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Glendale’s Community Newspaper
Vol. 79 No. 1
INSIDE
This Week THE VOICE OF BUSINESS
BUSINESS .... 12
Market update: 2022’s wild ride comes to an end
January 5, 2023
www.glendalestar.com
Fans: Fiesta Bowl succeeds on all fronts BY JOE MCHUGH
F
Glendale Star Staff Writer
rom tailgating in the early morning of Dec. 31 to Texas Christian University defeating the University of Michigan 51-46, fans raved about the experience at State Farm Stadium. Before the Wolverines and Horned Frogs hit the field, the massive crowds were treated to a plethora of activities. The Fan Fest Pregame Party drew fans with its food trucks, bars and a live performance in the plaza outside the stadium. The Club ’71 tailgate party brought more live music, unlimited food, and a slew of games to play. “We did a little tailgating,” said Ford
Store, a Texan. “That was a good time. We hit the golf simulator and did all the fun stuff. We have 30 or so friends that are here. So, we traveled pretty well.” Michigan fan and Louisiana native Robert Walker called it an “awesome game and awesome experience in general.” “It’s our first time coming to the Fiesta Bowl,” Walker said. “It’s got to be at the top of the bowl list easily. It was awesome. It was phenomenal. It was.” In addition to the sponsored tailgating
SEE FIESTA BOWL PAGE 8
TCU receiver Quentin Johnston’s 76-yard touchdown was the final nail in the coffin, helping TCU secure their spot in the College Football Playoffs National Championship, taking place Jan. 9. (David Minton/Staff)
ADOT planning statewide network of EV chargers BY JENNIFER SAWHNEY
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Cronkite News
SPORTS ....... 14
Prep schools emerge as option for top b-ball talent
OPINION .................... 10 BUSINESS ...................12 SPORTS ..................... 14 CALENDAR................. 19 FEATURES.................. 20 RELIGION ................... 22 YOUTH ....................... 24 CLASSIFIEDS ............. 27
lectric vehicle drivers across Arizona can expect more chargers on interstate highways in the next few years, which means longer road trips. The Arizona Department of Transportation will oversee the upgrade of existing chargers and installation of new ones along five interstate highways, thanks to $76.5 million in funding via the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that was signed into law in November 2021. “The goal is to develop a network of EV fast chargers to facilitate long-distance EV travel and encourage EV adoption by more users,” according to a fact sheet with ADOT’s Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Plan.
The expansion will help EV drivers avoid range anxiety: the fear of not making it to the next charging station. The plan covers Interstates 40, 17, 10, 8 and 19. For now, no charging stations are proposed for the Interstate 15 corridor in the northwestern corner of the state. Upgrades to eight existing charging stations will start in 2023, and in 2024, ADOT will begin the process of installing 13 more. They’ll be placed about every 50 miles and within one mile of an interstate, ADOT spokesperson Doug Nick said. Each station will have at least four EV fast chargers capable of charging most vehicles in about 30 minutes. Nick said ADOT had “no trouble finding potential infrastructure to meet the criteria”
to implement this plan. The stations will be independently owned and operated. Station owners will pay 20% of construction costs, and federal funding will cover the other 80%. ADOT is coordinating the work. Arizona currently has 903 public EV charging stations, with more than 2,400 charging ports. There are nearly 125,000 charging ports nationwide, according to the Alternative Fuels Data Center. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law aims to increase the current number of chargers about four times and create a “nationwide network of 500,000 EV chargers by 2030,” according to a February 2022 memorandum from the U.S.
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SEE ADOT PAGE 6