Phoenix

IRVINE, Calif. – October 29, 2026 -- Applications are open for the 12th annual Live Más Scholarship, with more than $13 million available for Taco Bell fans and Team Members ages 16 to 26. Individual awards are $5,000, $10,000 and $25,000, and the application deadline is January 5, 2027.

Applicants skip the GPA and test scores

The Taco Bell Foundation requires no GPA, test scores or résumés. Applicants submit either a two-minute video or a 250–500-word essay describing the passion they are pursuing, where they hope it takes them, and the difference they want to make. Recipients will be announced in Spring 2027.

PHOENIX – October 29, 2026 -- Lectric eBikes has launched the XP Lite3, a 49-lb folding ebike with built-in rear turn signals, starting at $799, the same entry price as the original XP Lite from 2022 and the XP Lite2.

The third-generation bike reaches speeds up to 20 mph (where permitted by state law) and offers up to 80 miles of range. At 49 lbs., it is meant for commuters, students, and RV owners who need to lift it into a trunk, carry it onto a train, or take it up an apartment staircase.

CEO and co-founder Levi Conlow said the company found efficiencies to avoid raising the price. By his estimate, inflation since 2022 could have pushed a bike like this to around $920.

Turn signals and a bigger display headline the upgrades

The XP Lite3 adds integrated rear turn signals for visibility on busy streets. It also gets a bright 3.5-inch full-color display, first used on the XP4, that shows ride data at a glance.

Bethesda – October 19, 2026 -- Starting in November, the ice! Christmas attraction opens at eight Gaylord Hotels and JW Marriott resorts across the United States, with new Harry Potter, Home Alone and Nightmare Before Christmas themes. More than 300 master ice artisans from Harbin, China, have arrived to build it.

Artisans carve for nearly 40 days before opening

The crew will sculpt millions of pounds of ice into scenes covering more than 20,000 square feet. They work with chippers, tongs, handsaws, grinders and chainsaws, turning 300-pound blocks into details no bigger than a coin and scenes taller than 30 feet. Their 300-page design books and generations-old techniques guide the work. A proprietary coloring process and accent spotlights add color.

Once the attraction opens, several artisans stay on site to maintain the sculptures and give daily live carving demonstrations.

Seattle – October 19, 2026 -- Homeowners can now check for hidden water leaks in about five minutes using two meter readings and a free online Water Leak Rate Calculator from Simply Leak Detection.

A $2,777 bill covered seven months of use

The company points to a July 2026 Arizona's Family report on Phoenix homeowner Cameron Green. His bill covered seven months and 344,000 gallons of water use after a city-owned transmitter stopped reporting readings. Green said an underground leak, invisible from the surface, contributed to the high usage.

The reported total reflects overall consumption, not the leak alone.

A moving meter can reveal a problem

A meter that keeps registering water use while fixtures, irrigation and water-using appliances are all off can reveal a problem that would otherwise go unnoticed. Homeowners do not have to wait for the next bill to look for it.

Phoenix – October 19, 2026 -- NASCAR fans can hear every lap of the Freeway Insurance 500 live on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Ch. 90), with the green flag dropping Sunday, October 18, at 2pm ET at Phoenix Raceway.

Listen on car radios and in the SiriusXM app

Coverage of the NASCAR Cup Series race runs on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Channel 90. Listeners can tune in on car radios or through the SiriusXM app.

Race details at a glance

• Date: Sunday, October 18, 2026
• Time: 2pm ET
• Race: Freeway Insurance 500
• Track: Phoenix Raceway
• Channel: SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Ch. 90)

Three drivers get their own channels

Fans who want to follow one driver through the whole race can pick from three dedicated Driver Channels:

• Kyle Larson (#5): Ch. 997
• Denny Hamlin (#11): Ch. 998
• Ryan Blaney (#12): Ch. 999

Phoenix – October 15, 2026 -- Families can get two extra-large pizzas for $29.99 at Peter Piper Pizza this October, alongside a pumpkin-shaped Halloween pizza from $16.48 and a bonus on digital gift cards. The deals mark National Pizza Month.

Two XL pizzas add up to 24 slices for $29.99

The Double Up XL deal covers two extra-large, one-topping pizzas totaling 24 slices. It is available for dine-in, delivery and carryout at participating locations.

Jack-O'-Lantern Pizza returns from $16.48

The fan-favorite large pepperoni pizza comes with a crust shaped like a jack-o'-lantern. It is offered for dine-in, carryout and delivery at participating locations, starting at $16.48.

Buy $50 in digital gift cards, get $10 extra

Guests who purchase $50 in digital gift cards during October receive an additional $10. The offer applies to digital cards only, at participating locations.

Phoenix – October 13, 2026 -- Arizona homeowners can get up to $2,000 off in total on Rooter Hero plumbing services through Dec. 31, 2026, and the company says a pre-holiday inspection is the time to use them. Each service is limited to one coupon, and coupons cannot be combined with any other coupon, discount, or promotion.

Holiday meals put kitchen drains under the most strain

Plumbing professionals often see service calls rise around the holidays. Big meals mean more grease, food scraps, and heavy dishwasher use, and kitchen drains and garbage disposals take most of the punishment. Rooter Hero names grease, coffee grounds, and starchy leftovers as the most common causes of holiday clogs.

San Diego – – October 12, 2026 -- Eleven students from the Greater San Diego Science and Engineering Fair (GSDSEF) reached the 76th Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), and they brought home eight awards worth a combined $6,300. The world's largest precollege science and engineering competition concluded on May 15 with the Grand Awards ceremony in Phoenix, Arizona.

More than 1,700 finalists competed for over $7 million in prizes

The finalists came from 365 affiliated fairs in more than 60 countries, regions and territories. Two of the 11 San Diego-area finalists qualified through the California Science and Engineering Fair (CSEF). GSDSEF students took second place, third place and four fourth-place awards.

Phoenix – September 24, 2026 -- A Vietnam veteran's estate gift sent 360 fellow veterans, service members and first responders to New York Yankees games against the Mets on September 11, 12 and 13, fulfilling his final wish to keep serving the community he devoted his life to.

Joe Pasternack deployed to Qui Nhơn, Vietnam, from September 1965 to August 1966

Pasternack served three years in the U.S. Army before returning home to New York, where he became a lifelong Yankees fan. In 2013 he joined the Veteran Tickets Foundation (Vet Tix), a nonprofit that provides free event tickets to veterans, active service members and first responders through its 1st Tix program.

Miami – September 19, 2026 -- A new candlelit concert series titled 'A Haunted Evening of Halloween Classics' is touring venues across the United States this fall, reimagining horror-themed music through live string quartet performances.

The tour stops include the Fontainebleau Miami Beach in Florida, The Congress Plaza Hotel & Convention Center in Chicago, Illinois, the Phoenix Zoo in Arizona, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts, and the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento, California.

The setlist mixes film scores with classical staples

Local string quartets perform Michael Jackson's 'Thriller,' Bernard Herrmann's score for 'Psycho,' the theme from 'Stranger Things,' and selections from 'The Nightmare Before Christmas.'

Classical works on the program include Camille Saint-Saëns' 'Danse Macabre' and Modest Mussorgsky's 'Night on Bald Mountain.'