For 45 years, Phoenix Pride has been organizing marches, rallies, parades, entertainment, education, and outreach events to celebrate the Phoenix LGBTQ+ community. This year, the 45th Anniversary Pride Festival will be held in downtown Phoenix at The Arizona Center, 455 N. 3rd St. A weekend of events begins Saturday, Oct. 10, with a Pre-Pride Coming Out Concert. Gates open at 6 p.m.; showtime is 7-10 p.m.

Living United for Change in Arizona (LUCHA) in September celebrated executive director Alejandra Gomez, who was named a 2026 Women Achievers of Arizona Award winner in the Nonprofit category by the Arizona Capitol Times and State Affairs. Gomez will be recognized alongside this year’s honorees at the awards luncheon on Oct. 8 at the Arizona Biltmore. “For more than a decade, Alejandra has helped build LUCHA into one of Arizona’s most powerful grassroots organizations, standing alongside working-class, Latino and immigrant communities in fights for higher wages, immigrant rights, public education, voting rights, affordable housing, healthcare and a government that works for the people who power our state,” the organization said.

Valley Metro and the city of Phoenix continue their open house series this month, offering an opportunity for residents to learn more about the proposed West Phoenix Extension project. The West Phoenix Light Rail Extension is a 10-mile connection that is proposed to connect the existing Valley Metro Light Rail system to Desert Sky Transit Center. The current proposed connection is either Central Avenue/Indian School Road or 19th Avenue/Camelback Road.

Glendale Union High School District Maddox named principal Washington High School welcomed Jarred Maddox as its new principal. This year marks Maddox’s 25th year in education, beginning as an English teacher and including roles as a student council advisor, soccer coach and AP English Literature teacher. Passionate about engaging instruction and project-based learning, Maddox is committed to supporting teachers and students through meaningful professional development, mentorship, and growth opportunities, GUHSD said.

When the Arizona Taco Festival returns this month, the event will debut an all-new Main Stage experience at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Taking place Oct. 17-18, the new experience will bring celebrity chefs, live music, cooking and cocktail demonstrations and live culinary competition together as the centerpiece of the two-day festival. Among the first names announced is James Beard Award-winning Chef Aarón Sánchez, who will join the festival on Sunday, Oct.

Eligible SRP customers experiencing financial hardship may qualify for up to $800 in utility bill assistance through an SRP-funded program administered by Wildfire. With $5 million available, assistance is offered on a first-come, first-served basis through a network of community nonprofit organizations serving SRP customers. Income-eligible customers experiencing a job loss, medical emergency, unexpected expense, or other financial hardship may qualify for assistance.

The North Central-based gym Impact Gymnastics is expanding into the West Valley. The company is taking over the Flames Gymnastics location at 8154 W. Bell Road, Suite A-2 in Glendale, rebranding it Impact Gymnastics – Arrowhead. Flames Gymnastics owner MeJa Lee is handing off the Bell Road location to focus her attention on her remaining Flames Gymnastics locations. She said she is glad to see the Arrowhead community land with a gym she trusts.

Beatitudes Campus, a senior living community located at 1610 W. Glendale Ave., will host an open house and dinner event on Friday, Oct. 9. The tour will take place from 4 to 5 p.m.; dinner follows from 5 to 7 p.m. After learning about the campus, attendees can sit back, relax and enjoy a refreshing cocktail, scrumptious dinner and get to know more from residents. RSVP by Oct. 6. For additional information, call 602-995-6100 or visit www.beatitudescampus.org/events.

At an Oct. 24 event, the PV Community Food Bank will celebrate “40 Years of Neighbors Caring, Neighbors Sharing” by joining with Valley businesses and supporters at Orange Tree Resort, 10601 N. 56th St., Scottsdale, for a luncheon and silent auction to support their continued efforts. The event will be held from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Since 1986, the PV Community Food Bank, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, has been a vital resource for individuals and families living within the Paradise Valley Unified School District boundaries.

Connie Pilcher’s nature photography will be displayed Oct. 5 through Nov. 29 at Church of the Beatitudes, 555 W. Glendale Ave. An opening reception will be held on Sunday, Oct. 11. Hosted by the church’s Arts Council, the exhibit features photographs of birds, bees, butterflies and other wildlife. Prints will be available for sale, and a portion of the proceeds will support the Arts Council’s philanthropic efforts, including scholarships for art students.

As part of its October community worship events, Cross Roads United Methodist Church, 7901 N. Central Ave., will host a Blessing of the Animals – Pet Sunday event, Sunday, Oct. 18, beginning at 10:30 a.m. All pets and stuffies (and their people) are invited to worship as the church celebrates and blesses the animals that make our world amazing. As a reconciling inclusive community of faith, Cross Roads United Methodist Church is an open and affirming congregation, embracing diversity, service, unconditional acceptance and the care and support of all creation. Learn more by visiting

To further its efforts to advance community-driven projects addressing extreme heat in neighborhoods across Phoenix, the City of Phoenix’s Office of Heat Response and Mitigation (OHRM) and its partners were selected for a $115,000 grant award from the Climate Smart Communities Initiative (CSCI) to support the Water for Shade Project. Joining a cohort of 27 other projects across the country and selected from a competitive pool of 271 applicants, Water for Shade will address extreme heat in Phoenix’s Sunnyslope neighborhood.

Earnhardt Auto Centers marked its 75-year anniversary by making what will be one of the biggest single charity donations of the year to St. Vincent de Paul on Wednesday, Sept. 9. To celebrate 75 years in Arizona and in the same spirit the Earnhardt family has marked success for generations, the company made a surprise $75,000 donation to the nonprofit to help continue its mission of helping people in need by feeding, clothing, housing and healing them.

The City of Phoenix Water Services Department and the Watershed Management Group are hosting the annual Hydrate Phoenix classes, which began Wednesday, Sept. 30. This five-course virtual series includes Water Smart topics like “Rainwater Harvesting,” “Building Healthy Desert Soils,” and new this year: “Sustainable Living 101 for Renters.” The Hydrate Phoenix course schedule includes: Sept. 30, Rainwater Harvesting; Oct. 7, Rain Garden Care; Oct.

As the calendar turns towards the fall, the Uptown Farmers Market will begin its Saturday Fall Season on Oct. 3. The whole market transitions back to the pavement layout, and returns to fall hours of 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. In addition, after its annual summer closure, the mid-week Wednesday market reopens on Oct. 7; fall hours are 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Neighborhood groups and churches across the North Central area are getting into the spirit of the season with family-friendly events throughout the month of October. In Sunnyslope, the Norton Vista Neighborhood Association will host three events in October, beginning with its free Movie in the Park event, Oct. 3 at 6:30 p.m. Head to Norton Park, 1224 E. Hatcher Road, for a screening of “Night at the Museum.” On Oct.

The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) announced that multiple closures for improvement projects are scheduled along Phoenix area freeways and ramps this weekend, Oct. 2-5. Drivers should allow extra travel time and use detour routes as needed for these weekend freeway restrictions: Northbound State Route 51 closed between I-10 and Indian School Road from 9 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday…

As we move closer to the Nov. 3 general election, we wanted to provide an opportunity for residents in Phoenix City Council District 4 and District 6 – and our readership more broadly – to learn more about the candidates who are on the ballot for the council seats. Councilwoman Laura Pastor, who has represented District 4 since 2014, will leave office when her term ends in 2027.

Sunnyslope residents who have driven east on Hatcher Road from 19th Avenue in recent weeks have seen the progress on a “gateway” project that will welcome residents and visitors alike. The project is part of a community-wide beautification effort that has been years in the making, says Caroline Lobo. Lobo is founding principal and owner of suoLL Architects and co-chair of theHUB, a group of business owners, property owners and residents along Hatcher Road in Sunnyslope, who are harnessing their interest, energy and activism to revitalize the area along the stretch of road east of 19th Avenue to Cave Creek Road (www.sunnyslopehub.com).

Dean Waziry, owner/chef of Uptown’s Urban Fraîche, serves up Moroccan-style braised curry goat with couscous, roasted vegetables and pita (photo by Darryl Webb for North Central News). Step into the patio at Urban Fraîche, under trellises dripping with vines, past sarcophagi, aged wooden gates, statuary, walls festooned with plaques and friezes, and colorful columns that look straight out of the movie Cleopatra, and you’ve entered the vision of owner/chef Dean Waziry.

In what seems to be an increase of not just homeless pets but also an increase of unwanted and unplanned litters for owned pets, the Arizona Humane Society (AHS) has unfortunately seen an uptick of the sheer number of animals in need of help. In addition to homeless dogs, cats and critters coming through the shelter, there has also been a huge increase in the number of owners in need of help, seeking resources or found to have pets in unsafe and unsanitary conditions, AHS said.

On a somewhat overcast mid-September morning, a half-acre corner lot in Phoenix is buzzing with life. Neighbors quietly come and go, tending to their garden plots. A light breeze rustles through the trees and sends the wind chime singing; birdsong accompanies the chime while bees float from plant to plant, enjoying the hushed morning and the bounty of the garden. Welcome to Dig it, Grow it, Share it (DGS) – a community garden founded in 2019 in the Citrus Heights neighborhood near Indian School Road and 28th Street.