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Goodyear leaders and representatives from Baywood Hotel pose with shovels Oct. 12, 2026, during the groundbreaking for an AC Hotel by Marriott at GSQ in downtown Goodyear. The 135-room hotel is expected to open in early 2028.
Development
AC Hotel breaks ground in downtown Goodyear
Matt Paxton, a downsizing expert known for appearances on “Hoarders” and “Filthy Fortunes,” will headline Sun Health Foundation’s “Treasures & Tales” fundraiser Oct. 21, 2026, at the Hilltop Theatre and Concert Hall in Litchfield Park.
Events
Matt Paxton to headline Litchfield Park fundraiser
PNC branch banker Anthony Villanueva sings “Estos Celos” with Happy Mariachi Trio during the bank’s Hispanic Heritage Month celebration Oct. 9, 2026, in Goodyear.
Hispanic Heritage
PNC’s Goodyear fiesta brings neighbors together
LOTTERY

Latest winners of Powerball drawings sold at East, West Valley stores

Powerball tickets worth $170,000 were sold recently at two stores in Mesa and Goodyear. A ticket for the Oct. 12 drawing, which matched four out of five numbers plus the Powerball and a 3X …
Couples dance in an undated photo. A Night to Remember will feature big band music and swing dancing Nov. 14 at Flite Goodyear. The World War II-themed fundraiser will benefit the P.W. Litchfield Heritage Center and West Valley Arts Council.
Events

Goodyear gala to benefit West Valley arts, history

A World War II-themed fundraiser Nov. 14 in Goodyear will benefit the P.W. Litchfield Heritage Center and West Valley Arts Council.
Edgardo Dominguez-Cortez was sentenced Sept. 28, 2026, to nine years and three months in prison for his role in a Buckeye heroin trafficking case.
Crime

Man sentenced to more than 9 years in Buckeye heroin trafficking case

Edgardo Dominguez-Cortez was sentenced Sept. 28 to nine years and three months in prison for his role in a Buckeye heroin trafficking case, the Arizona attorney general’s office announced Oct. 12.
Employees assist customers at the counter at Eric’s Family Barbecue in Avondale. Copper State Credit Union will cover selected food and drinks at the restaurant Tuesday, Oct. 13, for Pay It Forward Day.
Community

Eric’s Family Barbecue serves up free lunch

Eric’s Family Barbecue owner and founder Anthony Garcia is used to feeding his community. On Tuesday, Oct. 13, Copper State Credit Union will help pick up the tab.
City of Hope Cancer Center Arizona President Laurie Sicaeros.
business

Meet City of Hope Arizona’s new president Sicaeros

The new market president for City of Hope Cancer Center Arizona, Laurie Sicaeros, likes Marvel movies and Iron Man is her favorite character. Sharing superhero characteristics is part of what she brings to the medical field as she leads a team of Avengers at the Goodyear facility.
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Local Business directory
A woman wears an “I Voted Today” sticker near a voting booth. Nine locations in Goodyear and the Litchfield Park area will offer in-person voting and ballot drop-off for the Nov. 3 general election.
Elections 2026

Where to vote in Goodyear and Litchfield Park

Nine locations across Goodyear and Litchfield Park are scheduled to offer in-person voting and ballot drop-off for the Nov. 3 general election.
The entrance to West-MEC’s Career Academy at Agua Fria at 920 N. Dysart Road in Avondale. The campus offers welding, electrical, diesel and air conditioning programs.
Education

West-MEC academy gives students a head start in the trades

At West-MEC’s Career Academy at Agua Fria, a welding lesson can turn into a firepit — or a set of big red letters bound for Glendale.
A sign marks the entrance to Verrado Marketplace at the northeast corner of Interstate 10 and Verrado Way in Buckeye. The shopping center’s dining and entertainment area, The District, is scheduled to debut Oct. 15.
Business

Verrado Marketplace’s dining district set for Oct. 15 debut

Verrado Marketplace’s dining and entertainment area, The District, is scheduled to debut Oct. 15, with more businesses expected to open at the Buckeye shopping center before year’s end, according to developer Vestar.
Goodyear Mayor Joe Pizzillo and West Valley Regional Chamber President and CEO Jeffrey Campos join a ribbon-cutting ceremony Sept. 24 celebrating the opening of Firebirds Wood Fired Grill in Goodyear.
Dining

Firebirds opens first Goodyear restaurant

Firebirds Wood Fired Grill celebrated the opening of its first Goodyear restaurant at 14848 W. McDowell Road with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Sept. 24.
The event connects expecting mothers, new parents, and growing families with baby supplies, maternal health resources, and supportive community services across the West Valley.
community

Kiwanis Club of Litchfield to host community baby shower in Surprise

The Kiwanis Club of Litchfield partnered with local community organizations to host its Second Annual Community Baby Shower, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17, at the Surprise Resource Center, Bldg. A, 12425 W. Bell Road, Surprise.
Envoy America driver Edwin Jimenez sits behind the wheel of a van at La Loma Village in Litchfield Park. Resident Jeannine Mapel described Envoy’s drivers as chatty and helpful during trips to medical appointments.
Community

La Loma partnership helps residents reach medical care

Jeannine Mapel’s recent ride home to La Loma Village in Litchfield Park came with a pleasant surprise: her driver was already waiting for her.

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This month's issue

The latest edition of the Goodyear & Litchfield Park Independent pdf eedition

The latest edition of the Goodyear & Litchfield Park Independent

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OPINIONS WITH CIVILITY
Former Army Medical Corps psychiatrist Nidal Hasan is scheduled to be executed by firing squad Dec. 3 at Fort Hood, Texas, for the 2009 mass shooting that claimed the lives of 13 soldiers and wounded …
OPINION — The West Valley is in a period of tremendous growth. TSMC is producing advanced semiconductors in north Phoenix. Amkor is building a major semiconductor packaging and testing campus in Peoria. VAI Resort is taking shape in Glendale. Hospitals and medical facilities are expanding along with our population.
OPINION — Leadership on a school governing board should be about collaboration, transparency and respect for the community. In my view, Dysart Unified School District Governing Board President Steve Skvara is falling short of that standard.

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ENTERTAINMENT & THINGS TO DO
Photo Caption

Hilltop Theatre and Concert Hall opens in West Valley

The new Hilltop Theatre and Concert Hall has opened in the West Valley, bringing concerts, symphonies, dance and other performances to the Litchfield Road and Camelback Road area.
After sunset the “Gallows, Ghosts & Gunpowder” walking tour in Glendale leads visitors about a mile through the old downtown, using historic buildings and landmarks as the setting for stories about Glendale’s past. Tours begin at 8 p.m. near the street clock at 58th and Glendale avenues.

10 things every West Valley resident should do this fall

After months of planning our lives around triple-digit temperatures, hunting for shaded parking spaces, and treating the walk from the car to the grocery store as an endurance event, fall has arrived in the Valley.
A participant dressed as Wednesday Addams poses with a dog during a previous Barks & Treats celebration at Alamar Park in Avondale. The annual event features pet activities, services and a costume contest.

Alamar brings two more free fall events to Avondale

Alamar will host two free fall events this month, offering West Valley families opportunities to shop from local vendors, enjoy outdoor activities and celebrate Halloween.
Guests use racing simulators at an Andretti Indoor Karting & Games location. The company is offering teachers with a valid school ID 20% off select purchases at its Glendale and Chandler locations throughout October.

Andretti offers October discounts to Arizona teachers

Teachers in Litchfield Park and Goodyear can receive discounts throughout October at both Arizona Andretti Indoor Karting & Games locations in Glendale and Chandler.
Goodyear’s Arts & Culture Coordinator Layne Ruiz stands in the Georgia T. Lord Library exhibition space where public art, like the “Make Believe” exhibit, will be on display starting Oct. 7.

Goodyear exhibition invites artists to ‘Make Believe’

For Sydney Storment, the invitation to “Make Believe” sounded almost as if it had been written for her.

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