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Tolleson Whoopee Daze Festival

All contests are open to anyone in the valley. 

Date: Thursday, April 3^rd- 6^th

Where: Veterans Park, 8601 W. Van Buren

Vendors are also needed visit www.tollesonaz.org/festival  for more information.

Thursday, April 3rd

4 to 9 pm Youth Day

4 to 10 pm Carnival

Friday, April 4th

5 pm to 12 am Carnival

Saturday, April 5th

7 am TESD 5K Run/Walk

8 am Men’s Softball Tournament

10 am Whoopee Daze Parade

11 to 12 am Carnival

11 to 3 pm El Dia de Los Niños

1 pm Lil’ Mr. and Lil’ Miss Southwest Pageant

3 pm Great Southwest Poster Contest

Sunday, April 6th

12 pm to 10 pm Carnival

12:30 pm Battle of the Bags -Corn Hole Tournament

1 pm Great Southwest Chili Contest

3-5 pm Whoopee Factor

 

COUNCILMEMBER NORMA ALVAREZ HOSTING
OCOTILLO DISTRICT MEETING ON FEBRUARY 19

GLENDALE, Ariz. – Councilmember Norma Alvarez will be holding a community meeting for residents living in the Ocotillo District at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, February 19. The meeting will be held in the Landmark School cafeteria, 5730 W. Myrtle Ave.

Joining Alvarez at the meeting will be Mayor Jerry Weiers and Financial Services Executive Director Tom Duensing. In addition to providing updates on Ocotillo District and citywide projects and activities, the city representatives will be available to answer questions from residents in attendance.

The Ocotillo District is located in the southeastern part of Glendale and includes the downtown area. Visit www.glendaleaz.com/CityCouncil/districtmap for district boundaries.

RSVP is requested, but not necessary. To RSVP or to request special accommodations, please call
623-930-2878.

Author Appearance: JA Jance

Event Type: Author Appearances
Age Group(s): Adults
Date: 2/21/2014
Start Time: 3:30 PM
End Time: 5:00 PM

Description:

J. A. Jance is the New York Times bestselling author of the Ali Reynolds series, the J. P. Beaumont series, the Joanna Brady series, four interrelated Southwestern thrillers featuring the Walker family, and a book of poetry. Join us, as she visits the Foothills Library to talk about her writing and read from her latest book. Copies of Jance’s books, including her brand new Ali Reynolds mystery novel, will be available for purchase and signing at this event. For more information, please call 623-930-3844

Library: Foothills Branch Library
Location: Roadrunner Room

 

Fruit Gleaning at Sahuaro Ranch Park
Saturday, January 18, 2014

Bette Sharpe/Glendale Daily Planet no. 4235.

Iden Alba, Samantha Verini and Hansen Qiu work as a team to get the fruit off the trees and into the crates and plastic bags for transport to the collection area.

Google is testing a contact lens that can help sufferers of diabetes manage their blood sugar levels. The lens has been designed to measure glucose levels in tears using an embedded wireless sensor that can also transmit the result to a local receiver, the search engine company said in a blog posting.

Read more: http://www.microwave-eetimes.com/en/google-developing-smart-contact-lens-for-diabetics.html?cmp_id=7&news_id=222904642 

For more information about the proposed project, call 623-930-4334.

KEEP CALM AND EAT CHOCOLATE: GLENDALE

CHOCOLATE AFFAIRE RETURNS FEBRUARY 7-9

GLENDALE, Ariz. – Did you know that the average American consumes around ten pounds of chocolate each year? Get a head start on your annual ten pounds at the Glendale Chocolate Affaire, held

the weekend before Valentine’s Day, Feb. 7-9 in Historic Downtown Glendale.

Chocolate purveyors from Arizona and around the nation gather in Glendale for this award-winning festival, which celebrates not only chocolate, but romance and the arts as well. Chocolatiers will create confections such as chocolate-covered strawberries, chocolate-drizzled kettle corn, chocolate-covered nuts, berry chocolate kabobs, fudge popsicles, chocolate covered cheesecake and bananas, Fried Twinkies and Fried Snickers dipped in chocolate and much more.

The Chocolate Affaire is sponsored by Arizona’s famous candy makers, Cerreta’s. The candy factory will offer tours all weekend, so visitors can get a behind-the-scenes look at how the chocolatiers create everyone’s favorite candy.

Over the years, the festival has become the largest gathering of national romance novelists in the Southwest. This symposium of literary romantics offers fans the opportunity to get up close and personal with authors, as well as the chance to attend free writing workshops given by the experts. In addition, the event will feature a Plein Air competition on Saturday that will award several prizes for paintings completed on-site or around Glendale that day. Additional information on the Plein Air event is available at www.glendaleaz.com/arts/.

Families with children will enjoy myriad activities, including hands-on arts and crafts, face-painting, a rock-climbing wall, carnival rides and inflatables.

Event hours are Friday 5 - 10 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday noon to 5 p.m. The event is located in the heart of Historic Downtown Glendale, in Murphy Park, located at 58^th and Glendale avenues.

The Glendale Chocolate Affaire is sponsored by Cerreta’s Candy Company, ABC 15, Sears Vacations, SRP, The Arizona Republic, Valley Buick-GMC Dealers, YooHoo, KMLE, KOOL, JAMZ, Diamond Resorts, the Glendale Public Art Program, the AZ Scitech Festival, Camelback-Ranch Glendale and the Coyotes.

For more information on the Glendale Chocolate Affaire, including the entertainment lineup and a list of authors making appearances, visit our website at www.glendaleaz.com/events or call the special events hotline at 623-930-2299.

Glendale Police Seek Help in Solving Christmas Day Burglary

 

GLENDALE, Ariz. – On December 25, 2013 at approximately 11:25 AM an unknown suspect entered the Family Dollar Store located at 6744 W. Glendale Ave in Glendale. The store was closed for the Christmas holiday and the suspect used a key that he stole from a locked box to access the riser room. Once inside the riser room, the suspect accessed the roof where forced his way into an air duct and then lowered himself into the store with the use of electrical cables.

Once inside the store, the suspect filled trash bags up with items from inside totaling more than $2,000 before leaving through the back door, activating the alarm. The suspect is described as a black male, in his 30’s, medium build and at the time of the incident he was wearing a blue and white stripped collared shirt, dark jeans, and concealed his face with a gray cloth.

Glendale Police Detectives are seeking the community’s help identifying the suspect responsible for this burglary. The Glendale Police Department encourages anyone that has information on the identity of the suspect to call the Glendale Police Department at (623) 930-3000 or Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS.

CHILDREN PLAYING WITH MATCHES RESPONSIBLE FOR HOUSE FIRE

Glendale, Ariz. –– Glendale Fire Investigators say a house fire at 4800 West Hatcher Road on the night of January 6 was caused by two children playing with matches in a bedroom.

The children, ages three and five, set a stack of clothes on fire. The fire then spread to a stereo speaker and other items in the room. The mother, who quickly grabbed the clothes and put them in a bathroom sink while another family member attempted to extinguish the fire with a garden hose, sustained a minor burn to her forearm and was treated on scene,.

Fires started by children account for a national average of 56,300 fires with associated losses of 110 civilian deaths, 880 civilian injuries and $286 million in direct property damage per year.

The Glendale Fire Department’s Youth Firesetter Intervention Program provides customized educational interventions in situations like this house fire. The primary goal of the intervention program is to detect children at risk for participating in unsupervised firesetting incidents and then provide educational intervention to stop the firesetting behavior. The program is free and is available to any Valley youth between the ages of 3 and 17. The curriculum includes fire safety education, fire science, and the consequences of firesetting, burn injuries, choices, and arson and fireworks laws.

The program, managed by Dr. Janet A. Boberg, is recognized by the U.S. Fire Administration as one of the top programs in the nation. According to the USFA website, Glendale Fire’s intervention program is one of only eight successful programs in the country.

As always, the Glendale Fire Department urges parents to teach their children that fire is a tool, not a toy. Always keep matches and lighters out of reach and set a good example by properly using matches, lighters and fire. The most important thing a parent or caregiver can do is to always supervise young children.

For more information regarding Glendale Fire Department’s Youth Firesetter Intervention program, please visit http://www.glendaleaz.com/education/youthfiresetterintervention.cfm.

FREE SOLAR BASICS WORKSHOP FOR HOMEOWNERS JANUARY 18

Glendale, Ariz. –– Are you considering installing a solar system at your home but need more information? The city of Glendale Conservation and Sustainable Living Office is partnering with SRP to offer a free residential solar basics workshop on Saturday, Jan. 18 from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. at the Glendale Main Library, 5959 W. Brown St.

The workshop will provide the information needed for homeowners to make an informed

decision on converting to solar or not. Workshop attendees will learn how a solar installation works, various financing options and rebates available to SRP customers through SRP’s Solar Energy incentive program. Glendale residents who attend will receive free energy- and water-efficiency devices, including a programmable thermostat, four-pack of CFLs and water-efficient showerhead. The devices are funded through the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant program.

For a complete listing of Glendale’s free “Green Living” class series, visit www.glendaleaz.com/green. The classes are free, but advance registration is required by calling 623-930-3760 or e-mailing bpatrick@glendaleaz.com.

STATEMENT BY SENATOR JOHN McCAIN ON NEAR-BLACKOUT OF
 THREE NFL PLAYOFF GAMES THIS WEEKEND

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) today released the following statement on the local television blackout – only narrowly averted, according to news reports – of three NFL playoff games this weekend, and calling for consideration of legislation he has introduced with Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) to level the playing field among leagues, broadcasters and sports fans:

“The potential local television blackout of NFL playoff games this weekend in Cincinnati, Indianapolis and Green Bay – only narrowly averted, according to news reports – should serve as an example to all sports fans of how poorly many rules and regulations are serving consumers and taxpayers today. The fact is that the NFL in particular enjoys numerous benefits paid for by tax-paying consumers, through antitrust exemptions, tax exemptions and publicly-financed stadium construction. Consumers should be the beneficiaries of these arrangements, yet this episode shows that is not the case. The original aim of the league’s blackout policy is no longer logical in today's marketplace. For these reasons, I, along with Senator Richard Blumenthal, recently introduced legislation aimed at leveling the playing-field among professional leagues, broadcasters and sports fans. With this week’s near-blackouts in three NFL cities, I renew my call for that bill’s full, fair and timely consideration in the Senate.”

 

GLENDALE RINGS IN THE NEW YEAR WITH

UPCOMING PROJECTS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS

GLENDALE, Ariz. – As the New Year kicks off, the city of Glendale is highlighting successful accomplishments of 2013 and focusing on significant upcoming projects for 2014.

A glance back at notable projects completed in 2013:

Increase in Company Ventures – In 2013, Empereon-Constar, Arrowhead Cadillac, Sprouts, Terminix, Oreganos, Performance Steel and Hensley Beverage moved or expanded its business into Glendale, creating the need to fill hundreds of jobs. As a result, the city of Glendale kicked off its first-ever, multi-employer job fair in December, drawing more than 700 attendees interested in applying for more than 1,500 new jobs coming available in the city of Glendale. The event featured 10 Glendale employers including Dignity Health, Terminix, Empereon-Constar, CSAA/AAA Insurance and the Glendale Police Department.

Transportation – The first phase of Northern Parkway, between Sarival Avenue and Dysart Road, was completed and a dedication ceremony was held in December. This phase of the project includes a four-lane roadway consisting of eastbound and westbound auxiliary lanes and two outside travel lanes, which will be part of the final six-lane Northern Parkway. In addition, bridge structures at the 143rd and Sarival avenues railroad crossings; new curb, gutter and street lighting at the on/off ramps and intersecting cross streets; and new traffic signals at Sarival Avenue, Reems Road and Litchfield Road were completed.

Gallery Glendale at Westgate Launches – Gallery Glendale at Westgate saw more than 12,000 visitors since opening in May 2013. Westgate Entertainment District and the city of Glendale entered into a yearlong partnership to bring a free community art gallery, along with events and art, fitness and recreational classes and programs, to Glendale residents and Westgate patrons. iStar Financial, owners of Westgate, provided the city a 3,050-square-foot retail space next to Cold Stone Creamery, at no cost, that is valued at more than $100,000 annually.

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GLENDALE RINGS IN NEW YEAR

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The Community Gives Back – The Glendale Convention & Visitors Bureau organized multiple charity events in 2013, which helped make an impact in the community. The Teddy Bear Day event resulted in the collection of 796 bears for the Glendale Fire Teddy Bear Trauma Program. More than 300 books were collected for Glendale libraries at the annual Downtown Glendale Mother's Day Event. The Glendale CVB also teamed up with the Coyotes and collected 3,000 pairs of shoes for Soles for Souls. The Stockings for Soldiers Drive, in partnership with the Military Family Support Group, resulted in 350 boxes of needed personal supplies sent to deployed military. And it wasn’t just about people; dogs gained special support at the Dog Days of Summer event where several dogs were adopted, people donated boxes of supplies and approximately 100 dogs were immunized or micro-chipped.

What’s ahead in 2014? A look at significant projects:

Preparing for Super Bowl – The city is already making preparations to host the Super Bowl in 2015. Being recognized as one of the biggest games in the world, this event put the city on the map in 2008 and was recognized as one of the most successful Super Bowls in history. The collaborated effort among multiple departments in the city is underway with a priority to host a safe, enjoyable event for the thousands of visitors and residents who partake in the Super Bowl and related activities. In addition, staff is creating new initiatives and programs that will engage the community and local businesses.

Doing Business with Glendale – Several new businesses are joining the city in 2014, bringing in new jobs and filling valuable space. St. Joseph’s Westgate Medical Center broke ground on its new 35-acre Glendale medical campus in January 2013, and will be opening Glendale’s third hospital and investing more than $44 million for the new 24-bed location in 2014. In addition, Midwestern University will debut its new veterinary school at their 143-acre campus.

Arrival of the F-35A at Luke Air Force Base – Luke AFB will have more F-35A’s assigned to its base in Glendale than any other installation in the Air Force with six squadrons totaling 144 jets when the base fully transitions to an F-35A training center over the next several years. The Air Force plans to phase out and eventually replace its aging fleet of F-16s with the new, more technology advanced F-35A. The first three F-35A squadrons are scheduled to begin arriving at Luke AFB in 2014. Air Force executives have projected a $265 million, seven-year construction program at the base specifically to accommodate the F-35 pilot-training program, which will serve as the permanent training base for the single-engine stealth jets.

Increases in Sustainability and Conservation Efforts – A new sustainable project will come online for Glendale in 2014 at the city’s landfill. In 2012, the city made an agreement with Vieste SPE, LLC for the company to build a recycling facility that, in the first phase, will process up to 180,000 tons of solid waste each year going into the landfill and divert it to be recycled. This project will extend the life of the landfill and bring in additional revenue, at no cost to the city. The facility, which broke ground in July 2013, will create about 50 jobs and is expected to be complete in March of 2014. The second phase of the project will take the solid waste and convert it to energy.

Along with this new venture, the Glendale Conservation and Sustainable Living Office provides programs to inform and educate residents, businesses and neighborhood communities about good environmental practices. Youth and adult programs will continue to be offered on a variety of topics including energy efficiency, indoor and outdoor water conservation, recycling and storm water pollution prevention.

The General Plan Update – Glendale will be updating its General Plan in 2014. The plan provides guidance to citizens regarding the development of the community, while giving property owners and developers a clear roadmap for planning in the future. The Plan is a guide to city management, city departments, the Planning Commission and City Council with specific regard to the City’s Capital Improvement Program and the annual city budget. It provides a look at citizen preferences, a statement of city policy, a guide to public and private decision-making, a blueprint to improve residents’ quality of life and a long-term perspective. The first phase will include developing a citizen steering committee.

 First F-35A destined for Luke AFB rolls out!

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WATERMELON FESTIVAL WELCOMED BACK JUNE 7 & 8, 2014 TO 
CONTINUE 60-YEAR OLD TRADITION IN DOWNTOWN GLENDALE

The Melon Festival traces its roots back to 1949 as a celebration of the community’s agricultural industry. The event was brought into the 21^st century and revived as the Arizona Watermelon Festival on June 8^th 2013, to much success. An estimated 6,500 attendees enjoyed live music, a beer garden, the crowning of a Miss Arizona Festival Queen along with a multitude of watermelon centric activities, games and most importantly lots of watermelon. Due to last years’ success, the 2014 Arizona Watermelon Festival will be stretched out over two days and is scheduled for Saturday, June 7^th and Sunday, June 8^th, between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. in historic downtown Glendale, with free admission.

The event will feature all kinds of family activities, including a farmer’s market, an ice cream social, a kid's fun zone, live music, a beer garden, and much more. In addition, there will be many watermelon-centric activities like a watermelon tossing contest, a seed-spitting contest. This year’s festival will also continue with tradition by naming a new Miss Arizona Festival for 2014.

Glendale was an agricultural-driven community in its early days, and watermelons were a favored crop among Glendale growers. Melons were a big business locally for many years. In the 1950s, the melon festival was formed, drawing crowds in the tens of thousands to Murphy Park to celebrate Arizona-grown melons of all types. More than 80,000 pounds of watermelon was served to crowds of about 40,000 people. Another major part of the festival was to crown a queen, who was sent to the East Coast to promote Arizona-grown melons.

The Watermelon Festival is sponsored by the Glendale Convention & Visitors Bureau, and produced by AZ Culture, with the support of Downtown Glendale merchants; Bitzee Mama’s Mexican Food, Papa Ed’s Ice Cream, The Pink House Boutique, and Jivemind. For more information on the event, visit www.azmelonfestival.com or call the Glendale Visitor Center at 623-930-4500.

No Fiesta Bowl National Band Competition this year

Usually this time of year high school bands from across the country are getting ready for their trip to Glendale, Arizona and the Fiesta Bowl National Band Championship. The prestigious competition for high school marching bands is one of the many Fiesta Bowl events; but not this year. Cost for participating high school bands has become prohibitive, particularly for bands needing airfare, making it difficult to fundraise for the entire band’s travel. A significant portion of band members are unable to travel due to expenses, holidays, etc. Band directors are now having to re-writing their on-the-field programs.

Without the music, choreography, batons, flags and drum majors and color guards, on the University of Phoenix Stadium Field, this Fiesta Bowl season will not the same. Hopefully, the Band Championship will be back next year.

 

GLENDALE FIRE DEPARTMENT URGES RESIDENTS

TO BE SAFE WHEN USING TURKEY FRYERS

Glendale, Ariz. –– Turkey fryers can be extremely dangerous. Not only do you have to use large amounts of oil, but some amount of hot oil will make it outside of the container during the frying procedure. When consumers use turkey fryers, they are putting themselves at extreme risk to be severely burned or killed and cause damage to property. For these reasons, the Glendale Fire Department wants residents to be extremely cautious when using turkey fryers and to please follow these safety tips when frying a turkey.

· Wear proper clothing. A long sleeve shirt, pants, gloves and closed toed shoes are recommended.

· Use the proper utensils to lower turkey into pot and to remove turkey.

· Set up fryer outside in a safe area away from children and pets. Make sure there are no overhangs above fryer like trees and shrubs and never use fryer underneath a patio or in a garage.

· Place fryer on a flat, sturdy surface as it can easily tip over spilling oil.

· Do not place oil past “fill” line located on side of most pots.

· Beware of people with nut allergies when using peanut oil in your fryer.

· Thaw turkey completely as excess water will cause oil to overflow causing fire to engulf pot and propane tank.

· Oil should not be heated past 350 degrees. 325 degrees is the optimal temperature.

· Turn off gas prior to lowering turkey in pot. Once turkey is fully submerged you may turn gas/flame back on.

· Never leave your fryer unattended.

· After turkey is fully cooked, allow oil to cool for 2-3 hours before disposing.

· To dispose of the oil, mix with coffee grounds, sawdust or kitty litter then dispose of in trash.

DONATIONS FOR BABY SHOT PROGRAM TOP FIRE DEPARTMENT’S 
WISH LIST FOR SANTA THIS HOLIDAY

Glendale, Ariz. –– Due to recent changes in healthcare reform, the administrative funding for the Glendale Fire Department’s Immunization Program, which was provided by the Maricopa County Childhood Immunization Partnership, has been discontinued and the city is now seeking community assistance to obtain new funding.

The immunization program, also known as the baby shot program, is an extremely valuable initiative that serves to prevent illness in our community and educate families regarding the importance of immunizations. In 2012 and 2013, the program provided 1,224 immunizations to 350 children at no cost to the families.

Management of the Baby Shot Program requires funding to cover the cost of the immunizations and to pay the nurses and firefighters who administer the immunizations. Historically, funding for these costs has been provided from two sources: Vaccines for Children’s Program (VFC) and Maricopa County Childhood Immunization Partnership.

The VFC Program graciously provides funding for the purchase of the immunizations. The Vaccines for Children (VFC) program is a federally-funded program that provides vaccines at no cost to those who otherwise may not be vaccinated because of inability to pay. A child is eligible for the VFC Program if he or she is younger than 19 years of age and is one of the following: insured through AHCCCS, Medicaid-eligible, uninsured, American Indian, or Alaska Native. Financial support from the VFC Program is continuing, without issue.

The Maricopa County Childhood Immunization Partnership was providing Glendale’s program with a reimbursement of $25 per child and no maximum limit to cover the personnel costs associated with administering and documenting the immunizations. Financial support from this partnership has been discontinued and needs to be supplemented. The entire Baby Shots Program is at risk to be discontinued by the end of the year if no new funding sources are identified.

If you would like to partner with the Glendale Fire Department and provide financial support for this vital community resource, contact Casey Clark at CClark@glendaleaz.com or call the immunization hotline at 623-930-2414.

Glendale PD Closes 2 Cases -

 Working off of a tip, Glendale Police detectives were able to identify a potential suspect in a shooting that occurred on 10-15-2013 at 5880 W. Camelback Rd that involved a security guard working for Circle K. Through their investigation and follow-up, Glendale Police detectives obtained an arrest and search warrant for Monte Henry Alvarez, a 31 year old Phoenix resident. The Glendale Police SWAT team executed the warrant on 12-9-13 in the 6100 block of W. Osborne in Phoenix, where Alvarez was taken into custody and booked into the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Department jail on charges of Attempted Murder and Aggravated Assault.

The story and surveillance photos were shared quite extensively immediately following the incident and we thank all that helped lead to Alvarez’s eventual capture.

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Sarina Ehler has been located and is safe. Sarina was located by an MCSO detective in the area of 219th Ave and Sun Valley Parkway earlier this afternoon. Sarina gave a false name to the detective, who believed that it was her. Eventually Glendale Police Detectives were able to confirm that it was Sarina and she was returned to the custody of her parents. There are no charges pending in this incident.

The Glendale Police Department would like to extent our thanks to those who assisted us in getting this information out and in locating Sarina.

GLENDALE’S HOTTEST CLASSES WARM UP THE WINTER

Glendale, Ariz. –– Glendale Parks and Recreation classes are heating up the cold winter months with “hot” classes that add fun and excitement to the season. Registration is being accepted now for classes beginning in January.

Shows such as “Dancing with the Stars,” “Top Chef,” “Biggest Loser” and “Cupcake Wars” are “hot” right now, and we have classes that can make you your own star.

Special interest activities and classes offered appeal to a wide range of ages for adults, youth and teens in the areas of sports and fitness, dance, culinary arts, personal development, cultural arts and music. Most classes are held at the Foothills Recreation & Aquatics Center, 5600 W. Union Hills Dr., with class times, dates and prices varying.

Classes also make great gifts for loved ones and friends. And, if you are planning a new year’s resolution of being healthier, losing weight or learning something new, you will probably find a class that will help you succeed in your new adventure.

More than 100 different adult and youth classes, clinics and workshops are available including fitness, cooking, youth sports, dance and music.

Details for all the classes are listed in the Glendale @ Play guide. Pick up a copy at the Glendale libraries or recreation centers or visit www.glendaleaz.com/parksandrecreation and click on the Activities Guide link.