Fusion from p 20 New York Times bestselling author who has penned such hit YA fantasy and sci-fi series as The Lunar Chronicles and The Renegades Trilogy, as well as the graphic novel duology Wires and Nerve. Her 2020 contemporary romance novel, Instant Karma, also has been optioned for an HBO Max show and she also hosts the popular podcast The Happy Writer. Not bad for someone who started out posting her fanfiction online. DELIVERY AVAILABLE Box and mattress VALLEY-WIDE Bunk-Bed-Frame with mattress 2pc sectional 5pc dinette David Hatcher Childress: Author David Hatcher Childress shares a few things in common with Indiana Jones. Like the famed cinematic adventurer, he’s studied archaeology, traveled the world, studied ancient civilizations, and has a particular fascination with unexplained and other- worldly phenomenon. The subject matter of Childress’ books bear this out, as he’s written such tomes a The Time Travel Handbook, Lost Continents and the Hollow Earth, and Yetis, Sasquatch and Hairy Giants. Joanna Ruth Meyer : Writer and Valley resi- dent Joanna Ruth Meyer has penned a few different best-selling and critically- acclaimed YA fantasy books, including the fairy-tale novel Echo North and its companion titles Beneath the Haunting Sea and Beyond the Shadowed Earth. The latest Dogs from p 22 4pc bedroom set 5 drawer chest CALL FOR PRICING mon-THU: 9AM - 7PM fri: 9AM - 7PM sat: 9AM - 6PM sun: 10AM - 5PM 3330 w Van Buren St • Phoenix • 602-272-0034 (NE Corner of 35th Ave & Van Buren) *prices are subject 24 WESTSIDEFURNITURE.COM CHEST been a target of Bolles’ investigative reporting and focus of a crackdown by the state racing commission in the early 1970s,” Talton wrote. “Even so, the state allowed the company to keep its concessions, including at Phoenix Greyhound Park. Emprise’s Phoenix partner was the Funk family. And it had friendly ties to Kemper Marley, the powerful land-and-booze baron always lurking at the edge of the Bolles murder.” Bolles’ reporting (and the work of various journalists who took up the investi- gation following his death) never definitely proved members of the Funk family were tied to organized crime. Per the Arizona Republic, the park was purchased in 1979 by New York-based Sportsystems Corporation, which later became multimillion-dollar food and beverage concessionaire Delaware North. As time went on, the glory days of Phoenix Greyhound Park began to wane. The park’s popularity lessened as the influ- ence of Las Vegas and the availability of legalized gambling at local Native American casinos grew in the ’80s and ’90s. At the same time, there was an increasing outcry against the mistreatment of racing greyhounds at dog tracks, including Phoenix Greyhound Park, by animal rights activists. In 1992, the corpses of more than 100 greyhounds were discov- ered in a Chandler citrus grove, several of which were linked to a breeder connected with the park (who has since been banned from the trade). Lisa McMann. Joe Mabel/Creative Commons book in the series, Wind Daughter, is set to debut in May and is described as a “haunt- ingly beautiful fairy tale about love and loss.” Melissa Marr: Renowned urban fantasy author Melissa Marr writes books for both the YA and adult crowds. Her Wicked Lovely series, which spans five different novels, is aimed at the former, while books like the 2011 Gothic mystery Gravedigger and the 2013 fantasy Western The Arrivals are more for the latter. She’s also written a trio of graphic novels set in the Wicked Lovely universe and two short fiction collections. By the dawn of the millennium, a handful of other local horse and dog tracks had closed, and Phoenix Greyhound Park was a shell of its former self. Crowds at the park had been declining steadily since the late ’90s, per Arizona Racing Commission records. The park was still a nightlife destination even in its twilight years, though. Copperstate Dinner Theater and local comedy troupes held performances in a 100-seat theater in the grandstand and sad-sack comedian (and onetime Valley resident) Neil Hamburger also recorded his 2003 video “Live at the Phoenix Greyhound Park” at the venue. By 2006, the park’s annual revenues fell to $14 million, according to the Phoenix Business Journal. It was sold to the city of Phoenix’s Aviation Department the following year. There’s been no word on what its future plans are for the property. (Phoenix New Times was unable to reach the department for more information.) Valley residents have had a mixed reaction to news of the Phoenix Greyhound Park’s demolition. A recent post to the popular Vintage Phoenix group on Facebook featuring a video of the grandstand being torn down included comments ranging from nostalgia to outright disgust. One person wrote about how they “had some fun times there” and was “sad to see her go,” while another Vintage Phoenix was blunt about her feeling for the park. “Good riddance! One less animal abuse monument,” they wrote. “Gone for good.” MARCH 3RD– MARCH 9TH, 2022 PHOENIX NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | FILM | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | FEATURE | NEWS | OPINION | FEEDBACK | CONTENTS | phoenixnewtimes.com
