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.

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.

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.

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.

You might have seen the phrase hung up on walls at a diner or in a well-stocked house: “Home is where the food is.” The problem in Maricopa was that the food itself didn’t have a home, a permanent one anyway, until now.

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.

APACHE JUNCTION -- Take a scenic drive out through the Superstition Mountains and you will discover a town like no other — a town focused on preserving history and building memories. This is Goldfield Ghost Town.

When Kelli Brown laces up a pair of roller skates, pushes to her feet and begins a gentle, rolling glide, the stress of the day begins to melt away.

CASA GRANDE -- Stepping into Grande Central Station is a visit back to early Casa Grande.

COOLIDGE -- Skip Laclair understands cars. He also understands car collectors.

CASA GRANDE -- Jeff Law still remembers his first record. He was 7 years old and rode his bike with his allowance in his pocket to a local store, where he found a 45-rpm single of Cheap Trick’s “I Want You To Want Me.” Like most of the band’s songs, the music immediately blasted out of his p…

CASA GRANDE -- From the outside, you can tell there are many cherished memories attached to the place that was once Casa Grande Union High School.

ELOY -- It was in 1926 when Frank W. Shedd & Company donated a 1.7-acre site to the Toltec School District, which was where children living on the farms surrounding the area went to school.

ARIZONA CITY -- Connecting to the good ol’ days is the goal at Flashbacks, a ‘50s-themed casual diner in Arizona City.

SAM TAN VALLEY -- Redeemed Threads may be limited to a compact space between four walls, but the thrift store’s mission is limitless.

FLORENCE -- When Tom and Lynn Smith were newlyweds in the early 1960s, they would drive up from Tucson to visit Tom’s aunt and uncle, with whom he lived as a teenager. Lynn still recalls her shock at how Florence had become so rundown.

COOLIDGE -- Kenilworth School is one of the oldest buildings in Coolidge. The property is also one of the oldest schools in Arizona.

GOLD CANYON -- On any given night, you may be sitting down to your meal at a local eatery in Gold Canyon when all of a sudden, the front door swings open and you hear the shout of excitement: “WAHOO!”

In big cities, the history associated with the downtown is often forgotten — or in some cases reduced to street names and the occasional mural or memorializing statue.

A huge thank you to everyone who submitted their photos for this season’s section of Pinal in Pictures! We were thrilled to see so many classic cars throughout our county. Don’t miss our online gallery, where you can find all photos submitted to PW for this issue. If you missed your chance t…

CASA GRANDE -- For a few years, Kelsey and Peter Redwine have been on a mission to bring a good old-fashioned family fun venue to Casa Grande. And they’re on track to open their new entertainment venture, Throwback Family Fun, in the spring.

COOLIDGE -- When Larry Roberts was growing up, his favorite hangouts included the local arcades around Coolidge and surrounding areas.

CASA GRANDE -- There’s nothing better than spending the day in your car on a long, open road with the windows rolled down, accompanied by 40 of your closest friends. At least, that’s what the members of Desert Sky Mustang Car Club of Arizona think.

FLORENCE -- At the Windmill Winery in Florence, the grapevines, barn and farm-like setting provide a rustic backdrop for happy brides celebrating nuptials, couples observing an anniversary or various other events.

CASA GRANDE -- It’s become one of the hottest Mexican food restaurants since coming to Casa Grande over a year ago.

T he global spread of the coronavirus changed the way many companies, government institutions and other organizations do business overnight.

FLORENCE -- W illiam “Mac” McWilliams visited the Windmill Winery one day while he was looking for a house to buy in Florence. The 79-year-old former Navy diver, who had worked for oil companies in Alaska in civilian life had just become a truck driver.

T here’s an anecdote behind how St. Anthony’s Greek Orthodox Monastery found it’s spot not far from the town of Florence that says much about the place that eventually became a key hub for members of the church.

Just a year ago, the Future Forward Foundation had evolved beyond its previous passion for planting backyard gardens. The group and its volunteers were focused on big production on larger plots of land to grow as many vegetables and squash to share with as many people as possible. But now, i…

COOLIDGE -- COVID-19 has changed a lot of things. Long-awaited events have been canceled, many are working from home and schools have put off campus reopenings.

I ’ve always viewed the fall as the start of new beginnings. Growing up in Northern California, I loved watching tree leaves turn colors before eventually drifting down to the earth. In Central Arizona, our experience of autumn is usually more like an encore of summer — but for me, the fall …

MARICOPA -- As if there were storm clouds rising from the horizon, Jim Schoaf could see trouble coming. The reports were coming out of Asia and Europe of a highly contagious virus that was upending entire societies, putting the stability of civilization to the test. In its wake, the coronavi…

Editor’s note: Interviews for articles in this issue of Pinal Ways were conducted in early or mid-May, and reflect the state of the industry at that time.

Editor’s note: Interviews for articles in this issue of Pinal Ways were conducted in early or mid-May, and reflect the state of the industry at that time.

Editor’s note: Interviews for articles in this issue of Pinal Ways were conducted in early or mid-May, and reflect the state of the industry at that time.

Editor’s note: Interviews for articles in this issue of Pinal Ways were conducted in early or mid-May, and reflect the state of the industry at that time.

Editor’s note: Interviews for articles in this issue of Pinal Ways were conducted in early or mid-May, and reflect the state of the industry at that time.

Editor’s note: Interviews for articles in this issue of Pinal Ways were conducted in early or mid-May, and reflect the state of the industry at that time.

Editor’s note: Interviews for articles in this issue of Pinal Ways were conducted in early or mid-May, and reflect the state of the industry at that time.