The Hamlet is a free, monthly magazine produced by Estrella Publishing for the residents of Palm Valley.
A magazine for Palm Valley residents From Your Neighbors, For Your Neighbors The Hamlet
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Estrella Publishing - The Hamlet magazine
no TRICKS just
TREATS
New Construction, Repairs, Recovers, Maintenance Installation of Gutters Shingles, Tile, Built Up, Single Ply, Foam & Coatings, Metal, Shake
And Trusted Roofs!
www.JBSroofingAZ.com
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Published by Estrella Publishing LLC, PO Box 6962, Goodyear AZ 85338. Catherine Uretsky, Publisher and Editor Talia Ebert, Assistant Editor Al Uretsky, Publisher and Sales Executive 623.398.5541 info@EstrellaPublishing.com
O N D R Y
OCTOBER 18 - 24, 2026
All contents © 2010-present Estrella Publishing LLC. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in any form, in whole or part, without written permission from Estrella Publishing LLC is prohibited. Estrella Publishing accepts freelance contributions, there is no guarantee that materials will be used or returned. Estrella Publishing is not responsible for the content of contributing writers and advertisers and assumes no responsibility for errors appearing within. Opinions expressed are those of the writers and not necessarily those of the Publisher or Advertisers. Estrella Publishing reserves the right to restrict all advertisement to their proper classification and to edit or reject any copy at its sole discretion. Neither this publication nor Estrella Publishing is an agent of or in any way affiliated with the associated Developer nor Homeowners Association, or any of their respective affiliates. This publication has not been approved by, sponsored by, or endorsed by the associated Developer nor Homeowners Association in any way.
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From Me To You...
I sat down to write this editorial and my brain took a solid minute just to find first gear. That “wait, how do I even start this?” moment. It feels almost novel to think for myself, mostly because there is an easier way sitting right there on my computer, tempting me, and it’s just one tap away. The all knowing, all seeing, “helpful” AI. Here’s the thing nobody tells you about handing over your everyday thinking to a machine: your brain needs exercise just like your other muscles, and muscles that do not work get soft. I used to know all my friends and family’s phone numbers by heart. Not anymore. And don’t get me started on asking for information about, well, everything. “Ask Chat” has become the norm around here. How can we fix this problem? Exercise. Repetition. Doing the math in your head at the grocery store when you are trying to decide if that 3 for $10 deal on cereal is a good buy. Working out the tip at dinner in your head instead of letting your phone do it for you. None of this means AI is the enemy. It is a genuinely useful tool, and pretending otherwise is like refusing to use a calculator out of loyalty to your abacus. If you want to keep up with the pace of the world, especially
nowadays where new technology shows up every day, you have to learn how to use the new tools. Just do not let the old world, and your brain, slip away too. Case in point: this very editorial. I wrote it, wrote it again, argued with whether “abacus” was too obscure, and rewrote it a third time out of sheer stubbornness. Nobody made me do those reps. I did them because somewhere between draft two and draft three, my brain remembered it still knows how to lift things without a spotter. Call it my mental gym membership, minus the sweaty machines and the guy who never re- racks his weights. So here is my proposal. Use the AI. Love the AI. Just do a few reps on your own now and then, mental push ups if you will, so your brain stays limber. Because it’s always better to have the ability and not need it than need it and not have it. Having said that, spellcheck is the one crutch I’m keeping, right next to my reading glasses and my GPS. Catherine Uretsky Editor, The Hamlet Magazine info@estrellapublishing.com
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303 Construction
Loop 303 Construction: Short- Term Headaches, Long-Term Changes for Goodyear For drivers navigating the southwest Valley, the next few years may require an extra dose of patience. Construction is underway on a major extension of Loop 303 south of Interstate 10, a project that promises better regional connections but will bring closures, restrictions and changing traffic patterns to Goodyear along the way. The Arizona Department of Transportation began work in June on the approximately $613 million project, which will extend Loop 303 about four miles from Van Buren Street to Maricopa County 85. Construction is expected to take approximately four years. Much of the new freeway will follow the existing Cotton Lane corridor. Plans call for an elevated freeway over cross streets and railroad tracks, along with new or expanded interchanges at Van Buren Street, Yuma Road and Lower Buckeye Road/Elwood Street. For Goodyear residents, however, getting there could be the challenging part. ADOT says periodic lane restrictions and closures will be necessary on Loop 303, Cotton Lane, freeway ramps and cross streets. Most restrictions are expected during nights and weekends, although some cross- street closures could last up to 60 days. A new northbound frontage road is also under construction. Once completed, Cotton Lane traffic will shift onto the frontage road, allowing major freeway construction to proceed.
The extension will eventually connect with the planned State Route 30, creating another major east-west transportation corridor and providing an alternative to Interstate 10. That matters in a growing West Valley where population, housing and industrial development continue adding vehicles to local roads. But major transportation improvements rarely arrive without disruption. For residents living near Cotton Lane — and commuters who rely on it — construction updates will become increasingly important when planning daily trips. The Loop 303 extension is ultimately designed to make Goodyear easier to navigate. Until then, drivers may discover that the West Valley’s transportation future comes with detours.
The long-term payoff could be significant.
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Saving Water
Water Conservation is a PHX Priority In the heart of the desert, where every drop of water matters, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport uses water carefully and efficiently. As a leader in water conservation and one of the busiest airports in the country, Phoenix Sky Harbor uses less than half the national average amount of water per passenger, making it one of the most progressive airports in the United States for water use per passenger served. • Phoenix Sky Harbor’s water savings efforts also support lower emissions and help make the airport stronger and more resilient. The airport continues to make strong improvements in water efficiency. More than 11 acres of turf have been replaced with drought‑tolerant desert landscape plants that save millions of gallons of water each year.
• Smart tools help staff track water use and find leaks. • Irrigation systems measure soil moisture and water plants only when needed. • Cooling towers use technology that lowers water use and reduces chemical needs. • Inside the terminals, low‑flow fixtures that use 20% less water than standard fixtures help reduce water use even more. • Drainage improvements and stormwater management also play an important role in the airport’s water conservation efforts and help mitigate flooding risks to keep facilities and travelers safe during extreme weather events. • Colorful watercolor posters featuring Arizona landscape scenes, created to support the citywide water conservation education campaign, are displayed throughout the terminals and help create a bright and welcoming atmosphere for travelers. From conserving water in the desert environment to reducing emissions and strengthening infrastructure, Phoenix Sky Harbor is creating a more sustainable and resilient airport system that serves passengers, protects resources and supports the community for generations to come. Learn more about Phoenix Sky Harbor’s water conservation program at skyharbor.com/about-phx/sustainability/water.
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Battery Storage
As Goodyear adds homes, businesses and industrial development, another type of infrastructure is becoming part of the West Valley landscape: large- scale battery energy storage. Battery energy storage systems, commonly called BESS, store electricity when it is available and release it when demand increases. In a region where air conditioners can push the power grid especially hard during summer afternoons, storage can help utilities balance electricity supply and demand. But as these facilities become more common, residents may have questions about where they are built — particularly when proposed sites are near neighborhoods. Unlike a traditional power plant, a battery storage facility may consist largely of rows of enclosed battery units and electrical equipment. Still, their presence raises legitimate planning and public-safety questions involving setbacks, emergency access, noise and fire protection. Fire safety receives particular attention because lithium-ion batteries can experience “thermal runaway,” a condition in which damaged or malfunctioning battery cells rapidly generate heat. Modern facilities incorporate monitoring, fire detection and other safety systems, but local fire departments must also be prepared for the specialized challenges a battery incident can present.
For Goodyear, the conversation comes as growth continues to transform areas that were once largely agricultural or undeveloped. Industrial sites that seem isolated today could eventually find themselves closer to homes, schools and businesses as development expands.
That makes location decisions especially important.
Residents should know what safety standards apply to proposed facilities, how far equipment would be located from homes and whether Goodyear Fire Department has the training and resources necessary to respond to an emergency. For Goodyear residents, the debate doesn’t have to be simply for or against battery storage. The more useful question is where these facilities belong, and what safeguards should accompany them when they’re built.
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The Doctor Is In
Managing Your Mental Bandwidth As we navigate the demands of a busy Fall, I wanted to share a concept I often discuss with my patients: the difference between your mental hardware and your mental software. Sometimes, we feel “glitched”— anxious, overwhelmed or stuck in a loop. When this happens, we tend to blame ourselves. But often, the issue is that our Internal CEO is trying to run too many high-energy programs on an exhausted battery. Here is a quick audit to help you optimize your mental operating system this week. 1. Identify the Background Apps Just like a smartphone slows down when too many apps are open, our brains lose efficiency when we carry “open loops”—those small, unfinished tasks or unspoken worries. The Fix: Do a Brain Dump. Write down every tiny thing nagging at you. Once it’s on paper, your Internal CEO can stop using active RAM to remember it, lowering your baseline anxiety. 2. Check Your Hardware Basics We often try to solve psychological problems with logic, but if the hardware is glitching, the logic won’t stick. Before you over-analyze your mood, check your physical inputs: • Sleep Hygiene: Is your recharge cycle consistent?
to the logical CEO. • The 90-Second Rule: Scientific research suggests that the chemical surge of an emotion lasts about 90 seconds. If you can breathe through those 90 seconds without reacting, the fire usually begins to cool on its own. In my 20+ years of clinical experience, I’ve seen that the most resilient people aren’t those who never feel “off.” They’re the ones who recognize the “glitch” early and have the tools to reset their system. Submitted by Jennifer Paweleck-Bellingrodt, Psy.D. Licensed Clinical Psychologist
• Movement: Are you clearing out cortisol through physical activity? • Fuel: Are you giving your brain the nutrients it needs to maintain focus? 3. Strengthening the Prefrontal Cortex The prefrontal cortex is the part of the brain responsible for emotional regulation and impulse control. It is essentially the CEO of your mind. You can strengthen this “muscle” daily through: • Labeling: When a big emotion hits, name it. “I am feeling overlooked” or “I am feeling overstimulated.” This simple act moves the energy from the emotional center (the amygdala) back
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Estrella Publishing - The Hamlet magazine
Cook With Zona Pumpkin Bread
spice, 1 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp salt 3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients. 1 & 1/2 cups canned pumpkin puree, 1/2 cup vegetable oil, 1 & 1/2 cups granulated sugar, 2 large eggs 4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until just combined. 5. Spoon into prepared baking pan and bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs and the top springs back when lightly touched. 6. Enjoy!
It’s October and that means pumpkins! This delicious pumpkin bread is packed with pumpkin flavor and fragrant autumn spices and your house will smell amazing all day. Ingredients • 2 cups all-purpose flour • 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ginger, 1/2 tsp nutmeg) • 1 tsp baking soda • 1/2 tsp salt • 1 & 1/2 cups canned pumpkin puree • 1/2 cup vegetable oil • 1 & 1/2 cups granulated sugar • 2 large eggs
Want to see previous recipes by Zona? Scan the QR code to see all past recipes on our website!
Instructions 1. Preheat oven to 350F and grease a 9x5” loaf pan. 2. In a large bowl, toss together the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt. Set aside 2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 tsp pumpkin pie
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Voting 411 Arizona voters will decide races for statewide and legislative offices, along with ballot propositions that could affect policies across the state. Depending on where they live, Goodyear voters may also encounter contests and issues involving other jurisdictions that provide services to their neighborhoods. That makes October an important month for doing some homework. Arizona’s voter registration deadline is Oct. 5, followed closely by the beginning of early voting Oct. 7. Those dates give residents a relatively short window to confirm their registration, learn about candidates and measures, and decide whether to vote early or wait until Election Day. For a fast-growing community such as Goodyear, elections can have particularly visible consequences. Transportation, housing, public safety, water, economic development and infrastructure are more than campaign talking points here. They’re everyday concerns in a city where new neighborhoods and businesses continue to reshape how residents live, work and travel. Growth also means some newer residents may be voting in Goodyear for the first time. They may be
unfamiliar with local districts, polling locations or which government agencies are responsible for the services they use. Before casting a ballot, residents should review their official sample ballot and voter information from Maricopa County and the Arizona Secretary of State rather than relying solely on campaign advertisements or social media posts. And don’t overlook the propositions. Ballot measures often receive less attention than candidate races, yet their effects can last for years. Election season may bring plenty of political noise to Goodyear this October. Cutting through that noise starts with a simpler task: knowing what’s on your ballot, what it would change and when it’s time to vote.
At New Life Center, pets reside in the casita with families — not boarded in a separate kennel area — and freely play in New Life Center’s dog park. 50% of assault survivors reportedly delay or refuse to leave a dangerous situation for fear of what could happen to a beloved pet left behind, so welcoming pets eliminates a substantial barrier to seeking safety. ONLY 3% OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SHELTERS WELCOME PETS — NEW LIFE CENTER IS ONE
New Life Center needs your help, so we can continue to help others. DONATE TODAY BY SCANNING THE QR CODE!
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The Bug Guy Halloween in the Valley: Where Scorpions Don’t Need a Costume
under-blacklight treatment before a single candy bag gets extended. Parents aren’t just checking candy wrappers anymore, they’re checking corners. Then there’s the pest control trucks, doing their best business of the year right alongside the costume shops. Nothing says “October in the Valley” like a technician in a full Halloween-adjacent hazmat getup, treating a baseboard while a giant inflatable Frankenstein wobbles ominously in the yard next door. Sometimes it’s hard to tell which visitor is scarier: the trick-or- treater in the werewolf mask, or the actual javelina rustling through the cactus out back looking for candy of its own. So this year, when you’re setting up your fake tombstones and cotton-web spiders, maybe give a little nod to the real MVPs of Phoenix Halloween: the pest control folks quietly making sure the only things haunting your house are the decorations you put there on purpose. Stay spooky, Keep your shoes shaken and your door screens intact.
Let’s be honest, West Valley: we didn’t need Halloween to have things skittering around that make people scream. We’ve had that covered since roughly March. While the rest of the country is out here decorating with plastic spiders, we’re just... looking down before we put our shoes on. Nothing says “spooky season” quite like shaking out a boot and hoping today isn’t the day a bark scorpion decides to make a statement. Our neighbors to the north hang fake cobwebs from their porches for atmosphere. Ours are load-bearing. And don’t even get me started on the pack rats. Every October, some poor soul in Arcadia hangs up a cute little skeleton decoration, only to discover a week later that something has been using it as a chew toy. Nothing ruins the illusion of a haunted house quite like realizing the “ghost” in your attic pays rent in droppings and has excellent taste in insulation. Trick-or-treaters here have developed a sixth sense the rest of the country doesn’t need: the pre-doorbell scorpion scan. Every porch light gets the flashlight-
Submitted by Larry Cash, of Estrella Mountain Pest Control.
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Puzzles & Games Soduku rules. Fill every row, column, and 3 × 3 block with the numbers 1 to 9 without repeating them. Solutions are on our website www.EstrellaPublishing.com, or scan the QR code. Easy 8 2 7 3 4 9 6 4 9 5 8 3 Medium 7 4 4 2
9 8 5
4 8 9 6 6 1 2
8 3
6
4
4
2 1 4 9 1 8
7
6
4 9 6
1 8 3
1 5 7
9 4
6
2 4 7 7 3
5 7
1 8
1
8 3 5
3 4 1
8 5 6
Spot the Difference!
Hard
Expert 5
2 4
9 5 6
6
4
9 6
7
6 3
8
1
3 8 2
4 3 6 5
8 5
2
9 7
4 2 3
1
8
8
1
2 4
7 9
7 8
5
6 1
8
9
Master 2
1
09/20/2026
3
9 4 6
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5
3
Download the original Sudoku.com mobile application and play thousands of
9 1
Fall, For Your Car
Fall may not seem like a demanding season for a vehicle, but the change in weather is a good reminder that cars need a little attention before winter arrives. A few basic inspections now can uncover problems that might otherwise leave drivers dealing with an unexpected repair later. One of the best places to start is with the tires. As temperatures drop, tire pressure can fall as well, affecting handling, fuel economy and tire wear. Drivers should check pressure when the tires are cold and take a close look at tread depth and uneven wear. Those patterns can sometimes point to alignment or suspension issues that deserve a closer look. The battery is another component worth testing. Summer heat can be particularly hard on automotive batteries, and a weakened battery may have trouble starting the engine when conditions get colder. Checking the battery’s condition, terminals and
charging system can help determine whether it is ready for another season. Technicians recommend looking at the vehicle’s essential fluids, belts and hoses. Engine oil and coolant are particularly important, while worn belts, cracked hoses or small leaks are easier to address before they turn into a roadside problem. Visibility and stopping ability also deserve attention. Worn windshield wipers can become a nuisance during fall rain, while dim headlights or burned-out bulbs can make shorter days and nighttime driving more difficult. Brake noise, vibration or changes in pedal feel shouldn’t be ignored. Finally, take a few minutes to test the heater and defroster. It is much better to discover a problem on a mild fall morning than during the first cold-weather commute. Fall maintenance isn’t necessarily about making major repairs. It’s about catching the little things before they become big ones.
LOOKING FOR MY HUMAN.
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