WEDNESDAY STORM BLAMED FOR CAUSING HOUSE FIRE, PAGE 20
westvalleyview.com — the newspaper of Avondale, Buckeye, Goodyear, Litchfield Park & Tolleson, AZ (623) 535-8439
50¢ Friday, May 11, 2012
FRIDAYFRIDA Pushing their boundaries INSIDE West Valley lawmakers draw battle lines over new district maps
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by Brent Whiting staff writer
West Valley lawmakers have marched to the front lines in the battle over Arizona’s new legislative districts. Democrats generally favor the new districts
that have been carved out by the five-member Independent Redistricting Commission, and which alter the political landscape throughout the state. However, Republicans are generally unhappy
SMART GUY Jonathan Zia, a senior at Millennium High School is one of the 22 recipients of the Flinn
Scholarship, which gives students a full ride to any Arizona university — Page 8.
and have backed two lawsuits aimed at having the new legislative and congressional districts
redrawn. The new district maps, which were unveiled by the commission Jan. 17, were approved by the U.S. Justice Department on April 9. The maps can be viewed online at
www.azredistricting.org. “Are we 100 percent happy?” asked Sen. Steve Gallardo, a Democrat who represents the current District 13, which covers portions of Avondale, Tolleson, west Phoenix and Glendale. “Of course, not. However, I feel that the commission did a very fair job and did what it could to maintain communities of interest.” In the fall, Gallardo will be running for
re-election in the new District 29, which mainly covers west Phoenix, Glendale and a small slice of Litchfield Park. “I’m not totally happy with the district map,” Gallardo said. “But it’s a good district, and I plan on running and representing this new district.” On the other hand, extreme displeasure was
voiced by Sen. John Nelson, a veteran Republican lawmaker who represents the current District 12, which covers Goodyear, Litchfield Park, portions of Glendale, west Phoenix and Surprise.
(See Maps on Page 3) ‘NOW, LET ME EXPLAIN MY THEORY OF GENERAL RELATIVITY ...’
CELEBRATE Estrella Foothills’ softball and baseball teams both head to the state semifinals today — Page 11.
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Volume 27, No. 9 24 Pages 1 Section
Circulation: 79,846 INDEX
Classifieds .................... 21 Editorials & Letters .......... 6 Obituaries ...................... 19 Society ........................... 10 Military ........................... 18 Sports ........................... 11 9 Days a Week............... 16 Recycle this paper
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DRESSED AS SCIENTIST Albert Einstein, Daniel Aguilera, 11, rehearses lines while his mother, Lorena, pins a name badge on his jacket before a history event at Arizona Desert Elementary School in Tolleson Wednesday. Pupils dressed as historical figures for a special event organized by the school’s social studies teacher. Other famous characters they portrayed included Jackie Robinson, Mother Theresa, Amelia Earhart and about a half-dozen goose- stepping Adolf Hitlers, including one who was pushing a Franklin D. Roosevelt in a wheelchair.
EMCC’s 16th annual commencement tonight
by Rachel Trott staff writer
Students are closing their books and picking up caps and gowns for Estrella Mountain Community College’s commencement ceremony tonight. The ceremony will honor more than 600 students who have successfully completed their studies and earned a combined total of 1,250 degrees and certificates. The commencement will take place at 6:30 p.m. at the Goodyear Ballpark, 1933 S. Ballpark Way. U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis will be the guest speaker.
Notable graduates
U.S. SECRETARY OF LABOR Hilda L. Solis is scheduled to be the keynote speaker at tonight’s commencement ceremony at Goodyear Ballpark.
few notable students among the 600 graduates.
EMCC will also be recognizing a
One of this semester’s graduates is 17-year-old Donna Dao, who will
be receiving her associate degree a week before her high school diploma.
During her junior year of high school, Donna decided she wanted more challenge in her academic life and concurrently enrolled at EMCC and the Arizona Agribusiness and Equine Center in Avondale. “I felt like regular high school
was a waste of time for me, so taking eight classes a day was definitely a challenge,” she said. Now Donna is planning to attend Grand Canyon University to pursue a bachelor’s degree in psychology to become a high school counselor. “In high school, my counselor
was really good and I liked the way that she treated her students, so I thought that that was something I wanted to do. High school can be a pretty tough time.” One West Valley family will be
congratulating not just one, but three graduates tonight. Siblings Preston, Aaron and Andrea Hintz are all graduating from EMCC after attending college together for the past few years. Preston, 20, graduated from Agua Fria High School a semester early and enrolled at EMCC in the spring of 2010, the same time his brother Aaron, 18, started at the community college through a dual enrollment program with AFHS.
Andrea, 15, took online classes through the Maricopa County Community College District while she was being home schooled in order to enroll at EMCC during the fall of 2010. “I really enjoyed it, I really
didn’t even notice the age gap. The teachers and students were all just
(See EMCC on Page 2)
View photo by Michael Clawson
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