On Tuesday, Aug. 27, the city of Phoenix will hold the regularly scheduled City Council Election for voters in Districts 2, 4, 6 and 8 to elect a council member. There is no election for council member in Districts 1, 3, 5 and 7 this year because the terms of the council members are staggered. The Council Election is open to Phoenix residents who are registered voters and reside within Districts 2, 4, 6 or 8 at least 29 days prior to the election.

The 2013 legislative session began with a unanimous vote in the House and the Senate to appropriate emergency funding for additional Child Protective Services staff. With that vote, lawmakers affirmed child safety as a top priority.

Calling the governor's proposal unacceptable and politically dead at the Legislature, House Speaker Andy Tobin unveiled his own new plan Tuesday to expand Medicaid, one that would give Arizona voters the final say.

Positive Coaching Alliance has announced the official kick off of its new Phoenix Chapter. Established in 1998, Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) is a national nonprofit organization providing all youth and high school athletes a positive, character-building youth sports experience.

Pet rescue groups across the Valley are coming together with a three-year initiative to solve the problem of pet homelessness by fixing, adopting and saving Valley pets.

Most people know what it’s like to pull up a chair at a family reunion or holiday meal, but not many have tucked their toes under the table at a community harvest feast. Several local art and community organizations are hoping to change that with Saturday’s “Feast on the Street” in downtown Phoenix.

National Library Week is April 14-20 and Phoenix Public Libraries is celebrating at any of its 15 library locations April 13-27 with canned or non-perishable food items for St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance.

The Alliance for Innovation has selected the city of Phoenix to receive an Award of Excellence for a sweeping organizational review that led to a leaner work force and more efficient delivery of services.

Positive Coaching Alliance has announced the official kick off of its new Phoenix Chapter. Established in 1998, Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) is a national nonprofit organization committed to providing all youth and high school athletes a positive, character-building youth sports experience.

This month, every single resident in Ahwatukee Foothills and beyond (this means you!) is being asked to do one simple thing — give.

It’s time to bring out the shamrocks and deck ourselves out in emerald. St. Patrick’s Day is March 17 and the 30th anniversary of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade is on March 16. The parade and the Irish Faire are sure to turn downtown Phoenix into one big green party.

If the number of failed New Year’s resolutions are any indication, eating healthy in a fast-paced world still isn’t all that easy.

This week's "Jack the Giant Slayer," a 3-D retelling of the Jack and the Beanstalk legend, contains all the elements of the classic tale: farm boy, beans, giants, etc. But along for the ride is a new character, Princess Isabelle, played by Eleanor Tomlinson.

The Phoenix City Council awarded a domestic violence services contract to the Arizona Coalition Against Domestic Violence (AZCADV), effective March 1, 2013 through June 30, 2014.

The city’s Innovation and Efficiency Task Force has achieved a total of $62.7 million in cost savings and the group is on track to achieve $100 million in savings by December 2015, according to a report sent to the Phoenix City Council.

If you’ve been drawn to the idea of a sustainable lifestyle — growing your own veggies, making compost, raising chickens — but have yet to get started, you might find the motivation to get rolling in this one-day course.

In a previous column I discussed the PACER, a test of cardiovascular fitness that is part of the national youth physical fitness test battery (FITNESSGRAM). FITNESSGRAM, was developed at the Cooper Institute in Dallas and is now offered as a cooperative program with the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition (PCFSN) and the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance (AAHPERD). In addition to assessing cardiovascular fitness, the FITNESSGRAM Test Battery includes tests of muscle fitness, flexibility, and body composition.

OK, the big question for most of us — employees excepted — is how will the merger between US Airways and American Airlines affect the price of a ticket?

City staff is recommending that the Phoenix City Council issue $200,000 in grants to the Arizona Coalition against Domestic Violence (AZCADV) to create a centralized screening process and to set up a mobile housing specialist to help victims identify permanent housing.

It's supposed to be a parody of itself, right?

A federal judge has permanently blocked Arizona from cutting off funds to Planned Parenthood solely because the organization also performs abortions.