••••
THE NEWSPAPER OF AVONDALE, BUCKEYE, GOODYEAR, LITCHFIELD PARK & TOLLESON
Wag and Tag Festival PAGE
FREE SUBSCRIPTION
8
westvalleyview.com
INSIDE
This Week
The Voice of the West Valley for 37 years
Janaury 25, 2023
Cowboy up for Buckeye Days BY JOE MCHUGH
West Valley View Staff Writer
O BUSINESS .... 14 BJ’s opens restaurant, brewhouse in Goodyear
FEATURES .... 25 Vertical farm promotes sustainability, more
YOUTH ......... 30 Phoenix Children’s opens new Avondale campus
OPINION ...............10 BUSINESS.............. 14 SPORTS ..................16 CALENDAR ............20 FEATURES ..............24 OBITUARIES ...........29 YOUTH ..................30 CLASSIFIEDS ..........36 NORTH
ne of Buckeye’s hottest events of the year, the annual Buckeye Days Festival, is set to stampede its way to Downtown Buckeye with a lineup of chock-full of fun and historical events. Entering its 56th edition, the 2023 festival will be three days, jam-packed with events and activities to show off the history of Buckeye to the rapidly growing city. “Buckeye Days is really the celebration of Buckeye and its heritage,” said Candi Youngker, president of Main Street Coalition. “It is really reflective of the history of our town. I tend to think it’s kind of a cowboy, rodeo culture that’s here. But we really just celebrate the founding of Buckeye.” Founded in 1967 as Pioneer Days, the festival has always been about putting on a show for the citizens of Buckeye and creating a fun environment to expose them to the roots of the city. As one of the fastest-growing cities in the country, many
Over half a century old, the Buckeye Days festival is set for another great showing, with entertaining and historical performances and a cattle drive parade. (City of Buckeye/Submitted)
new residents might not know the heritage of the town they moved to, making this the perfect way to lasso them into the history behind their new home. “You can only know where you’re go-
ing when you’ve understood where you’ve come from,” Youngker said. “It’s really important for people to come out and sup-
Historic...continued on page 4
Harris visits Tonopah to applaud renewable energy BY JORDAN ROGERS
West Valley View Managing Editor
V
ice President Kamala Harris visited Tonopah on Jan. 19 for the groundbreaking of a new renewable energy project called Ten West Link. Ten West Link is a planned energy infrastructure project that will connect electrical substations in Tonopah and Blythe, California. According to the project’s website, it spans 125 miles and is expected to be completed and operational by the end of 2023. “You rely on the power delivered by our
nation’s network of transmission lines and that network is in desperate need of an upgrade,” Harris said. “America is at the start of an historic transition away from fossil fuel plants that pollute our communities and toward cleaner and safer energy sources.” The new 500kV power line will improve transmission system efficiency and reliability while facilitating the development of new renewable energy and energy storage resources in Arizona and California. This will help both states achieve their renewable energy standards and carbon reduction goals.
“This electricity will be clean electricity,” Harris said. “Solar panels and wind turbines do not produce toxic fumes that poison our air or dangerous chemicals that poison our water. The energy delivered by these lines will not just be cleaner, it will also be cheaper. “On average, clean electricity is less expensive than electricity generated from traditional sources. And more transition to transmission lines means more clean energy for our communities, and that means
Tonopah...continued on page 3