CASA GRANDE -- Within the next six to 12 months, crews are to begin construction on a new Aldi Grocery Store in Casa Grande. East of Walmart on East Florence Boulevard, it will soon be home to the latest addition to shopping options for residents in the area.

As restaurants reopen up to their prepandemic capacities, many customers are eating out more on a weekly basis. From drinks with friends to dinner with colleagues, the majority of us are no longer confined to our own cooking and our own ingredients. This said, diet and nutrition is still ver…

With diet plans, it’s often important to keep track of goalposts and milestones, and in early August, Cooltown Keto hit a major one. The burgeoning home-bakery excitedly shared that they’d reach 1,000 followers on Facebook.

CASA GRANDE -- Healthy eating can be touch and go at times for plenty of people. Many of us understand the tremendous impact a healthy diet can have on our fitness level, longevity and overall quality of life. So, we strive to make decisions when it comes to our food that will likely benefit…

Whether new to cooking with chiles or a seasoned culinary pro, the following recipe for green chile sauce is a great way to embrace the flavor of chile.

One of the most surprising things about the Queen Creek Olive Mill is the different, and often very innovative, ways they use olive oil. The mill has even found a way to incorporate some of the olive oil blends they make into desserts, like this brownie recipe created by Brenda Rea and repri…

COOLIDGE -- For Beth Shope Pineda, growing up in the grocery store industry was all about family and all about people.

FLORENCE -- Pinal County Historical Society Museum will celebrate the memory of Pedro E. Guerrero, and invite residents to bring photos and mementos of other departed loved ones, from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct 31, at the museum, 715 S. Main St. in Florence.

QUEEN CREEK -- Food trucks have grown markedly in popularity over the last decade.

Arizonans love the heat. And here in Pinal County much of the heat comes from the food.

COOLIDGE -- A mix of sweet and tantalizing smells wafts through the small ice cream parlor on Main Street between Roosevelt and Wilson avenues in Coolidge.

The Central Arizona College culinary program is making waves this year as it embarks into another semester of degrees and certificates for students across the area. Both in-person and virtual tools will be implemented in the upcoming semester to help students achieve culinary advancements wi…

Though there's been plenty of growth and development that has come to the county, especially within the last five years, the majority of Pinal's cities and towns started as — and in some cases remain to this day — agricultural communities. 

CASA GRANDE -- For more than 30 years, the annual Taste of Casa Grande has been a highlight of the local culinary scene, bringing together food lovers and area food purveyors and restaurants.

FLORENCE — CoryAnn Ecenbarger says she makes fudge with sugar, butter, other special ingredients, plus “a little bit of love and a lot of ornery.”

There's a bustling aliveness inside the Queen Creek Olive Mill.

One of the best parts about asking our readers to submit photos of their favorite foods from around our county is that we get to showcase the incredible talent of our local restaurants, chefs and catering businesses. We’d like to give a huge shoutout to the local foodies, photographers and c…

Editor’s Note: Though we do our best to provide a comprehensive, up-to-date, directory of the restaurants currently serving customers in our area, this list reflects the establishments open for business at the time of publication. Please contact these businesses directly for information rega…

It’s an occurrence that is noticeable if you’ve ever been out and about in Phoenix in the middle of summer after sunset; though the sun might have gone down, temperatures remain hot into the night.

The COVID-19 pandemic was difficult on communities around the world for many reasons. Many lives were lost, businesses suffered and millions found themselves spending most of their free time at home in efforts to reduce the spread of the virus.

Maybe it’s a crisis, maybe it’s just an opportunity. But however it’s characterized, issues around water management have taken the forefront in planning future growth for the county and its cities.

The United States may be one country, but it definitely isn’t one climate. The many people who have moved to Arizona from cooler areas can attest to that. They know firsthand through much frustration that what worked for them in their gardens back in the Midwest no longer applies in the desert.

High temperatures can be difficult to deal with. For many, warmer weather often means having to use more water, adjust outdoor activities and exercise schedules to account for hotter days, and spend the weekends seeking out ways to cool down.

Arizona sees more sunny days than other states in the U.S. So, it’s only natural for solar energy to become an increasingly popular option for the residents in Arizona. Arizona Public Service Co., the largest investor-owned utility in Arizona, is currently providing 122,000 customers with so…

The dog days of summer are not a time of year most Arizonans look forward to. Sweltering temperatures, the return of flies and mosquitos in droves and slower business are just a few of the reasons why some Arizonans may flock to cooler climates beginning in June or early July.

As the months creep closer to summer, Arizona residents are yet again preparing for the inevitable heat. With the impact of rising temperatures and ongoing regional drought, the agriculture industry must take precautions and plant crops that can thrive.

Though spring and summer can get incredibly warm around Pinal County, they also bring some of the most incredible sunrises and sunsets we get to witness all year. These photos, submitted by Coolidge City Manager Rick Miller, capture a few recent incredible occurrences from around the county.

These days, it’s hard to imagine surviving an Arizona summer without air conditioning. Before the middle part of the 20th century, that was the case for those who had settled in Florence.

Many central Arizona residents are accustomed to dealing with temperatures that climb into triple digits during the summer. Schedules are organized around it. Outdoor activities like hiking are planned for the morning or evening hours as the sun rises or sets; outdoor events are scheduled du…

When school is out for the summer, and kids are faced with the long, hot months of June and July, the Eloy Community Services Department is busy looking for ways to keep area young people cool and entertained.

Summer weather can be a hot topic among Arizonans — literally. Starting in late May or early June, questions abound regarding what the season will look and feel like. Is there going to be a monsoon this year? How hot will it get? Will there be a high chance of brush and wildfires? How hot wi…

Arizona summers are hot, there’s no disputing that. And when triple digits linger, people can be heard saying: “It’s as hot as an oven out there,” or “It’s so hot you could fry an egg on the sidewalk.”

Jim Petty flies a single-engine airplane. The kind with a propeller on the nose. And wheels that don’t retract.

Over the past 40 years the Community Action Human Resources Agency has become widely known for the utility assistance it offers struggling households in Pinal County.

Since COVID-19 began to spread around the world, people have been doing their part to slow down the disease by staying home, where health experts say they are the safest. For many, that assessment is true. The comforts of home and being around family are often preferred to the anxieties of s…

Revered throughout history for their strength, intelligence and beauty, horses have long been woven into the fabric of many cultures for the versatility and companionship they offer.

It’s human nature to want to figure out things on your own and be self-sufficient; asking for help is difficult for most, especially during hard times.

It’s a race marked by scenic routes and fire pit starts with one of Arizona’s most widely recognized landscapes as the backdrop.

When people rally around each other to improve the quality of life for one person or a family, the whole community becomes better for it.

Arizona Gives Day is April 6. This collaboration between the Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits and Arizona Grantmakers has helped raise more than $23 million for Arizona’s nonprofits since 2013.

With the focus of this issue being to recognize and honor the work local nonprofits do within Pinal County, this season’s Pinal In Pictures recognizes local volunteers. We would like to thank all the volunteers at nonprofits throughout the county who work to make their communities a better place.

A desire to ensure that all area veterans have access to the resources and services they need is what prompted a small group of people to start Honoring/Hiring/Helping Our Heroes of Pinal County eight years ago.

Since it opened over a decade ago, hundreds of adults, kids and teens have taken part in BlackBox Foundation efforts to bring live theater productions to Casa Grande audiences.

A new nonprofit in Florence is working to ensure the great old things about the town are never forgotten.

Mental and emotional health are increasingly understood to be essential components of the wellbeing of our bodies, families, communities and even social systems.

Wendy Esquibel started her journey as a foster mom about 13 years ago. Not long after, she decided to expand her license to become a caregiver for children with special medical needs.