is a not-for-profit financial cooperative that supports financial inclusion and financial well-being. From the very beginning, credit unions were formed with the philosophy of “people helping people.” Credit Union West’s member-centric mission, “to inspire our members, employees and communities to achieve their financial goals and enhance their quality of life,” plays a huge role in the credit union’s daily decision-making process.

“As a trusted financial partner, we are focused on creating experiences that empower our members,” said Ning Duong, senior vice president and COO for Credit Union West. “Through ongoing financial education and enhancements to our digital delivery channels, Credit Union West has been able to give our members better control of their finances. These fee changes are just another way we are showing our commitment to our members’ financial health.”

To learn more about Credit Union West, visit cuwest.org.

Buckeye city facilities closed for Thanksgiving

BY WEST VALLEY VIEW STAFF

In observance of the Thanksgiving holiday, all city offices, libraries and facilities are closed on Thursday, Nov. 24, and Friday, Nov. 25. City libraries will also close on Saturday, Nov. 26.

In addition, there is no trash or recycling collection on Thanksgiving Day. Thursday’s service moves to Friday, and Friday’s service moves to Saturday. It is asked that residents have their containers on the street by 5 a.m. on collection day.

In addition, the city of Buckeye reminds its residents to never grease down the drain as it can log sewer lines.

Call Public Works at 623-349-6802 to drop off used cooking oil.

To see trash, recycling and bulk trash schedule, visit buckeyeaz.gov/ solid-waste-recycling.

Buckeye city o ces, libraries and facilities are closed on Thursday, Nov. 24, and Friday, Nov. 25, in observance of Thanksgiving. (City of Buckeye/Submitted)

Avondale again offers used cooking oil drive

BY WEST VALLEY VIEW STAFF

The city of Avondale Public Works Department reminds residents to take advantage of the annual Holiday Used Cooking Oil Drive hosted this time of year.

The Avondale Public Works Munic ipal Operations Service Center at 399 E. Lower Buckeye Road serves as the drop-off location to leave used cooking oil, during routine business hours Mon days through Thursdays from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. The program will run until the end of January 2023 and is not limited to Avondale residents.

The goal of the campaign is to reduce the number of sewer blockages and overflows caused by fats, oils and grease disposed of down the drain into the sanitary sewer system. Mahoney Environmental uses the otherwise discarded used cook ing oil to produce a clean alternative to conventional diesel fuel that may be used for fueling trucks, buses and other vehicles, thereby reducing hazardous ex haust emissions.

The city of Avondale is hosting its Annual Used Cooking Oil Drive at the Avondale Public Works Municipal Operations Service Center. (City of Avondale/Submitted)

All cooking oils — frying oil, meat drip pings, canola oil, corn oil, lard, olive oil, peanut oil, sesame oil, soybean oil, sun flower oil and vegetable oil — are accepted.

For more information, visit avondaleaz.gov/cookingoilrecycling or call 623-333-4400.

In addition, city of Avondale offic es, libraries and resource center will be closed on Thursday, Nov. 24, and Friday, Nov. 25, in observance of Thanksgiving. Zoom neighborhood circulator and Valley Metro bus routes on Indian School Road, McDowell Road and Van Buren

Street will run on a Sunday schedule on Thanksgiving Day and will resume their normal schedule on Friday, Nov. 25. There will be no Express or RAPID service or WeRide microtransit on that Thursday or Friday. For information on transit schedules, visit valleymetro.org. The Public Works Department will follow the holiday trash and recycling pickup schedule:

• Monday through Wednesday: trash and bulk services will not be impacted.

• There will be no solid waste services on Thursday, Nov. 24. Recycling ser vices will take place one day later.

• Recycle bins normally serviced on Thursday will be serviced on Friday. Recycle bins normally serviced for pickup on Friday will be serviced on Saturday.

• Containers must be placed curbside no later than 5 a.m. on the day of collection.

For more information on holi day refuse/recycling collection, visit avondaleaz.gov/holiday-trash-pick-upschedule or call Public Works at 623333-4400.

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OUR READERS’ VIEWPOINTS

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Invest in education

Editor:

As the election season addresses the is sues that divide us, all Arizonans should encourage our elected candidates to fo cus on what unites us: education.

A recent statewide poll conducted by Education Forward Arizona, a nonpar tisan education nonprofit, found that the vast majority of Arizonans want more funding for schools and to in crease teacher pay.

Meanwhile, we don’t hear politicians communicating how they will invest in and improve our children’s education. This must change.

Here in the Southwest Valley, as in many other areas of Maricopa Coun ty, we are experiencing growth. With this comes additional responsibilities to more families with students and continued responsibilities for longtime residents.

We need additional learning space and a greater need for teachers and the variety of staff who support learning for our children.

Looking through the websites for the Agua Fria Union High, Buckeye Union High, Liberty Elementary and Litchfield Elementary school districts, each one mentions recruiting, retaining and training teachers; providing smaller class sizes; continuing extracurric

ular opportunities for students; school and campus safety; and, for the high schools, continuing and increasing workforce development.

Our community is clear about what we want our state to do: put a qualified teacher in every classroom, give teachers a raise, invest in our schools, and give stu dents more opportunities for career and technical education. It’s high time we and our elected officials make this happen.

Bryan Richman Goodyear

No more trucks

Editor:

What is going to take for the truck er association to realize what they’re doing is wrong. Driving diesel dump trucks 24/7 down Camelback Road in a residential zone, polluting our back yards, is dangerous. They are no different than the 1980s tobacco corpora tion. They know what they are doing is harmful to our health, but they are putting profit over our health.

Someone will finally have enough courage to take them on in court and sue them for millions, and then they’ll start to come around, especially when they start losing money financially.

Northern Parkway was built especial ly for this sole purpose, but the Tanner Trucking Company and the rest would

rather pollute Litchfield Park and Palm Valley communities. A few trucks a day is one thing, but when there are over 1,000 a day, that is borderline insane. Use Northern Avenue, Olive Avenue or Northern Parkway, all of which do not border housing developments.

God forbid a child tries to cross Camelback Road to reach the Jackie Robinson baseball field and one of the 67,000-pound cement trucks traveling at 50 miles per hour crushes them. It’s only a matter of time. Please stop using Camelback Road.

Ashley Sanchez Litchfield Park

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Questions surround Lake’s election loss

BY J.D. HAYWORTH West Valley View Columnist

Here in Arizona, conservatives find themselves at wit’s end.

As Republicans watched the 2022 election degener

ate into 2020 2.0, they developed enough doubt, disbelief and out right cynicism to fill a metaphor ical Grand Canyon.

Joel Barry, managing editor of The Babylon Bee, may call Ohio home, but in temporarily aban doning satire to get serious, he

earned the status of honorary Arizonan by succinctly describing the current state of affairs in the 48th state.

“It’s not Republican messaging. It’s not low-quality candidates. It’s not Trump. It’s not abortion. It’s mass mail-in/drop box voting. It’s as simple as that.”

Previous editions of this column have warned of the ways in which early mail-in voting could easily be changed from an instrument of conve nience into a tool of connivance.

In fact, a similar warning was issued

a decade ago from a collaboration of interesting sources. News 21 was a program funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York and the Knight Foundation.

The program was headquartered at ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, and it also included collaboration with NBC News, through the network’s investigative blog, Open Channel.

The headline from a Sept. 25, 2012, article tells you all you need to know: “The real vote-fraud opportunity has arrived: casting your ballot by mail.”

It has not disappeared down a memory hole yet… though that could change.

What did change was the way in which the media reacted to vote-bymail concerns about fraud when they were voiced again in the wake of COVID-19.

Simply stated, the press was not im-

pressed.

The 2022 campaign brought forth a former journalist, troubled by the dismissive coverage of concerns raised during the 2020 vote count in Arizona and the Orwellian newspeak that enshrined Democrat talking points as established facts.

Kari Lake spent more than two decades at the anchor desk on Channel 10, then walked away into the Republican race for governor.

Not only did she win the GOP primary in dramatic come-from-behind fashion, she also challenged her former colleagues in journalism to embrace objectivity in campaign coverage.

When they continued to dance to the Democrat tune, Lake held press conferences during which she would offer on-the-spot refresher courses and immediate critiques to a largely hostile and partisan press corps.

Those performances established Lake as a rising star in the Republican

Party, and that star continued to rise, as did her pre-election poll numbers, when Democrat nominee Katie Hobbs refused to debate her.

Lake had called for Hobbs to recuse herself from any involvement in overseeing the election, citing legitimate conflict of interest concerns that should supersede Katie’s role as secretary of state. Hobbs also said no to that request.

So, with the fox guarding the henhouse, most Republicans eschewed mail-in voting, opting instead to cast their votes in the traditional way on Election Day. They reasoned that their personal presence at the polls might help prevent a repeat of the curious 2020 results.

Then a not-so-funny-thing happened. Thirty percent of the tabulation machines malfunctioned in the county with 60% of the total Arizona electorate.

Whether through incompetence or intentional neglect, the Maricopa

County mess resulted in voter suppression of Republicans.

The refusal of a state judge to grant an emergency GOP request to extend voting hours to 10 p.m. helped seal the deal.

Next came six days of laborious vote counting Kabuki Theatre, culminating with the announcement of a narrow Hobbs victory.

Lake’s reaction was succinct: “Arizonans know BS when they see it.”

Look for a legal challenge ahead.

Meantime, The Babylon Bee has returned to satire. One of its recent headlines reads, “Katie Hobbs projected to win Arizona governor’s race with 108% of precincts reporting.”

There is truth in humor.

J.D. Hayworth represented Arizona in the U.S. House from 1995-2007. He authored and sponsored the Enforcement First Act, legislation that would have mandated enforcement of Federal Immigration Law in the 109th Congress.

BY DAVID LEIBOWITZ West Valley View Columnist

You work close up to elections for 30 years, you have the chance to learn some things about candidates and campaigns. The most important one is this: Many people vote with their gut, not their head.

In the end, that’s what did in one of the most arrogant candidates ever to grace an Arizona ballot, Republican governor hopeful Kari Lake.

Before her midlife conversion to poli tics, Lake spent two decades as a news an chor, a job whose main qualification is the ability to read aloud text prepared at a low high school level. This translated into high name identification, which Lake translated as ardor for her as a human being.

On the campaign trail, she spoke about “being in your living room” for decades, about how we knew her so well, about how much she loved Arizona and how

much Arizona loved her back.

All I can say is it looks like she got that half right.

In the end, it was Lake’s seething hatred that sunk her campaign — moments like the Thursday before the election when, standing before a roomful of Republicans, she again attacked the late Sen. John Mc Cain, a politician whose skill as an Arizona campaigner she could never touch.

“We don’t have any McCain Repub licans in here, do we?” Lake demanded. “All right, get the hell out,” she ordered. Then she added: “Boy, Arizona has de livered some losers, haven’t they?”

I guess we have, Kari. Except John McCain never lost an election in this state, and you’re zero for a lifetime.

In the days before the election, a con servative consultant told me Lake could be the perfect vice president for Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential run — Robin to Trump’s red, white and blue Batman.

In retrospect, I get the enthusiasm: Lake is smooth with a microphone in her hand, polished delivering Trump’s talking points.

Put her in a crowd of 100 people and 35 will gobble up her act. Meanwhile, another 35 will revile her.

The last 30 — the ones caught in be tween — will end up trusting our guts. And most of them will end up saying, “Boy, that Lake is really nasty.”

If the candidate herself read this col umn, she’d surely insult me right back, the way she told reporters, “I’m going to be your worst fricking nightmare for eight years,” or her closing night spiel to voters, where she crowed at the me dia, “The bastards back there don’t want us talking about stolen elections. Well, it doesn’t matter what they attempt to morrow, because we’re going to show up like our lives depend on it.”

Republicans did show up by the hundreds of thousands statewide in this election.

The GOP took six of nine congressio nal races, and the party built majorities in both houses of the state Legislature.

But atop the ticket, the Trump-en dorsed statewide candidates mostly got beaten — Lake, Blake Masters and total

wingnut Mark Finchem.

As I write this, the attorney general race remains too close to call, with only about 700 votes separating Abe Hama deh and the Dem, Kris Mayes.

The shining star for the GOP this cycle in Arizona? It was incumbent Treasurer Kimberly Yee, who easily won a second term by notching the most votes of any Arizona candidate in a competitive race.

Notably, Yee was not endorsed by Trump. She campaigned without an in cessant focus on the 2020 election and Trump’s grievances. And Yee accepted her victory with grace, thanking Demo crat Martín Quezada “for running a pro fessional campaign.”

Lake, locked in her “war room,” where the toadies were reportedly beginning to flee, responded by tweet to news reports of her loss. “Arizonans,” she wrote, “know BS when they see it.”

Yes, we did, Kari. Yes, we certainly did.

David Leibowitz has called the Valley home since 1995. Contact david@leibowitzsolo.com

Fuerza Local expands to West Valley with accelerator program

BY SUMMER AGUIRRE West Valley View Staff Writer

The Arizona nonprofit organization Fuerza Local is extending its reach to Peoria and Avondale with its business programming.

Fuerza Local, Local First Arizona’s Spanish-speaking branch, is dedicated to offering business education for Hispanic business owners and entrepreneurs. Come February 2023, it will offer its services to those in the West Valley with its Business Accelerator program.

With the program, micro-entrepreneurs will learn the basics of financial literacy and business development through six months of classes from 6 to 8 p.m. every Wednesday from February to the cohort’s graduation in July 2023.

“For the past couple of years we’ve been working with the city of Phoenix and Mesa, and we were hosting different classes at different parts of our city,” said Monica Garcia, senior manager at Fuerza Local. “But recently, we were approved to work with Peoria and Avondale, so we’re very excited.”

The Fuerza Local nonprofit first opened in 2013 and works to support and maintain Arizona businesses and, in turn, strengthen communities and economies. It currently has a presence in Maryvale, Mesa, Phoenix, Sedona and South Phoenix, with the upcoming addition of Peoria and Avondale.

Its five-member team aims to aid local business owners and entrepreneurs to promote equal opportunities for all through free community programs and events, one of which is the Business Accelerator program.

The main goal is to teach participants how to structure and open their businesses, focusing on registration and obtaining licenses and permits.

Classes mimic a school-like environment, as they are taught by business experts, provide student manuals in Spanish and offer opportunities for questions. Participants are educated on a variety

of topics, including marketing, business planning and cash-flow management.

“We cover different aspects of a business,” Garcia said. “We go from the legal aspect. We teach them how to register their business, how to do bookkeeping, accounting and administration work. We teach them how to write a business plan. We also teach them how to use social media marketing. It’s a very, very complete program.”

Participants also gain financial literacy through participating in a lending circle. They are required to make on-time payments, which are reported to Experian and subsequently build credit history as a business owner, every month they are in the program. Their savings are then matched by a $1,000 scholarship.

“There’s always something that we’re able to provide to business owners,” Garcia said. “I know that being a business owner is not easy, but I think just getting close to an organization, having those resources and keeping them informed, that’s one of the best ways to go as an organization. We try to keep our businesses informed about anything that’s out there that would help them.”

As an extension of the organization’s resources, they also host webinars and mixers once a month and frequently host events to serve as opportunities for businesses to sell their products or promote their services.

Since Fuerza Local’s establishment nearly 10 years ago, about 840 Arizona businesses have graduated from the program, including food truck, restaurant, construction, electricity and plumbing companies.

Garcia encourages those interested in Fuerza Local to contact the organization.

To her, spreading awareness about the availability of resources is key. The team will always try to connect clients with the necessary resources to help.

Garcia explained that the team has only

The Phoenix bakery La Deliciosa Repostería Fina was a graduate of Fuerza Local’s 18th Cohort. (Fuerza Local/Submitted)

BY WEST VALLEY VIEW

DCX Goodyear 1, an advanced and secure data center for artificial intelligence, machine learning and other high-performance computing applications, recently became operational and accepting new customers.

Goodyear 1, just west of Phoenix along the Interstate Highway 10 corridor, offers fully managed cloud colocation and is a game changer for HPC, AI/ML and mission-critical applications. The 6-acre data center campus, with six megawatts and two suites online, can quickly expand to more than 12 megawatts and six private data suites.

Each modular suite has dedicated and independent critical infrastructure that includes ultrahigh-density power and network data suites, uninterruptible power systems, emergency diesel generators, no water-cooling systems, 100% uptime SLA with 24 x forever operations, web console management and self-service.

“We’ve heard from researchers and

other high-performance users. This is the data center colocation service they’ve always needed,” said DCX founder George Slessman, who has a 25-year history developing advanced data centers for businesses and organizations worldwide.

“For our users, it’s all about their results. So, we engineered a data center colocation service that provides high-performance system capability and the assurance required to deliver their results. DCX lets our clients focus on what they want and need to focus on: their research and results.”

DCX is looking for customers that include college and university researcher teams; private-sector researcher teams, including in health care, pharmaceuticals, sciences and technology; advanced HPC and AI/ML projects in large enterprises; and government agencies.

“We engineered out the risk and uncertainty,” Slessman said. “DCX delivers dedicated and independent critical infrastructure. This allows our clients to build

capability while avoiding shared risks. We protect important research from the risks found in most large-scale colocation facilities, where everything — including power, cooling and connectivity — is an interconnected and interdependent risk.”

DCX is powered by internet services provided by Cox Business and infrastructure operations overseen by TBL Mission Critical LLC.

“We’re proud to provide services to this transformational data center in the heart of a major metropolitan area focused on data and research,” Cox Business Director of Sales Brett Yacko said. “It’s an honor for our services to power one of the world’s top data centers offering 24/7/365 access and reliability.”

TBL Mission Critical manages data center critical infrastructure, bringing a nationwide track record of accomplishment and credibility to DCX.

“Just like DCX, we help clients focus on what matters — their critical applica-

tions — without worrying about the infrastructure supporting their business,” TBL managing partner Samir Shah said. “Secure and continuous operation is our mission and passion. DCX is a perfect fit for us, as we share a commitment to providing the highest service reliability for clients.”

The city of Goodyear aided DCX in project planning and development.

“We are thrilled to have such an important resource right here in our community,” Goodyear Mayor Joe Pizzillo said.

“Goodyear and our region have become a hub for technology and research, and DCX is a great addition to Goodyear’s thriving technology sector. We’re pleased to welcome such a fine provider of these services.”

DCX Goodyear 1 can be found at 16422 W. Commerce Drive, Goodyear. For technical questions or client inquiries, visit dcx.us.

Goodyear Financial Center sold to Seattle-based company

BY WEST VALLEY VIEW STAFF

Cushman & Wakefield, a global real estate services firm, recently helped broker the sale of Goodyear Financial Center, a multi-tenant office building in the city of Goodyear.

A two-story, 44,127-square-foot property that is currently 95% leased, the office sold for approximately $9.2 million to Goodyear Alliance LLC, an entity formed by a group of private investors based in Seattle, Washington.

Eric Wichterman, Mike Coover, Steve Lindley and Alexandra Loye with Cushman & Wakefield’s Private Capital and Capital Markets team in Phoenix represented the seller, Jokake Develop ment Services, in the transaction.

“Goodyear Financial Center presented the opportunity to purchase one of

Fuerza...continued from page 16

noticed the increasing need for similar pro grams. Other organizations offer compara ble resources, but Fuerza Local is distinc

just six office buildings in the booming West I-10 submarket,” said Wichterman, vice chairman. “Unprecedented growth during the past several years propelled the West Valley to the No. 1 position in the Metro Phoenix area for industrial and residential development.

“As a result, demand for office space in the area surged, rapidly transforming any available space in these existing buildings into a rare commodity. The lease rates that Goodyear Financial Center fetches have, and should continue to, increase handsomely in

the face of these fundamentals.”

Originally built in 2001, the seller recently completed a light renovation of the property, which included updating the lobby with modern furnishings, refreshing the common areas, remodeling the restrooms, upgrading several building systems, and constructing significant new tenant improvements. The building also features an existing outdoor patio with a seating area.

The building is conveniently less than 1 mile south of Interstate 10 and is prox imate to the new Loop 202 and Loop 303 freeways. The building offers extensive frontage and monument signage on the hard corner of Van Buren Street and Litch field Road — both major arterial roads.

Goodyear Financial Center can be found at 250 N. Litchfield Road, Goodyear.

tive because of its Spanish programming.

“When I see them (businesses) open their doors, they do their grand opening ribbon cutting, to me that’s a huge accom plishment and it’s what I love about Fuerza

Local — we convert dreams into a reality,” she said. “We try to support as much as we can for the Hispanic community so we can see more and more businesses that are very successful here in Arizona.”

For additional information about the organization, call 623-289-1061 or vis it fuerzalocal.org. Applications for the Fuerza Local Winter Cohort close Satur day, Dec. 31.

1 Cigna will reduce your monthly Medicare Part B premium by $100.

2 Benefits, features and/or devices vary by plan/service area. Limitations, exclusions, and restrictions may apply. All Cigna products and services are provided exclusively by or through operating subsidiaries of Cigna Corporation. The Cigna name, logos, and other Cigna marks are owned by Cigna Intellectual Property, Inc. Benefits, features and/or devices vary by plan/service area. Limitations, exclusions, and restrictions may apply. Contact the plan for more information. This information is not a complete description of benefits, which vary by individual plan. You must live in the plan’s service area. Call 1-888-284-0268 (TTY 711) for more information. Cigna is contracted with Medicare for

Goodyear Financial Center was recently sold to Goodyear Alliance LLC, an entity formed by a group of private investors based in Seattle, Washington. (Submitted)

For more sports visit WestValleyView.com WestValleyView.com

Coyotes’ chemistry a priority for Christian Fischer

BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI West Valley View Executive Editor

Christian Fischer doesn’t mind being the answer to a trivia question.

The Arizona Coyotes forward scored the first professional hockey goal at the team’s temporary home, ASU’s Mul lett Arena in Tempe, on Oct. 28 against the Winnipeg Jets.

“I’ll forever go down in the history books and be a trivia answer,” he said with a smile at the Ice Den in Scotts dale. “That’s something cool. I guess it’s something to hold on to, right?”

The 25-year-old Yotes alternate cap tain is enjoying his time at the 5,000seat Mullett Arena, which, besides hockey, houses concerts and wrestling matches.

“It’s obviously small, but I think the

atmosphere is something that we ha ven’t had in Arizona for a little bit,” Fischer said. “It’s fun to play there be cause you can hear the crowd.”

The Chicago native had big compli ments about the quality of arena’s ice.

“That’s the big thing,” Fischer said. “You’re probably going to hear it throughout the whole year. I think it’s one of the best ice surfaces in the league. I think every team that’s come in has probably said the same thing. It’s noticeably really, really good ice.

“There are a lot of cities you play in that have great ice — Edmonton comes to mind. It’s always fast and ours feels like that. It’s a big bonus.”

This year, Fischer is donning the alternate captain “A” on his sweater, along with Clayton Keller and Lawson Crouse. The Coyotes did not name a captain this year.

“It’s a big honor,” Fischer said. “I think being between myself, Clayton and Lawson, we’ve all been here for seven years now. I think all of us share leadership qualities.

“It’s difficult when you come into a different team, new city. It’s pretty daunting. We always take those guys in, and we make everyone feel comfortable.

“I think if you’d talk to any guy who’s played with us or for us in the last five, six years, they’d all say we have one of the best locker rooms in the NHL, when it comes to how tight we are and how much fun we have, and how much the guys care about each other.”

Fischer said every NHL player is invested in his team, but it’s different with the Coyotes.

“It’s a noticeable change from team to team and for whatever reason. I think we always seem to have a really good locker room, a very good brotherhood

that guys always talk about when they leave. I think a lot of it comes down to our head coach Bear (André Touri gny). He’s really big on brotherhood, and hockey will take care of itself.”

The age range of the Coyotes players is about 18 to 35, Fischer said. But they do their best to support each other.

“We’re all humans,” he said. “It’s an odd working environment, but when you care about each other, you ask if they’re having fun or if someone’s hav ing a bad day. You take them out for a coffee, or if the young guys aren’t hav ing a good week, you go to dinner with them.”

Their kindness comes from the heart and from their time with former Arizo na Coyotes captains Shane Doan and Oliver Ekman-Larsson.

“That’s exactly what he was doing,” said Fischer, who called Andreoli Ital ian Grocer in Scottsdale the team’s “hotspot.”

“Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who was a close friend of mine and still is, was great for us. He would always take care of the young guys. He had me and Kells (Clayton Keller) over for dinner. That means a lot when you’re 18, 19, 20 years old. There’s a lot of pressure and anxiety and stress that comes with the NHL. I think that stuff goes a long way. We’ve learned from the past guys, and we take a lot of pride in that because that means a lot more than ice production and wins and losses. I think if you’re happy and close in the locker room, you’ll have a good team.”

Arizona Coyotes forward Christian Fischer said Mullett Arena has some of the league’s best ice.

and experimenting with animations.

Tolleson Public Library, 9555 W. Van Buren Street, Tolleson, 4 to 4:45 p.m., free, 623-936-2746, tollesonaz.gov

e West Valley View publishes on Wednesday. e weekly calendar — a listing of entertainment events such as concerts, theatrical performances, events for schools, churches, county parks and nonprofit groups — runs every issue.

Events must be open to the public to be considered and generally must be held within the View’s coverage area, which is south of Northern Avenue, west of Loop 101, plus all of Tolleson, extending to Estrella in the south and Tonopah in the west. Events such as concerts and theatrical performances that fall outside the View’s circulation area will be considered because there are no concert halls or theater venues within our boundaries.

Weekly calendar items print on a space-available basis. e only way to guarantee that an item will print is to purchase an advertisement.

Submissions must reach our office by 4 p.m. Wednesday to be considered for the following Wednesday publication. Submissions must be in writing and may be emailed to Christina Fuoco-Karasinski, christina@TimesLocalMedia.com

Eon Monday Night Meetup

MONDAYS

No matter what stage someone is at in their life, there’s always more to learn in business. Each Monday night, share ideas, discuss business experiences, and look at trends with other like-minded individuals.

Coyote Branch Library, 21699 W. Yuma Road, Buckeye, 6 to 7 p.m., free, buckeyeaz.gov

Buckeye Valley Museum Open WEDNESDAYS AND FRIDAYS

After its recent grand reopening on Sept. 8, the Buckeye Museum has once again begun to bring the past to locals. The museum o ers historical exhibits, programs and school tours. Join the open and take a look inside to explore the past.

Buckeye Valley Museum, 116 E. MC 85, Buckeye, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., 623-349-6315, buckeyeaz.gov/residents/buckeyevalley-museum

Teen Volunteer Wednesdays WEDNESDAYS

On the road to college and careers, it’s incredibly valuable to have volunteer hours racked up for the resume. Teenagers are encouraged to come by and learn valuable work skills, as well as get some volunteer hours in for school.

Civic Center Library, 11350 W. Civic Center Drive, Avondale, 3 to 5 p.m., free, 623-333-2602, avondalelibrary.org

Ecstatic Dance

SUNDAYS

Dance like nobody’s watching with an uninstructed freestyle dance session. There are no steps to follow and no guidebooks to use. People of all age groups and skill levels are encouraged to simply do what they feel and enjoy a judgment-free environment of love and inclusivity.

Turtle Park, 675 N. Villa Nueva Drive, Litchfield Park, 2 p.m., $20, soulshealinghumanity.com/events

Code Club

Jay Soto at Litchfield’s

NOV. 18

Join local musician Jay Soto at Litchfield’s bar for smooth music while you dine with friends and family. Enjoy high-quality food and drink.

The Wigwam, 300 E. Wigwam Boulevard, Litchfield Park, 6 to 9 p.m., free admission, wigwamarizona.com

The Questers Keepsakes Roadshow

NOV. 18

FRIDAYS

Teach kids 8 and older the basics of computer science and learn an increasingly relevant skill in the modern world of technology. Activities are hands-on and interactive, and will allow kids to get experience programming robots, making games,

Come bring a treasured possession down to the road show and get one of the Questers’ “almost experts” to give a look at any old keepsakes or collectables to hand. Though there are no price appraisals, the roadshow seeks to keep history alive and spread knowledge about antiques. Coyote Branch Library, 21699 W. Yuma Road, Buckeye, 1 to 3 p.m., free, buckeyeaz.gov

Avondale Fishing Derby

NOV. 19

Bring chairs and fishing equipment down to the community fishing pond and try to catch a whopper at the Avondale Fishing Derby. Awards are given out for the biggest fish, the smallest fish, the most fish and more. Attendees over the age of 14 must acquire a fishing license to participate.

Festival Fields Park, 101 E. Lower Buckeye Road, Avondale, 9 a.m. to noon, free, avondaleaz.gov/familyfishingderby

COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic

NOV. 21

There’s never a bad time to get immunized against COVID-19. Protect yourself, your family and your community by getting a shot at the Civic Center Library. All ages welcome, but registration is required.

Civic Center Library, 11350 W. Civic Center Drive, Avondale, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., free, 623-333-2602, avondalelibrary.org

623-333-2602, avondalelibrary.org

Device Advice Appointments

NOV. 21

Everyone struggles with supposedly basic technology at some point in their life, whether it be due to a new phone, a software change or countless other issues.

The library is o ering help figuring out technology person to person in scheduled appointments for those having trouble.

Civic Center Library, 11350 W. Civic Center Drive, Avondale, 1 to 3 p.m., free,

Tabletop Gaming Club

NOV. 21

Tweens and teens are invited to share their love of tabletop games with others, be it a strategy game, card game, board game, fantasy game, adventure game or more. No registration is required, and no payment is needed. Just drop in and come play.

Litchfield Park Library, 101 W. Wigwam Boulevard, Litchfield Park, 3 to 5 p.m., free, mcldaz.org

Wigglers and Walkers

NOV. 23

Babies, toddlers and their caretakers are invited to come to the library for rhymes, short stories and language enrichment. Boost their mental development and give the kids some playtime afterwards.

Civic Center Library, 11350 W. Civic Center Drive, Avondale, 11:15 a.m. to noon, free, avondalelibrary.org

WestValleyView.com /WestValleyView

For more features visit westvalleyview.com

Christmas lights bring holiday cheer to the West Valley

BY WEST VALLEY VIEW STAFF

Arizona’s inaugural Desert Farm Lights is bringing light, joy and holiday cheer to the West Valley this winter season. From Nov. 25 through Jan. 1, Monday to Sunday from 5 to 10 p.m., families can enjoy three acres of festive illuminated displays, a Christmas maze, bounce houses, countless photo opportunities and more.

At the event, which will be located at 14629 W. Peoria Avenue, children can meet and take photos with Santa from Thursday through Sunday, play in real snow every Wednesday, and get creative on Mondays with free crafts during the event’s duration. Comprising nearly 1 million lights, Desert Farm Lights will feature activations such as a dazzling light path, lit by 7-foottall snowmen, gingerbread-themed sleighs, Santa’s trusty elves and more. A half-acre Christmas maze will center around an impressive 20-foot illuminated tree, a perfect photo opportunity for families.

Adults can relax on benches as children play in inflatable bounce houses, obstacle courses and a gingerbread slide, or get in the action with oversized yard games like Jenga and cornhole. Santa’s Workshop will host Saint Nick himself in the evening from Thursday through Sunday. After photos, families can support local businesses through purchasing gifts from over a dozen Arizona creatives.

Shanelle Kunz, a local blogger and mother of three, was inspired to create Desert Farm Lights to fill a holiday need for the nearly 14,000 West Valley moms and families who follow her. In partnership with Justice Brother’s Ranch, a lush fixture of Phoenix’s West Valley since 1928, and Christmas Light Decorators, which has worked with Glendale Glitters and the Scottsdale Quarter, Kunz aims to make Desert Farm Lights an annual event.

“It’s expensive always driving to the East Valley for entertainment, especially when considering the price of fuel just to get

there,” Kunz said. “I wanted to create an accessible, immersive, family-friendly Christmas experience that doesn’t require an hour’s commute across town. Parents can save that time usually spent sitting in traffic for making memories with their children.”

Fresh food will be served and catered by local food trucks. Hot cocoa and savory popcorn will also be available.

Tickets range from $12-$15 depending on the age of attendees and dates of attendance. Businesses interested in sponsoring and supporting Desert Farm Lights for its anticipated 80,000 West Valley families can do so via the event’s website. For more information about activities, location, parking and tickets, visit desertfarmlights.com.

West Valley View Dining

Desert Farm Lights will feature a dazzling light path, lit by 7-foot-tall snowmen, gingerbread-themed sleighs, Santa’s trusty elves and more. (Evolve PR & Marketing/Submitted)

BY JOE MCHUGH West Valley View Staff Writer

Thanks to the Estrella Realtor Networking Group, the Estrella Community Garden in Goodyear has come to life.

The grassroots project, which was unveiled on Nov. 19, offers a way for the community to come together and learn how to garden and meet their neighbors, all while on a plot of land overlooking the Estrella Mountains.

“It’s really cool when you have a vision and then it all comes together; this is just celebrating that vision,” Estrella Realtor Kim Svabik said. “We have people who’ve never even picked up a seed and they turned out to be amazing green thumbs. And then you meet your neighbors, you meet people that aren’t neighbors, you make good friends.”

Spearheaded by Estrella Realtor Jennifer Polansky, the community garden plan started over two years ago during the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally thought to be a quick project, Polansky had to go through the planning process of bringing

something like this to fruition.

“I originally thought this was going to be a two-week thing,” Polansky said.

However difficult it was, though, Polansky pushed through, and “eight or 900 emails later,” her plan came to life. Originally bonding through gardening with her late grandmother, this project meant much more.

The concept of a community garden is simple, as it is a way to give a blank canvas of land to people, where they can let their minds run free on what they want to plant in it. Each plot is a roughly 3-by6-foot box, equipped with irrigation systems for each of the 12 boxes in the community garden. The plots are sold by season, from September to June, for $190.

“We have a homeschooler that has a plot for homeschool or group that has a plot,” Polansky said. “And so, for that season, they get to maintain their plot, and it’s theirs. So, they can grow whatever they want.”

The community garden was just one of four events that the Estrella Realtor

Networking Group put on this year. They have shown their support in a multitude of ways to many different charitable causes.

Among many, they recently participated in “Socktober,” a donation-based event in which they gave over 1,600 pairs of socks to André House of Arizona.

“People see Realtors just collecting paychecks,” Svabik said. “Especially the last two years, but we’re constantly giving back but you really can’t see it.”

Polansky isn’t done with the community garden project yet, though, as she has more plans to implement that will further help bring together the community and make this project even better than it already is.

“I’m hoping to put some benches in, and I’d like to put a little library in there so you can pull books, just hang out and hang out by the plants.” Polansky said.

“I am very proud of it,” Goodyear

Vice Mayor Brannon Hampton said of the project.

“I think Jennifer has done a really good job. She’s really pushed it and really made it happen. And I think it warms my heart to know that there’s more and more events like this going on.”

The Estrella Community Garden can be found at 18209 W. Calistoga Drive, Goodyear.

Each plot at the Estrella Community Garden is a 3-by6-foot box with irrigation systems. Sold by season, they cost $190. (Joe McHugh/Sta )

GO FIGURE!

by Linda Thistle

Kyle Thomas Damron

I was informed of his passing Friday morning. Kyle was a loving person and survived by his brother, Jacob and grandmother, preceded in death by mother, Anna, leaving a lot of friends, a Kitty, a lot of cousins aunts and uncles

In Loving Memory of JAMES EDWARD MCELMURRY

11/19/1945 - 10/21/2022

James (Jim) Edward McElmurry passed peacefully on 10/21/22.

Jim was born on November 19th, 1945 in Taft, CA. Where he grew up with his mother Lena and Father Elrod. Jim moved to Alaska in the 1980's where he enjoyed his career as a District Manager for Motorola. In the early 90's while living in AZ, Jim met and married Theresa Cox in October 1995. He loved to cook, loved Alaska, fishing, The Arizona Cardinals football, and watching Nascar. Jim and Terri were happily married for the last 27 years. Jim is survived by his wife Terri McElmurry, daughters Kim Wilson, Kelli Ruiz, Laura Brunner-Memmott, step- daughter Tina Conboy, 13 grandchildren, and 3 great grandchildren. Jim touched the hearts of many with his kindness, laughter and friendship. Until we meet again.... Happy Birthday Jim. We Love you Always.

Mike was born in Phoenix, AZ and raised in Avondale, AZ. After graduating from Agua Fria High School in 1989, Mike moved to Washington state. After enjoying the single life for many years, he met Pam in 2001, who managed to put a ring on him in 2005 and they continued to build a beautiful life together.

Mike had many hobbies and interests which included golfing, fishing, collecting vintage toys and traveling with Pam. He loved watching football, NASCAR and had a passion for heavy metal music. He also loved the holidays and ensured, with the help of his wife, his house was the most overly decorated in the neighborhood. Mike also loved his job and going to work each day.

Mike embraced being a Papa to his 3 grandchildren and enjoyed spending time with them. Mike lived life to the fullest and enjoyed every second!

Mike is survived by his father Toby Munoz, sisters Victoria, Veronica and Suzanne, and brother Toby. His stepson Johnathon and grandchildren Thirston, Demitri and Penelope.

A WORD ABOUT OBITUARIES

© 2020 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. AT&T and the Globe logo are registered trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.

Michael David Munoz

Arizona Cardinals donate $10,000 to ‘Girls in STEM’ program

BY JOE MCHUGH West Valley View Staff Writer

On behalf of the Arizona Cardi nals, Nicole Bidwill and Cardi nals offensive lineman Kelvin Beachum recently presented the Arizona Science Center with a $10,000 donation toward its Girls in STEM program.

The goal for the Girls in STEM pro gram is to get girls in grades 4-8 involved in the STEM — science, technology, engineering and math — community, through interactive and fun activities to help the next generation of women.

“We’re extremely excited to be getting a donation to our Girls in STEM pro gram,” said Sari Custer, chief of science and curiosity for Arizona Science Center.

“The Girls in STEM mission is critical for Arizona Science Center, and it’s a program that allows us to help empower

and inspire girls when it comes to science, technology, engineering and math.”

Located in Downtown Phoenix, Ar izona Science Center focuses on ad vanced learning of the next generation through interactive exhibits. From learn ing about the workings of the human body to under-the-sea lifestyle and even outer space, the center’s colorful and easy-to-understand facility is informa tive to people of all ages.

At the event on Nov. 8, Arizona Sci ence Center, with the enlisted help of Beachum, put on a demonstration for 30 female students from Sunland Elementa ry School, located in Phoenix.

With the use of some liquid nitro gen, boiling water and a lot of smoke, the demonstration was educational and showed how fun science can be. It was met with excitement and awestruck fac

es of aspiring STEM students.

“It was amazing,” Tolleson resident and Sunland science teacher Arianna Johnson said. “They get so excited; they love to talk about it. I just love to see them so happy and excited about some thing that’s educational, something that could take them further in life. It’s just awesome to see.”

Following the scientific display, the girls were then taken into another activ ity, depicting the importance of binary and computer coding, through mak ing fun bracelets for the girls to have. The Sunland students and chaperones showed their gratitude for the Cards by gifting Beachum with a signed football from everyone in attendance.

A Title I school, Sunland doesn’t have the funds to get materials and supplies the program needs. The donation from

the Cardinals will not only help Arizona Science Center, but it will be a catalyst for the girls in the program to want to continue their academic journeys and advance in the STEM community.

The donation will also offer assistance to students who don’t think they can par ticipate, as the support will give scholar ships to young girls wanting to join the program. With the support the program is getting and the dedication to making the STEM community more fun and di verse, the Girls in STEM program will continue to make a difference for many young girls.

“Getting something like a donation to a program, I mean, it would change their lives,” Johnson said.

“It motivates them to want to become something and do something, hopefully, in the science field.”

WestValleyView.com /WestValleyView

JOB SEEKERS

Opportunities Abound in the IT Industry

Information technology (IT) professionals are in high de mand by employers.

In 2022, the management con sulting firm Janco Associates re ported record high levels of hiring for IT professionals. Even in the face of a possible recession, IT professionals are among the best situated to thrive. While they are at greater risk of layoff because of their high salaries, there are so many openings that finding a new job should pose little challenge.

Currently, according to Janco As sociates, there are more than 100,000 unfilled IT professional positions in the United States because there are not enough qualified candidates. As of June 2022, the IT sector added 91,000 new jobs and that is expected

to hit 191,000 by the end of the year.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Sta tistics reported that in the first five months of 2022, IT employment rose by 106,700, which was 69% ahead of those same months in 2021.

Types of IT jobs

IT professionals help support a company’s digital infrastructure and solve computer or networking problems. They create programs and applications for both internal and external use.

There are numerous titles. In deed lists IT jobs that include IT technician, support specialist, qual ity assurance tester, web develop er, IT security specialist, computer programmer, systems analyst, net work engineer, software engineer,

user experience designer, database administrator, data scientist, com puter scientist, IT director, appli cations engineer, cloud system en gineer, data quality manager, help desk technician, IT coordinator, management information systems director and web administrator.

ZipRecruiter goes on to say that the nine most popular IT jobs are chief information officer, scrum master, IT director, software engineer, network engineer, database administrator, software developer, QA analyst and systems administrator.

Trends in IT jobs

Akraya, a talent consultant firm, identified three IT job trends in 2022: Cloud computing, data science and analytics and cybersecurity.

One of the biggest demands in the IT field are for those skilled in cloud computing. Gartner, a market research firm, predicts that cloud-computing revenues will soon exceed non-cloud revenues.

Cloud computing jobs include cloud architects, cloud engineers and cloud database administrators. Cloud computing jobs typically re quire knowledge in Python, Java, SQL and other programming lan guages. They also typically need to have CRM cloud development

skills and DevOPs.

Today’s rich information envi ronment means that companies have access to more data than ever before and need people who can manage it, ensure its integrity and allow for the use of real-time data.

Popular data science and analyt ics jobs include big data engineers, machine-learning engineers, data analysts and data scientists. Typical skills needed are knowledge of Py torch, Keras and other deep-learning frameworks, mastery of SQL and NoSQL networks. It also helps to have skills in and knowledge of data visualization tools, machine learning and neural networks, and knowledge of the specific industry in which a business is operating. Many of these professionals have master’s degrees.

Cybersecurity is important on both micro and macro levels. The need for specialists in cybersecurity has grown as more workers are remote and the network needs to be defended against attacks from cybercriminals.

Cybersecurity jobs include cloud security architects, cyber threat analysts and disaster recovery specialists. These professionals typically are familiar with NIST, CIS and other cybersecurity frame works and a wide range of other software.

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Goodyear Female Roomate Utilities/Wi-Fi Included Shared Bathroom $600.00/Month + $400/Deposit Call 623-889-4619

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TIME general laborer/maintenance position. Duties include moving cylinders around the yard with a forklift, sorting, sandblasting and painting cylinders. Will be necessary to operate a forklift. Bilingual would be very helpful. The filling of propane and alternative fuel tanks may also be part of this position. This is a great opportunity to get your feet wet with this great organization - room for growth in the company. If you are looking for a great company to begin your career with, this is the place to consider. Benefits include vacation time, holiday pay, health and medical benefits, 401K opportunity and many more. Two locations available: 742 E Main, Avondale 1333 N 21 Avenue, Phoenix

in person to JR or Rase at either location,

37+ years experience Drywall, framing, plumbing, painting, electrical, roofing and more. Stan- 602-434-6057

JOEL CEDILLO I do construction work! C oncrete, Block , S tucco, Bobcat work , Haul-away, Demolition Call for free estimates, 623-707-6072.

Piano Lessons with Mrs. Judy Mon-Fri 8am-8pm 206-335-4852 Goodyear off Van Buren and Sarival Rd Currently Accepting New Students Lessons are tailored to each student's needs & abilities.