🌱 Phoenix One Of 'Rattiest Cities' + Estrella Goes For $212M

Hello, neighbors! It's me again, Caitlin Sievers, your host of the Phoenix Daily.

First, today's weather:

Sunshine and cooler. High: 76 Low: 55.

Here are the top stories in Phoenix today:

1. A partnership of Harvard Investments, Toll Brothers and Värde Partners purchased the master-planned Estrella community in Goodyear for $212.5 million. The new owners plan to continue to develop the community, using 18,000 open acres of space dedicated to the mixed-use development. New homes are sorely needed in Phoenix amid an ongoing housing shortage. (Phoenix Patch)
2. Phoenix's education community, along with Northern Arizona University, are launching the city's first ever teacher residency program in an effort to combat the teacher shortage. Residency programs tend to recruit more diverse candidates than traditional programs and have a better track record with teacher retention. (12news.com)
3. We're thankfully not No. 1, but Phoenix still made Orkin's list of 2021's Rattiest Cities. Chicago was ranked in the top spot for rattiest cities for the seventh year in a row. The number of rodents in city streets jumped in 2020, but Phoenix ranked fairly low on the list at No. 43. (Phoenix Patch)
4. Phoenix Children's Hospital is preparing to vaccinate children as young as 5, as soon as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention give the OK for ages 5-11 to receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccination. Currently, COVID-19 vaccines are only approved for those 12 and older, but the CDC is expected to approve them for younger children sometime soon. (KJZZ)

Today’s Phoenix Daily is brought to you by Banner Health, a Patch Brand Partner. With the arrival of flu season, here is everything you need to know to keep yourself and your family protected.

Today in Phoenix:

• Taxes in Retirement Webinar. (11:30 a.m.)
• Drive-Thru Trick-or-Treat. (4 p.m.)
• Energy and Climate Action Team Meeting. (6:30 p.m.)
• Governing Board Regular Meeting — Arcadia High School. (7 p.m.)
• Match Market & Bar hosts Community Pumpkin Carving Party. (7 p.m.)

Phoenix Patch Notebook

• City of Phoenix: "Phoenix is a community of beautiful churches. Here are a few examples from around the city. #churchart" (Facebook)
• City of Phoenix Public Works Department: "Did you know.... The city of Phoenix has a Solid Waste Equipment Operator Apprenticeship Program? The program is the first of its kind in the nation, offering an opportunity to anyone interested in starting a career with the city of Phoenix." (Facebook)
• Arizona Humane Society: "Trick-or-treat yourself to some cuteness this Howl-o-ween by adopting from AHS! These cuties are feeling pawsitively bootiful in their costumes, and we agree! Does your pet love spooky season as much as these guys? We’d love to see (hear about it), share a photo of your pet in their Halloween costume in the comments!" (Facebook)
• Phoenix Public Library: "Looking for books in other languages? We have them! Check out the International Languages area of your local Phoenix Public Library for your preferred language." (Facebook)

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Events:

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Alrighty, you're all caught up for today. See you all tomorrow morning for another update! If you're feeling these newsletters, consider bringing some friends and neighbors into the fold. You can send them this link to subscribe.

— Caitlin Sievers

About me: I'm a passionate writer and photographer who worked as a reporter and editor for various publications in the Midwest before landing in Phoenix. I have seven roommates. Four of them are cats. Contact me at caitlin.sievers@patch.com with story ideas and feedback.

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Phoenix Daily? I'm all ears. You can reach me at caitlin.sievers@patch.com.