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Buckeye, Goodyear police receive grants BY JOE MCHUGH
West Valley View Staff Writer
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November 24, 2022
hanks 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 officer 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-
Grants...continued on page 6
Avondale woman killed near University of Idaho BY WEST VALLEY VIEW STAFF
FEATURES ..... 24 Realtors bring community garden to Goodyear
OPINION ...............10 BUSINESS.............. 18 SPORTS ..................21 CALENDAR ............22 FEATURES ..............23 OBITUARIES ...........26 YOUTH ..................27 CLASSIFIEDS ..........28 NORTH
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olice 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.