MUSD retains teachers amid record shortage in state
There may be a severe shortage of teachers around Arizona, but Maricopa Unified School District defies that dire trend.
There are only about 10 vacancies...
Parents’ 1 big reservation about AI in class
Maricopa school officials can sum up in one word the No. 1 concern of parents when it comes to using artificial intelligence in classrooms.
“Cheating,”...
EV tech new at career institute
Maricopa Unified School District students will be among those building an electric vehicle from the battery next school year.
Electric vehicle technology is a new...
5 festive events this weekend
Looking to get into the holiday mood this weekend?
From a winter farm tour to festive Kwanzaa celebration, here’s a look at five events in...
Youth center in the works
Teens could have a new hangout next year.
Plans to create a youth recreation center are in the works thanks to the Maricopa Community Coalition,...
Meet: Destiny Weldon
Destiny Weldon, a vibrant 21-year-old, has been part of Maricopa's heartbeat for eight years now.
Destiny, who works as a barista, was drawn to Maricopa...
Respected longtime teacher remembered
A longtime Maricopa middle school teacher who died last week is remembered as a dedicated educator beloved by his students.
Leonard Bratspir taught seventh and...
City eyes arts center in former PD digs
Today, they’re jail cells and evidence rooms. One day, they might become art galleries and performance spaces.
That’s what the city envisions in a few...
Meet: Mason Whitted
Standing in front of the apartments at Horizon at the Wells is Mason Whitted, a 22-year-old who has made our town his home for...
How to combat burnout
The last few years have been challenging, to say the least. Politics, pandemics, inflation and so many other things — situations most of us...
UNDERCOVER STORY: Students reminded to leave blankets at home
So a student wants to be warm and comfy at school as the coldest weeks of winter arrive.
Parkas? Just fine. Sweaters? Sure. Sweatshirts? No...
![Be Awesome founders Brandi Homan, left, and Priscilla Behnke host the recent Happy Friendsgiving event. [Jeff Chew]](https://www.inmaricopa.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/BeAwesome-218x150.jpg "Be Awesome: Organization broadens its appeal beyond drug education")
Be Awesome: Organization broadens its appeal beyond drug education
It was a happy gathering of Maricopa families enjoying food, games and painting together under a “Friends” TV sitcom theme.
There were “Be Awesome” and...
Maricopa High Marching Rams finish 4th in state
GLENDALE -- Maricopa High School’s Marching Ram finished fourth Saturday among the state’s top eight high school bands at the state championships.
“They did a...
Laser trailblazer ‘focused on Maricopa’
Maricopa Wellness Center is defined by the word “first.”
From opening Maricopa’s first full-service Med Spa to holding the city’s first coronavirus testing site, owner...
Molar express: Dentist grows with city
Maricopa welcomes more businesses every week.
As the city grows, it attracts new entrepreneurs, industries and jobs.
But some businesses are more than a storefront or...
Food Bank hunts down 300 turkeys for a cause
For Wendy Webb and the volunteers at F.O.R. Maricopa Food Bank, shopping for 300 turkeys to give away before Thanksgiving is no easy task.
“I...
A look back: Telegraphing history
Edgar Poe Dehart was a telegrapher at Maricopa Station. He and his family settled in Maricopa Junction from 1926 to 1936. The two-story depot...
![Donuts [Dave Crosby/Flickr]](https://www.inmaricopa.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/4793247844_6ed87f4da7_b-218x150.jpg "CRULLER BY NUMBER: Readers name city’s best donut")
CRULLER BY NUMBER: Readers name city’s best donut
Who doesn’t love donuts?
You could opt for classic glazed, powdered or blanketed in crumbs. If you’re feeling a bit rebellious, you could even get...
Tipnotized
Brainwashing: the process of pressuring someone into adopting radically different beliefs by using systematic and often forcible means.
In hindsight, I don’t think it’s dramatic...
![A pair of students work on laptops while wearing masks in a classroom at A+ Charter School. [Courtesy of A+ Charter Schools]](https://www.inmaricopa.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/a-plus-charter-students-covid-01-218x150.jpg "FLU FIGHTERS: How the pandemic forever changed Maricopa schools")
FLU FIGHTERS: How the pandemic forever changed Maricopa schools
It's been nearly four years since the coronavirus pandemic shuttered the world. Every day, the memory becomes more distant; the grasps at normalcy more...
![Vanessa Stone, a high school counselor at Maricopa Unified School District, tells school board members why she's quitting. [Jeff Chew]](https://www.inmaricopa.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/IMG_3187-218x150.jpg "Furious school counselor resigns, cites ‘toxic environment’")
Furious school counselor resigns, cites ‘toxic environment’
A Maricopa Unified School District counselor has abruptly quit her job, citing a heavy workload created by a shortage of counseling staff.
Vanessa Stone worked...
![Sequoia Pathway Academy students take the Ruby Bridges walk to school Tuesday. [Jeff Chew]](https://www.inmaricopa.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/IMG_3186-218x150.jpg "Pathway students take Ruby Bridges walk to school")
Pathway students take Ruby Bridges walk to school
Sequoia Pathway Academy Elementary School students went on a walk Tuesday morning to remember Ruby Bridges’ walk to school in 1960. It was one...
Thanksgiving turkey on the house at food banks
Maricopa’s food banks will be busy helping needy families, homeless people and those living alone this holiday season.
Maricopa Pantry is one of them, and...
Meet: Jacob Hart
Exploring Maricopa, we encounter Jacob Hart, a 17-year-old who has embraced this town as his home for the past 13 years.
Jacob, a true Maricopa...
GALLERY: Veterans Day Parade
Residents in Maricopa showed out to celebrate and thank veterans for their service on Veterans Day this year.
Local businesses, schools and supporters marched down...
Locals attempt grueling military fitness test
Aptly named U.S. Army veteran Gunner Bezrutczyk had one word to say when he completed the Marine combat fitness test on Veterans Day.
“Exhausting.”
Bezrutczyk, who...
Voice of the veteran
Lloyd Frank admits his military stint was brief — he served in the U.S. Navy from 1964 to 1966. But don’t be too quick...
School official: City growth equals school expansions
At the city’s current rate of growth, Maricopa Unified School District elementary schools will need 48 additional classrooms by 2028.
So says the school district’s...
![Maricopa High School Marching Rams [Jeff Chew]](https://www.inmaricopa.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Screenshot-2023-11-10-163256-218x150.png "Rams march to state competition")
Rams march to state competition
Maricopa High School Marching Band advanced to the state championships at Glendale Community College Nov. 18.
It's an exciting time for Band Director Ivan Pour...
Some students get diplomas in December
Unlike most high school students, senior Allison Rice will walk away with her diploma next month, six months ahead of schedule.
She’s one of 16...