W. Valley bank an SBA preferred lender
West Valley National Bank has been named part of the U.S. Small Business Administration's Preferred Lenders Program.

Agua Fria Union High School District schools will offer biotech class in 2009
Stuart Charlip, a science teacher at Desert Edge High School in Goodyear received a grant from Northern Arizona University and TGen, a Phoenix-based research institute, to learn about biotechnology and its application in a classroom two years ago

Avondale man indicted in death of 3-year-old girl
A grand jury on Tuesday indicted an Avondale man arrested in connection with the death of his girlfriend's 3-year-old daughter. Alvaro Holguin-Duarte, 23, is charged with first-degree murder and two counts of child abuse.

Buckeye starts curbside recycling, 4-day workweek Monday
Buckeye on Monday will launch a pair of environmental initiatives. As part of the "Buckeye Goes Green" program, the town will institute townwide curbside recycling and a four-day workweek.

Cotton Lane Bridge opens in Goodyear
Cotton Lane Bridge opened this week in Goodyear, connecting Maricopa County 85 and Estrella Parkway along Cotton Lane.

Kids to present new ideas for International Space Station
Honeywell Fiesta Bowl Aerospace ChallengeMore than 800 fifth- through eighth-grade students from 45 schools across Arizona will present their ideas for a new generation International Space Station that can sustain 100 people for two years during the Honeywell Fiesta Bowl Aerospace Challenge presented by The Arizona Republic featuring Microsoft Mission Control Preliminaries.

Avondale mom arrested on suspicion of killing infant
Police responded to a report that a child wasn't breathing at 6:30 p.m. at a house near Lower Buckeye Road and Litchfield Road in Avondale. Ubaldina Limon-Sanchez, 26, was arrested on suspicion of second-degree murder.

Hispanic group helps students realize teaching dreams
Hispanic Leadership Forum del Oeste, a non-profit organization partially funded by Season for Sharing, helps Southwest Valley students pay for college.

West-MEC offers new technical courses
Western Maricopa Education Center is offering three new classes: Building Trades, Fire Science and Medium/Heavy Diesel Technology.

Garbage truck fire restricts I-10 traffic at Dysart Road
A garbage truck caught fire while heading west on Interstate 10 Wednesday morning, restricting traffic on the highway off-ramp at Dysart Road and causing delays for Thanksgiving Day travelers.

Being thankful important, even during tough times
Today as we look around us we see many things that have hit families and individuals that we know.

Lunch and tea? Kimberly Ann's Victorian Tearoom and Café a delight
You could get a toothache just looking at all the goodies in Kimberly Ann's Victorian Tearoom and Café, and I'm not talking about the desserts, either.

Buckeye, contractor settle suit about wall
Buckeye Town Council members agreed to pay C-Investments $400,000 for work done on a wall surrounding the Sonora community.

Large blaze ignites at Goodyear supply company
More than 50 firefighters from Goodyear, Avondale, Phoenix and Surprise, including a hazardous materials team, responded to a fire at a Goodyear industrial plant Monday night.

SW Valley facilities have room for your RV, boat storage
The Southwest Valley Chamber of Commerce would like to wish you and yours a very happy Thanksgiving. Whether you are having a large family gathering or an intimate dinner it is a time to do as the old song says and count your blessings. We hope yours are as plentiful as the stars in the sky. We are blessed with dedicated member businesses that are ready and able to meet the needs of our community.

Turkey fryers pose safety risks
This Thanksgiving, Avondale Fire Rescue Professionals issued a warning on the growing trend of deep-frying turkeys by showing just how easily a fire can start.

Arts grant applications available
Grants are now available through the West Valley Arts Council Project Grants. Artists, non-profit organizations and schools are encouraged to apply. Application deadline is noon Dec. 12.

Avondale applies for federal aid to slow home vacancies
Avondale is applying for $2,466,039 in federal money in hopes of slowing home vacancies brought on by increasing foreclosures throughout the city.

Council's OK of digital billboards angers Tolleson residents
Despite opposition from residents, the Tolleson City Council Tuesday approved an ordinance amendment that allows digital billboards in the city.

Leaders assess benefits of Goodyear spring training
Southwest Valley Chamber of Commerce members peppered a Cincinnati Reds executive with questions about team spending, job creation and charitable donations at a breakfast meeting last week at Estrella Mountain Community College.

Clouds, chance of rain through holiday
Today's skies set the tone for the rest of the week.
Send us your photos of winter in Arizona
2008 fall colors

Palo Verde shuts down reactor for repairs
Problem leaves APS buying replacement power.
Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station

McDonald's throws in sweet treat to help Toys for Tots
West Valley residents can help needy children and get something sweet in return. Anyone who donates new, unwrapped toys to the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve's Toys for Tots at one of 16 West Valley McDonald's will receive a free ice cream cone.

Local gas prices drop below $2 a gallon
The East Valley and Peoria have joined in what 36 other states have already experienced: average gas prices under $2 per gallon.

West Valley food banks need donations
With Thanksgiving around the corner, local food banks are urging people to donate frozen turkeys and other food items to fill holiday food boxes.

Discovery Channel features Hickman's Family Farms
Hickman's Family Farms of Buckeye is letting the public in on a dirty little secret. And Hickman's doesn't mind if the whole country knows. Actually, the farm has been featured on the Discovery Channel's Dirty Jobs, and the show aired for the first time last week.

ADOT nearing milestones on I-10 widening
Drivers on Interstate 10 will continue to see construction in the future, but the Arizona Department of Transportation said they're nearing several milestones in the widening project. By the end of the year, ADOT expects the concrete paving of two new lanes being built in the median of the freeway from Loop 101 to Sarival Avenue to be complete.

Tolleson schools take steps vs. copper-pipe theft
After vandalism of copper water piping near Tres Rios Elementary School in Tolleson, district officials decided to secure exposed water pipes with metal enclosures. Littleton Elementary School District Superintendent Roger Freeman said the grate will help protect the pipes from future theft.

Avondale's Salazar to be 1st Hispanic to hold state's top military post
Gov. Janet Napolitano has tapped Brig. Gen. Hugo E. Salazar as the next adjutant general of the Arizona National Guard, making the Avondale resident the first Hispanic to hold the state's top military post.

Holiday Inn Express OK'd to build above height restrictions
A hotel slated to be built in the Watson Marketplace at Sundance in Buckeye will be allowed to build above Sundance's previous height restrictions thanks to an amendment recently passed by the Buckeye Town Council.

Tolleson will serve Thanksgiving dinner
Volunteers will serve turkey, ham, stuffing, mashed potatoes, pie and all the other traditional Thanksgiving fixings at the Tolleson Service Committee's 26th annual dinner.

Sign up by Dec. 1 for town boards
The deadline for volunteers to apply to serve on town boards and commissions is Dec. 1.

Turkey takeout this Thanksgiving
Those who say they no longer have time to shop for and cook a Thanksgiving meal are ordering their turkey and trimmings to go from restaurants.

Learn simple way to play piano in Buckeye
Spend a fun-filled evening learning the easy way to play the piano with both hands. Class will be 6-8:30 p.m. Dec. 1 at the Buckeye Community Center, 201 E. Centre Ave. The fee is $20 for Buckeye residents plus $28 for workbook and practice CD. Registration is accepted at the Dr. Saide Recreation Center, 1003 E. Eason Ave. Information: 623-349-6350.

Christian curriculum draws students to W. Valley school
Parents at Phoenix Christian Unified School in Goodyear said the integration of Christian lessons into the curriculum and everyday life was a large reason their children attend.

Explorers' walk/run to help non-profit group
Tolleson Police Explorers are hosting a 3-mile Fun Walk/Run Saturday to benefit the families of officers killed or injured in the line of duty. The police Explorers program teaches teenagers interested in law enforcement what it's like to be a police officer. The 10 students involved decided on the event as a service project to go along with their program.

Tolleson chicken lays rare 4-ounce egg
At 4 ounces, the egg laid by Stan Wilkinson's chicken is almost twice the size of a standard egg you would buy in a grocery store.

Appeals court: Buddhist temple confession coerced
Nine were killed at a temple near Phoenix in 1991.
Archive: 9 slain in temple | Trial archive | Montini

Victims of Estrella power outage to help sentence culprit
Goodyear police are asking residents affected by the June 16, 2007 blackout in the Estrella Mountain Ranch community to come forward and take part in the sentencing of David Limas, the man who was responsible.

3 suspects sought in fatal shooting in W. Valley
Around 9 p.m. police were called to the 8800 block of West Meadow Brook Avenue where they found the victim of the shooting.

Buckeye lays off 39 workers, about 8 percent of staff
Facing a $6.9 million budget shortfall, Buckeye laid off 39 employees and placed a hiring freeze on the 26 vacant positions at the town. The town's new finance director, Gail Reese, announced the plans the night before during a council workshop.

Basketball teams await season openers
After months of summer practices and fall conditioning, the start of high-school basketball is just beyond the horizon. As teams hit the hardwood looking for a shot at the state tournament, coaches stress fundamentals and the ability to play as a team.

Campaign encourages residents to shop in Avondale
Due to an ailing economy, Avondale has experienced a reduction in sales-tax revenue that leaves the city struggling to maintain its current level of services to residents and businesses.

Expert: Kidney cancer not easily detected
Experts explain whether routine testing can detect cancer involving the kidney and renal pelvis.

Goodyear's New Year's resolution: Use less water
About a third of Goodyear's water supply goes to watering resident's yards and lawns, a figure the city hopes to bring down next year. Starting in January, Goodyear will offer home-water audits to help residents curb overwatering.

Recent top home sales in the SW Valley
The top recent sale prices for homes in the Southwest Valley:

Reds Community Fund will donate $3,000 to Goodyear
Bob Castellini, president and CEO of the Cincinnati Reds, made the announcement Monday at a groundbreaking for the team's $33 million spring-training base in Goodyear. The Reds will share the complex, along Estrella Parkway and south of Lower Buckeye Road, with the Cleveland Indians.

Avondale police: 1 dead, 2 arrested in gang-related murder
Avondale police found a man dead in his vehicle early Tuesday morning in what appears to be a gang-related murder near 119th Avenue and West Lower Buckeye Road.

Hearings on APS power-line route are wrapping up
Hearings regarding a controversial APS power line in the West Valley wrapped up their evidentiary phase Wednesday, but a ruling from the Arizona Power Plant and Transmission Line Siting Committee is not expected until after Thanksgiving.

Residents safe after fire destroys second story of Buckeye home
Two people were inside the home on the 23000 block of West Broadway Road when the fire began outside and spread to the attic Wednesday morning.Both residents made it out safely.

Reception starts arts program in Goodyear
Goodyear will host a reception from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Friday to kick off its Art in Civic Spaces program.

Rockapella brings layered vocals to Wigwam
There will be plenty of music, but there won't be an instrument in sight as the West Valley Arts Council kicks off its performing-arts season Friday with Rockapella, an internationally acclaimed a cappella group

Walgreens opens 5 health clinics across West Valley
Take Care Clinics, part of a Walgreens division that provides treatment of respiratory illnesses and minor injuries among other services, opened locations in Glendale, Peoria and Avondale this month.

Renovated Valley Golf Center set to open soon in Avondale
Valley Golf Center owner Kevin O'Connell spent $6 million on renovating the Avondale facility. The project includes a two-story driving structure with an automated ball-feeding system.
Find a tee time in the Valley

Local sports bars cater to armchair quarterbacks
Several major sports are going full steam right now. So, pull up a chair or stool, hoist a cool one and join fans for some camaraderie at these West Valley sports bars. | More dining

Mom's boyfriend arrested in connection with death of Avondale 3-year-old
Avondale police suspect that a 3-year-old girl found dead Monday was the victim of child abuse. Alisandra Oliviana Romero was pronounced dead at 10:15 a.m. at a Valley hospital.

Team draws inspiration from leader's behaviors
You may not think those that you lead look to you for strength, but they do. You may not ever hear how much your input and wealth of knowledge helps those you lead, but again you have been there at the right time and in the right place and it matters.

Agua Fria Union High School District will lease land to farmer
The Agua Fria Union High School District is helping keep air clean and creating a revenue source at the same time. The district will lease a vacant lot, a future school site in Goodyear, to Discovery West Ranches Partners. The company will be partially responsible for following air-quality rules.

Buckeye pledges $100K in grants to revitalize core
Buckeye's Main Street Coalition is sifting through applications from downtown businesses looking to receive grants to help revitalize downtown Buckeye.

Art auction to benefit historical preservation
Local artists donated their work and money will be used to prepare historical projects for the Arizona Centennial in 2012.

Goodyear breaks ground on Reds' training facility
On Monday, in a dusty field south of Interstate 10 along Estrella Parkway, the city continued its transformation with a sunny groundbreaking for the $33 million spring-training home of the Cincinnati Reds.
Photos from the ceremony